Rediff issued a release stating that the new look free Rediffmail, which is its flagship email service, was now faster. It is also more secure with a spam shield and allows one to write emails in 11 Indian languages.

In addition, the free email users can now buy stand alone add-ons such as extra storage, POP3 access facility and SMS packs that allow users to send SMS from their free Rediffmail service to mobile numbers in India and the US. Users can also upgrade to the premium paid Rediffmail Plus service that has been additionally refurbished with a 30MB briefcase and a no account expiration policy in an ad free environment.

The key attribute of the Rediffmail spam shield is that it gets better over time with users' contribution. The release adds that intelligent spam shield software progressively improves its learning on spam mail patterns from users' contribution, thereby eventually filtering the message and restricting it from reaching the user's Inbox.

Nasscom estimates that India will have an Internet user base of 52 million by 2005. This would mean that the email would no longer be considered a service but a utility to every Internet user in the country. With a trend in this direction Rediff stated that it was imperative for email services such as Rediffmail to become more user friendly, secure and convenient.