As Postal Rates Soar, Text Message Interoperability Arrives In U.S.
Posted by WDN, july 03, 2002 Big six carriers and many others now participating
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) today announced that all of the six largest wireless carriers now participate in a program that allows a customer of one carrier to send a text message to a customer of another, and predicted the technology would change the way America communicates.
"At the very time when postal rates are soaring, along comes an electronic alternative. Not only is a wireless text message a fraction of the cost of a potage stamp, but you can send it from anywhere and it will be delivered anywhere - even on Saturday or Sunday," said Tom Wheeler, President and CEO of CTIA. "It's the perfect hybrid between instant messaging and e-mail, and texting has already revolutionized the way people and businesses communicate overseas - every day one billion text messages are sent among mobile phones worldwide."
Text messaging has opened new ways to communicate...:
Cadbury Candy Company put a telephone number on 60 million candy bars at the end of last year and asked consumers to send a text message to that number. Within six weeks they had over four million responses. It was the biggest response to any promotion they had ever run.
McDonalds placed a text messaging game on French fry containers in the UK's 1,200 stores, promoting the movie Monsters, Inc.
In one promotion in Australia, Coca-Cola processed over 7 million text messages, over the span of thirteen weeks, reaching four percent of that continent's population.
Germans watch a popular television show where the audience interacts in real time via text messaging.
One European company quit issuing paychecks to its employees. Instead it sends a text message confirming the funds have been deposited; imbedded in that message is a private URL that takes the employee to their bank account to see the balance.
A European BMW dealer now schedules service appointments, including receiving authorization to do the necessary work, via text message instead of playing telephone tag with customers.
Companies are purchasing text messages in bulk for communicating with their field force.
...And it's growing more popular every day:
1 billion messages sent a day, globally
359 million users of text messaging in the world in 2001
Every digital phone sold today in the U.S. has messaging capability
15% of European carrier's revenues last year came from cell phone messaging
"Text messages have not only given consumers a brand new way to communicate, it has also given wireless companies around the globe an important new revenue stream," added Wheeler. "Last year, the revenue generated by text messages was greater than Hollywood's combined box office receipts, according to the Mobile Data Association in the U.K."
