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SMS Turns 20; Has It Passed Its Prime?
It is safe to say that mobile phones have changed our lives, they have opened new horizons for businesses and individuals. However, some people say the most useful feature of the mobile phone isn’t Voice Calling, but rather the Short Messaging System aka SMS. Today, the humble SMS leaves its teenage years, and turns 20. The first SMS was sent on December 3rd, 1992. The message was,”Merry Christmas’.
These 160 character long messages, earlier composed on the fiddly alphanumeric or T9 keypads on mobile phones, were supposed to be short and to the point. One no longer had to call someone and wait for them to answer the phone. As the mobile phone grew smaller and cheaper, and hundred of millions of people started buying it, SMS grew in popularity. Seeing the opportunity, network operators began to slash SMS prices. Earlier, each SMS used to cost upward of Rs. 5. This soon came down to Rs. 1/per SMS. However, as more and more people began using it, operators came out with SMS packs and schemes. At this point, SMS Traffic exploded. Around the world, operators reported maximum profits were coming via SMS. However, as with all good things, this could not last forever.
The rise of the Internet Connected Smartphone can probably be called the beginning of the end for SMS dominance. Once data plans began to become affordable for the average consumer, it was only a matter of time before someone developed a web based messaging system between smartphones. RIM was the first company to achieve success in this, with Blackberry Messenger. Seeing the success of others, Apple decided to ‘innovate‘ and came out with iMessages, another SMS alternative. However, in our opinion, the company that really poses the biggest challenge to SMS is Whatsapp. This startup came out with a mobile phone exclusive messaging system that uses the phone’s internet connection. It has dedicated apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone Symbian, Series 40 and Blackberry devices. This model grew popular beyond anyone’s imagination. Every day, billions of messages are sent via Whatspp. In fact, it was estimated that last year, Whatsapp and BBM causes operators to lost a whopping $13.9 Billion in potential lost SMS Revenues.
So, at the end of 2012, does this mean that SMS is dead? Not at all. Hundreds of millions of users still do not have smartphones and rely on SMS. However, it is safe to say that the best days of SMS are over. Going forward, more people will be switching to cheaper internet based solutions.
What do you think? Will SMS forever remain the dominant player? Do let us know in the comments below.
Image Courtesy | registerkbc67
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2012-12-03 16:01:14
Source: http://www.watblog.com/2012/12/03/sms-turns-20-has-it-passed-its-prime/
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