The first SMS message was sent by engineer Neil Papworth to Vodafones Richard Jarvis on
December 3rd 1992. Jarvis could had no means of replying and it simply said “Merry Christmas”.
Although the first commercial SMS service launched in 1993 in Sweden, it was several years until the idea became the focus for telephone companies in the UK.
If like this blogger you grew up in the 90’s, you may well remember the buzz surrounding the now pre-historic pager. A lot of money was wastefully invested in them by technology companies, yet it became increasingly apparent consumers didn't’ like the middle man and had an insatiable appetite for texting.
Starting out completely free and limited to people on the same network, 1994 saw the launch of text messaging in the UK. Utilising the number pads with letters on, which were already on handsets for phone book entry. In the early days texts were limited to 160 characters, couldn't carry over to a second and any predictive texting was a while off yet. This made texting very slow initially.
The medium gained instant popularity among students, ever the early adopters, who began shortening words into "text speak." and finding ways to make texting speedier.
Cross-network compatibility for SMS became a reality by 1999, which is also when charging for sending across networks was introduced. It was this need to squeeze as much of a conversation into 160 characters, that resulted in even further truncation of language to save space. By January 2001 One billion texts were sent, with monthly numbers rising exponentially from there.
In the years since, texting has become the norm for staying in touch with friends and family. Texts have now been used for much more - anything from breaking hearts, to saving lives and quickly spreading news. Text messages are now used by schools to inform parents about their child, the NHS to confirm test results and appointments. Not forgetting text use in charitable appeals like Comic Relief and in 2008, they were used to guide a British surgeon with instructions on how to amputate a boy’s arm in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saving his life. However the developments are not all good, as they can be used maliciously in cases of cyber bullying and have even used by bosses to fire their employees!
According to Ofcom, 90% of 16-24 year old now say they communicate with friends and family daily via SMS. Compared to only 15 percent of over 65’s. By 2011 the amount of text and picture messages sent continued to grow, with UK inhabitants sending 200 per month on average.
As we move into 2014 for the first time in over ten years text messaging appears on the decline, apps such as WhatsApp and BBM provide the same function over the internet. With the ability to email, make video and audio calls over the internet as well - It appears the age of SMS could be coming to an end.
James Thickett, Ofcom’s Director of Research, said: “When texting was first conceived many saw it as nothing more than a niche service.
"But texts have now surpassed traditional phone calls and meeting face to face as the most frequent way of keeping in touch for UK adults, revolutionising the way we socialise, work and network.
“For the first time in the history of mobile phones, SMS volumes are showing signs of decline. However the availability of a wider range of communications tools like instant messaging and social networking sites, mean that people might be sending fewer SMS messages, but they are ‘texting’ more than ever before.”
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