Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
💻

Text messaging

technology Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Text messaging, often called texting, is the process of sending electronic messages between users. These messages usually consist of alphabetic and numeric characters. People use many different devices to communicate this way. This includes mobile phones, tablet computers, and smartwatches. It also includes desktops, laptops, and other compatible computers.

Funny text message conversation
Funny text message conversation

Messages can travel over a cellular network. They can also be sent via satellite or an Internet connection. This technology has become a mainstream way to communicate globally. It allows for quick, informal exchanges between people in many different cultures.

There are several different ways that text messages are sent and formatted. The original method is the Short Message Service, or SMS. SMS is a system that sends small bits of data. It is an integral part of Signalling System No. 7, also known as SS7. Under SS7, a message is a "state" containing 160 characters of data. This data uses the ITU-T "T.56" text format. This format includes a "sequence lead in" to determine language codes. It can even use special character codes to send simple graphs.

SMS composition on feature phone
SMS composition on feature phone

Beyond simple text, there is the Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS. MMS allows users to send digital images, videos, and sound content. There is also Rich Communication Services, or RCS. Additionally, many people use instant messaging apps. These apps can include ideograms known as emoji, which are small icons like happy or sad faces.

Texting offers many practical benefits for modern communication. It is a fast and easy way to reach friends, family, or colleagues. It is especially useful when a voice call would be impolite. For example, a call might be inappropriate late at night. Texting is also helpful when someone is busy with work or family. Unlike a phone call, texting does not require both people to be available at the same moment. This allows busy individuals to communicate on their own time. Texting is also used for interacting with automated systems. Users can order products from e-commerce websites or join online contests. Some people even use SMS to remotely control home appliances in domotics systems.

Whatsapp chatting outdoor 20180808
Whatsapp chatting outdoor 20180808

The history of text messaging began long before the modern smartphone. In the early 19th century, electrical telegraph systems used electrical signals to send text. By the late 19th century, wireless telegraphy used radio waves. In 1933, the German Reichspost introduced a service called "telex." In 1971, the University of Hawaii used radio to send digital information via ALOHAnet. The modern SMS concept was developed by Friedhelm Hillebrand in 1984. He worked for Deutsche Telekom and wanted to find a standard message length. He sat at a typewriter and typed random sentences. He counted every letter, number, space, and punctuation mark. He discovered that almost all messages contained fewer than 160 characters. This became the basis for the standard character limit.

iPhone Text Message Amber Alert 1882467856 o
iPhone Text Message Amber Alert 1882467856 o

The first successful SMS was sent on December 3, 1992. Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old test engineer, sent the message from a computer. The text said "Merry Christmas." It was sent via the Vodafone network to Richard Jarvis. Jarvis was at a party in Newbury, Berkshire, at the time. Commercial person-to-person SMS service began in 1994 with the Finnish network Radiolinja. By 1995, Telecom Finland also launched SMS services. This made Finland the first nation with competitive and commercial SMS services. In the United States, American Personal Communications provided the first service. They launched under the brand Sprint Spectrum on November 15, 1995. This launch occurred in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland.

Text messaging has seen massive global growth and significant economic impact. In 1995, customers sent only 0.4 messages per month on average. However, by the end of 2007, SMS was the most used mobile data service. At that time, 74% of all mobile phone users were active SMS users. This represented 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion phone subscribers. In some countries, popularity was even higher. In Finland, Sweden, and Norway, over 85% of the population used SMS. The European average was about 80%. In the Philippines, the volume was incredibly high. In 2008, the country sent over 1 billion messages every single day. This was more than the annual average of China and India combined.

Textinginclass
Textinginclass

Today, the landscape of messaging is changing again. While SMS remains important, Internet-based messaging is growing very fast. Services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal, Snapchat, and Telegram are very popular. Research from 2013 suggested these services would grow to equal SMS popularity. In that year, nearly 10 trillion messages were sent through each technology. Many people now use instant messengers instead of traditional SMS. A survey showed that 67% of Generation Y used instant messengers for communication. These modern apps often make group messaging much easier for users. This shift shows how quickly communication technology continues to evolve.

803 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:SMS composition on feature phone.png
SMS composition on feature phone.png
File:Funny text message conversation.png
Funny text message conversation.png
File:Whatsapp chatting outdoor 20180808.jpg
Whatsapp chatting outdoor 20180808.jpg
File:iPhone Text Message Amber Alert 1882467856 o.jpg
iPhone Text Message Amber Alert 1882467856 o.jpg
File:SMS roaming welcome messages - Redvers.jpg
SMS roaming welcome messages - Redvers.jpg
File:SillyModernSociety.jpg
SillyModernSociety.jpg
File:Cell phone use while driving.jpg
Cell phone use while driving.jpg
File:Textinginclass.jpg
Textinginclass.jpg
File:Threatening text - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg
Threatening text - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg
File:Text messaging used to provide encouragement to quit smoking.png
Text messaging used to provide...
File:Left on read.jpg
Left on read.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.