Future Development & Expectations

 



As noted in table 2 below, SMS messages in Europe reached a total volume of 1 Billion in April 1999. According to the GSM Association, these volumes have been increasing month over month with no end in site. With the advent of two-way SMS messages, the United States should expect our SMS volumes to increase at a similar rapid speed. 

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Table 2: SMS Volumes in European Countries - April 19992

There is continuous research and development being conducted to advance the wireless protocol and network infrastructure. One such advancement is Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). This protocol contributes to an increase in messaging usage by providing a standard service development and deployment environment for application developers and business partners. These protocols are not new messaging services, but new transmission services, they are likely to lead to a 10-15% uplift in total SMS volumes.5

A key advancement that is underway in Europe is the ability to send and receive (2-way SMS) across multiple networks. For example, in the United States, an individual on AT&T's wireless TDMA network could not send a text message from their cellular phone to an individual on the Sprint PCS CDMA network. This internetworking capability will enable the rapid increase in the number of available message destinations and thereby significantly increase volumes. How will this be done, there are a few protocols in the works that can make this type of activity easier: WAP, 3rd Generation Wireless Protocol (G3), and SMS over IP. 

As the wireless transmission protocols and the equipment become more advanced, the number of new applications to help enable SMS is endless. For example: 

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