Editing Text messaging (section)

=== Worldwide use ===

==== Europe ====
[[File: SMS roaming welcome messages - Redvers.jpg|thumb|SMS is used to send "welcome" messages to mobile phones [[roaming]] between countries. Here, [[T-Mobile International AG|T-Mobile]] welcomes a [[Proximus]] subscriber to the UK, and [[Base (mobile telephony provider)|Base]] welcomes an [[Orange United Kingdom|Orange]] UK customer to Belgium.]]
In 2003, Europe followed next behind Asia in terms of the popularity of the use of SMS. That year, an average of 16 billion messages were sent each month. Users in Spain sent a little more than fifty messages per month on average in 2003. In Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, the figure was around 35–40 SMS messages per month. In each of these countries, the cost of sending an SMS message varied from €0.04–0.23, depending on the payment plan (with many contractual plans including all or several texts for free). In the United Kingdom, text messages are charged between £0.05–0.12. Curiously, France did not take to SMS in the same way, sending just under 20 messages on average per user per month. France has the same [[GSM]] technology as other European countries, so the uptake is not hampered by technical restrictions.

In the Republic of Ireland, in 2012, 1.5 billion messages were sent every quarter, on average 114 messages per person per month.<ref name="RTE report">{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0926/comreg-business.html |title=RTE article on Ireland SMS usage |publisher=Rte.ie |date=26 September 2006 |access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, {{as of|2012|03||lc=yes|post=,}} over 1 billion text messages were sent every week.<ref name="Mobile Data Association UK">{{cite web|publisher=Mobile Data Association |url=http://www.text.it/mediacentre/press_release_list.cfm?thePublicationID=0F3FA21C-15C5-F4C0-99335F38D7517452 |title=One billion text messages are sent every week in the UK |access-date=29 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402092410/http://www.text.it/mediacentre/press_release_list.cfm?thePublicationID=0F3FA21C-15C5-F4C0-99335F38D7517452 |archive-date=2 April 2012 }}</ref> The [[Eurovision Song Contest]] organized the first pan-European SMS voting in 2002, as a part of the voting system (there was also a voting over traditional landline phone lines). In 2005, the Eurovision Song Contest organized the biggest televoting ever (with SMS and phone voting). During [[roaming]], (that is, when a user connects to another network in different country from their own) the prices may be higher, but in July 2009, EU legislation went into effect limiting this price to €0.11.<ref>{{cite web| title= The new proposal for reducing roaming prices | url=http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/roaming/regulation/index_en.htm | access-date=23 June 2010}}</ref>

Mobile service providers in Finland offered contracts in which users can send 1000 text messages a month for €10. In Finland, which has very high mobile phone ownership rates,{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} some TV channels began "SMS chat", which involved sending short messages to a phone number, and the messages would be shown on TV. Chats are always moderated, which prevents users from sending offensive material to the channel. The craze evolved into quizzes and strategy games and then faster-paced games designed for television and SMS control. Games require users to register their nicknames and send short messages to control a character onscreen. Messages usually cost 0.05 to 0.86 Euro apiece, and games can require the player to send dozens of messages. In December 2003, a Finnish TV channel, [[MTV3]], put a [[Santa Claus]] character on-air reading aloud text messages sent in by viewers. On 12 March 2004, the first entirely "interactive" TV channel, VIISI, began operation in Finland. However, SBS Finland Oy took over the channel and turned it into a music channel named ''The Voice'' in November 2004. In 2006, the [[Prime Minister of Finland]], [[Matti Vanhanen]], made the news when he allegedly broke up with his girlfriend with a text message.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} In 2007, the first book written solely in text messages, ''Viimeiset viestit'' (''Last Messages''), was released by Finnish author [[Hannu Luntiala]]. It is about an executive who travels through Europe and India.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

==== United States ====
In the United States, text messaging is very popular; as reported by [[CTIA (organization)|CTIA]] in December 2009, the 286 million US subscribers sent 152.7 billion text messages per month, for an average of 534 messages per subscriber per month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/10323|title=Wireless Quick Facts|website=[[CTIA (organization)|CTIA]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420031936/http://www.ctia.org/consumer_info/service/index.cfm/AID/10323|archive-date=20 April 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Pew Research Center]] found in May 2010 that 72% of U.S. adult cellphone users send and receive text messages.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Kristen Purcell|author2=Roger Entner|author3=Nichole Henderson|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/09/14/the-rise-of-apps-culture/|title=The Rise of Apps Culture|website=Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project|date=14 September 2010|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref> CTIA reported in 2022 that 2 trillion SMS and MMS were sent in the United States in 2021, showing continued popularity of the technology.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CTIA - Home |url=https://www.ctia.org/news/2022-annual-survey-highlights |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.ctia.org |language=en}}</ref>

In the U.S., SMS is often charged both at the sender and at the destination, but, unlike phone calls, it cannot be rejected or dismissed. The reasons for lower uptake than other countries are varied. Many users have unlimited "mobile-to-mobile" minutes, high monthly minute allotments, or unlimited service. Moreover, "[[push to talk]]" services offer the instant connectivity of SMS and are typically unlimited. The integration between competing providers and technologies necessary for cross-network text messaging was not initially available. Some providers originally charged extra for texting, reducing its appeal. In the third quarter of 2006, at least 12 billion text messages were sent on AT&T's network, up almost 15% from the preceding quarter.

While texting is mainly popular among people from 13 to 22 years old, it is also increasing among adults and business users.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} The age that a child receives their first cell phone has also decreased,{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} making text messaging a popular way of communicating. The number of texts sent in the US has gone up over the years as the price has gone down to an average of $0.10 per text sent and received.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} To convince more customers to buy unlimited text messaging plans, some major cellphone providers have increased the price to send and receive text messages from $.15 to $.20 per message.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nextel.com/en/services/messaging/text_messaging.shtml|title=Sprint Nextel Text Messaging|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325030540/http://www.nextel.com/en/services/messaging/text_messaging.shtml|archive-date=25 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?contentType=Legal%20Notice&textId=122|title=Notice of Text Messaging Increase|website=[[Verizon Wireless]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519224413/http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?contentType=Legal%20Notice&textId=122|archive-date=19 May 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is over $1,300 per [[megabyte]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/sen-to-carriers-why-do-text-messages-cost-1300-per-meg/|title=Sen. to carriers: Why do text messages cost $1,300 per meg?|website=[[ZDNet]]|date=10 September 2008}}</ref> Many providers offer unlimited plans, which can result in a lower rate per text, given sufficient volume.

==== Japan ====
[[Japan]] was among the first countries to adopt short messages widely, with pioneering non-GSM services including [[SoftBank Mobile|J-Phone]]'s [[SkyMail]] and [[NTT Docomo]]'s [[Short Mail]]. Japanese adolescents first began text messaging, because it was a cheaper form of communication than the other available forms. Thus, Japanese theorists created the [[selective interpersonal relationship theory]], claiming that mobile phones can change [[social networks]] among young people (classified as 13- to 30-year-olds). They theorized this age group had extensive but low-quality relationships with friends, and mobile phone usage may facilitate improvement in the quality of their relationships. They concluded this age group prefers "selective interpersonal relationships in which they maintain particular, partial, but rich relations, depending on the situation".<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1177/0265407505056492 |author=Igarashi, T., Takai, J., & Yoshida, T. |year=2005|title=Gender differences in social network development via mobile phone text messages: A longitudinal study|journal=[[Journal of Social and Personal Relationships]]|volume=22|issue=5|pages=691–713|s2cid=145367428 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00023.x|author=Ishii, Kenichi|title=Implications of Mobility: The Uses of Personal Communication Media in Everyday Life|year=2006|journal=[[Journal of Communication]]|volume=56|issue=2|pages=346–365|s2cid=16629131 }}</ref> The same studies showed participants rated friendships in which they communicated face-to-face and through text messaging as being more intimate than those in which they communicated solely face-to-face. This indicates participants make new relationships with face-to-face communication at an early stage, but use text messaging to increase their contact later on. As the relationships between participants grew more intimate, the frequency of text messaging also increased. However, short messaging has been largely rendered obsolete by the prevalence of mobile Internet e-mail,{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} which can be sent to and received from any e-mail address, mobile or otherwise. That said, while usually presented to the user simply as a uniform "mail" service (and most users are unaware of the distinction), the operators may still internally transmit the content as short messages, especially if the destination is on the same network.

==== China ====
Text messaging has historically been popular and cheap in China. About 700 billion messages were sent in 2007. Text message spam has also been a problem in China. In 2007, 353.8 billion spam messages were sent, up 93% from the previous year. It is about 12.44 messages per week per person. In 2010, it was routine that the People's Republic of China government monitored text messages across the country for illegal content.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/world/20text.html | work=The New York Times | first=Sharon | last=Lafraniere | title=China to Scan Text Messages to Spot 'Unhealthy Content' | date=20 January 2010}}</ref>
Among Chinese migrant workers with little formal education, it is common to refer to SMS manuals when text messaging. These manuals are published as cheap, smaller-than-pocket-size booklets that offer diverse linguistic phrases to utilize as messages.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Lin, Angel  |author2=Tong, Avin |name-list-style=amp |title=Mobile Cultures of Migrant Workers in Southern China: Informal Literacies in the Negotiation of (New) Social Relations of the New Working Women|journal=Knowledge, Technology & Policy |doi=10.1007/s12130-008-9045-9|year=2008|volume=21|issue=2|pages=73–81|hdl=10722/146528 |s2cid=110625303 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

==== Philippines ====
SMS was introduced to selected markets in the Philippines in 1995.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} In 1998, Philippine mobile service providers launched SMS more widely across the country, with initial television marketing campaigns targeting hearing-impaired users. The service was initially free with subscriptions, but Filipinos quickly exploited the feature to communicate for free instead of using voice calls, which they would be charged for.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} After telephone companies realized this trend, they began charging for SMS. The rate across networks is 1 peso per SMS (about US$0.023). Even after users were charged for SMS, it remained cheap, about one-tenth of the price of a voice call. This low price led to about five million Filipinos owning a cell phone by 2001.<ref name="Rheingold, Howard 2002"/> Because of the highly social nature of Philippine culture and the affordability of SMS compared to voice calls, SMS usage shot up. Filipinos used texting not only for social messages but also for political purposes, as it allowed the Filipinos to express their opinions on current events and political issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/07/biztech/articles/05talk.html |title=Manila's Talk of the Town Is Text Messaging |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref> It became a powerful tool for Filipinos in promoting or denouncing issues and was a key factor during the 2001 [[EDSA II]] revolution, which overthrew then-President [[Joseph Estrada]], who was eventually found guilty of corruption. According to 2009 statistics, there were about 72 million mobile service subscriptions (roughly 80% of the Filipino population), with around 1.39 billion SMS messages being sent daily.<ref name="businesswire.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100823005660/en/Research-Markets-Philippines---Telecoms-Mobile-Broadband |title=Research and Markets: Philippines – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband |website=Business Wire |date=23 August 2010 |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="wayodd.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wayodd.com/the-philippines-reaffirms-status-as-text-messaging-capital-of-the-world/v/8783/|title=The Philippines Reaffirms Status As "Text Messaging Capital Of The World"|website=wayodd.com|access-date=5 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723011311/http://www.wayodd.com/the-philippines-reaffirms-status-as-text-messaging-capital-of-the-world/v/8783/|archive-date=23 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because of the large number of text messages being sent, the Philippines became known as the "text capital of the world" during the late 1990s until the early 2000s.<ref name="businesswire.com"/><ref name="wayodd.com"/>

==== New Zealand ====
There are three mobile network companies operating in New Zealand, with some sub-brands and MVNOs.
[[Spark New Zealand|Spark NZ]] (formerly Telecom NZ), was the first telecommunication company in New Zealand. In 2011, Spark was broken into two companies by regulation, with Chorus Ltd taking the landline infrastructure and Spark NZ providing services including over their mobile network. Vodafone NZ (now [[One NZ]]) acquired mobile network provider Bellsouth New Zealand in 1998 and had 2.32 million customers as of July 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/vodafone-boosts-mobile-customers-ending-long-run-losses-wb-143170/|title=Vodafone boosts mobile customers, ending long run of losses|newspaper=[[National Business Review]]|first=Paul|last=McBeth|date=22 July 2013|access-date=15 January 2020|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201151802/https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/vodafone-boosts-mobile-customers-ending-long-run-losses-wb-143170/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.vodafone.co.nz/about/company-information Company information] from the [[Vodafone New Zealand]] website</ref> Vodafone launched the first Text messaging service in 1999<ref>[http://www.vodafone.co.nz/about/#history Vodafone history timeline]. Vodafone.co.nz. Retrieved on 8 June 2015.</ref> and has introduced innovative TXT services like SafeTXT and CallMe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://one.nz/mobile/apps-services/#txt-services|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110081745/http://www.vodafone.co.nz/mobile-services/callme/|archive-date=10 January 2015|url-status=dead|title=A free TXT service to say Call Me}}</ref> [[2degrees]] Mobile Ltd launched in August 2009.
In 2005, around 85% of the adult population had a mobile phone.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1216/1494/ |title=Smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging is as effective in Māori as non-Māori |journal=[[The New Zealand Medical Journal]] |date=3 June 2005 |volume=118 |issue=1216 |quote=More than 85% of young New Zealand adults now have a mobile phone (statistics by ethnicity are not available), and text messaging among this age group has rapidly developed into a new communications medium. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124050256/http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1216/1494/ |archive-date=24 November 2009 }}</ref> In general, texting is more popular than making phone calls, as it is viewed as less intrusive and therefore more polite.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

==== Sub-Saharan Africa ====
In 2009, it was predicted that text messaging would become a key revenue driver for mobile network operators in Africa over the following couple of years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thepinehillsnews.com/wp/2009/03/17/text-messaging-will-be-key-revenue-driver-for-mobile-operators-in-africa/ |title=Text Messaging will be Huge for Mobile Operators in Africa |publisher=thepinehillsnews.com |date=17 March 2009 |access-date=29 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402092420/http://thepinehillsnews.com/wp/2009/03/17/text-messaging-will-be-key-revenue-driver-for-mobile-operators-in-africa/ |archive-date=2 April 2012 }}</ref> Today, text messaging is already slowly gaining influence in the African market.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} One such person used text messaging to spread the word about HIV and AIDS.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brianshall.com/content/silence-death-south-africa-text-messages-can-end-silence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812211230/http://brianshall.com/content/silence-death-south-africa-text-messages-can-end-silence|archive-date=12 August 2011|title=Silence = Death. In South Africa, text messages can end the silence |publisher=Brian S Hall |date=28 March 2011 |access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=November 2023}} In September 2009, a multi-country campaign in Africa used text messaging to expose stock-outs of essential medicines at public health facilities and put pressure on governments to address the issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86192 |title=AFRICA: Text messages highlight drug stock-outs |publisher=PlusNews |date=17 September 2009 |access-date=29 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927140523/http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86192 |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref>