What are SMS messages?
The prominent social scientist said that the world has become a global village. Nothing illustrates this better than the arrival of the mobile phone. A century ago, wireless radio, telephone and cable made the act of communication possible, by sending and receiving messages. Today an SMS message takes a couple of seconds to reach a mobile phone, anywhere in the world through the magic of submarine cables, satellite transmission and local cell towers. This is a vast improvement over traditional courier methods, postal mail, sea mail, and the ubiquitous postman.
It’s a very different world where your trusted mobile phone becomes your best means of communication during holidays, family occasions like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and emergencies. It takes a few seconds to write and a second to send. Lovers young and old find it useful because messages remain private and ‘for your eyes only’ without anyone noticing. It seems perfect to me that the I love you message that you send arrives at the desired destination straight and true as an arrow. Of course, if the recipient’s phone number is a wrong number, you’ve had it.
SMS messages can be short and simple, or as long as you want, with the only limitation that they do not exceed 150 characters. When this happens, the message is split and sent as separate messages of 150 characters each. Book publishers have appreciated this and are sending bestsellers via SMS to interested book lovers. Some SMS messages can bring senders lots of prizes through contests, sweepstakes, and lucky predictions.
SMS messages are cheap because mobile phone providers offer installation for free or at a low price. Associations, professional organizations, social welfare societies such as Lions and Rotary Clubs, appreciate the ease of sending SMS messages announcing upcoming meetings, payment dates of membership arrears, payment due alerts and acknowledgments of dues and subscription payments received. .
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions find it useful to send brief communications about upcoming semester dates, exams and results, as well as fee payment alerts to students and their parents. Students and parents appreciate the relevant information in the messages.
Credit card companies, banks and financial institutions and marketing companies can generate new business from existing consumer database by using this means to remind customers of payment or renewal dates, new offers available or as a means of addressing customer complaints.
And laughing all the way to the bank are mobile service providers, who earn an unexpected amount in additional revenue by splitting premium SMS call charges with companies.
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