SMS takes a corporate short-cut - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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SMS takes a corporate short-cut

By Jeanne-Vida Douglas, ZDNet Australia
January 14, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/SMS-takes-a-corporate-short-cut/0,130061791,120262932,00.htm

Despite recording record use over the Christmas and New Year period, Australians still have some way to go before becoming the messaging junkies found in Asia and Europe. However, industry pundits are hoping increased use on special occasions will ultimately lead to an increase in the technology's uptake in the corporate sector.

In a recent ZDNet Australia poll, only 41 percent of respondents said they had used SMS to commemorate special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays or sporting events. While it was a close finish, it would appear that most ZDNet-reading Australians have yet to embrace messaging for idle chatter.

However, the poll results should leave content providers smiling widely, with 59 percent of respondents confirming their virgin status when it comes to SMSing for special occasions. With SMS usage growing impressively throughout 2001, these figures represent a largely untapped market for the growing for increasingly diversified SMS-based services.

With Optus experiencing 10 million messages sent in commemoration of the passing of the calendar, and Telstra registering 9.5 million messages on New Year's Eve alone, mobile service vendors are ramping up content to further motivate messaging.

In an effort to encourage the use of SMS, carriers and device vendors have teamed up to offer generic messages and images for special events. At the Optus info2you Web site , users can download images and messages containing anything from "Happy Mother's Day" to "whip me", for about half the price of a greeting card. There is even an offering aimed at Tolkein fans, with logos and images from the recently released Fellowship of the Ring movie, on offer. The only major drawback is that the service is limited to Nokia devices at this stage.

Despite its failure to deal with persistent reports of screen faults, Nokia continues to lead the way in producing devices which incorporate services for high volume SMS users, including templates and autotype functions. And while ready made content is on offer, email shorthand has made a rapid migration to the mini-screen.

(why pay for images - when ansi faces can suffice - see grid at the end of the article)

However, not all mobile information is based around images and quirky messages. If mobile service providers get their way SMS will become a serious medium for information provision as well a handy calling card.

Through its Web site Vodafone is offering a range of services from stock and weather price reports, to soap opera updates.

"We have put together a whole suite of information services, so that cricket fans can get an score update half way through the match, and astrology buffs can get their daily horoscope delivered," said Germaine Graham, spokesperson for Vodafone.

According to Lawrence Sank, marketing manager at wireless application service provider iTouch believes that increase in personal usage seen over the silly season, will ultimately feed back into SMS usage generally.

"We are now seeing an increase interest in the corporate sector," Sank said. "Major companies like banks and insurance companies are gradually coming to terms with the power of SMS based content provision, and the privacy legislation will ensure users have full control over what they are sent and by whom."

Although recent price hikes for SMS usage have thus far had a negative reaction from many sectors, Sank believes carriers have stayed within their bounds.

"People will continue to SMS, and the range of reasons people SMS will continue to diversify as long as it remains cost effective, or efficient to do so," Sank said.

Message

Shorthand

Are you OK?

R U OK?

Ate

8

Be seeing you

B C N U

Cutie

QT

Dinner

DNR

Excellent

XLNT

Great

GR8

Late

L8

Later

L8R

Laugh out loud

LOL

Love

LUV

Oh, I see

OIC

Please

PLS

Regards

RGDS

See

C

See you later

CUL8R

Speak

SPK

Talk to you later

TTYL

Thanks

THX

Thank you

THNQ

too, to, two

2

Want to

WAN2

Before

B4

You

U

You are

UR

Happy

:-)

Very happy

:-))

Kiss

:-*

Screaming

:-@

Tongue tied

:-&

Crying

:'(

Winking

;-)

Sticking out tongue

:-p

Hungover

%*@:-(

You are a pig

URA :@)

Let's meet

:) (: