SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Text (SMS) messaging may have been initially adopted by European youth as a novelty, but it is now maturing -- undergoing global exploitation amongst a broad usership that is discovering new opportunities for mobile messaging. In a series of polls recently conducted by SMS.ac, Inc., respondents showed their appetite for increased text applications, while showing keen interest in participating in next-generation messaging. To view today's SMS.ac poll, visit www.sms.ac.
According to Michael Pousti, SMS.ac's chairman and chief executive officer, the vast majority of text messages sent are and will continue to be, related to person-to-person communication. "But it is a testament to the versatility and ubiquity of text messaging that new applications are emerging almost daily," said Pousti. "It shouldn't raise any eyebrows that SMS is manifesting itself this year as the 'killer app' in the wireless space. In addition to personal communication, I am confident that we'll see SMS used with increased regularity in 2003 for purchasing, voting and other applications."
In a January 13 poll, nearly 62% of 56,506 participants commented they would use their mobile phones to send SMS to vote on a TV or radio program. And 56.4% of 49,496 respondents to a February 5 poll said that they would register their votes in a government election using SMS, while 10.7% surveyed were unsure.
As for utilizing SMS to increase consumer activity, 37,720 members of the world's largest mobile community were asked whether they were more likely to make purchases if they could pay through a monthly phone bill. Almost 51% of participants responded affirmatively and 13% remained undecided. Additionally, 22,724 out of 41,791 SMS.ac members surveyed said they would be more likely to purchase products if they received special offers on their mobile phones.
SMS use is on the rise, both domestically and internationally. 51,727 SMS.ac members weighed-in during a January 29 poll that asked participants if they sent more emails, or more text messages. 74.9% claimed they now send more SMS, as opposed to 22.3% that said they sent more emails. And 43.2% of 46,368 people polled on the amount of text messages that were sent on New Year's Eve stated they sent more than 10 SMS.
Gauging the results from a series of surveys in January 2003, the future looks bright for some mobile phone manufacturers. 56.1% of 41,306 mobile users surveyed say that they have owned their phone for more than one year. Of those, approximately 76% say they intend to purchase a new phone in the next six months. And while 83.2% of these respondents' phones are incapable of displaying photos or real images (not graphics), 85.0% say they desire a mobile phone that can also take and exchange photographs.
Are you a recognized industry analyst or member of the press that wants to use the SMS.ac poll tool as a research resource? Survey a global audience on wireless topics. Within 24 hours, SMS.ac can sort results for you based on location, age and gender. For more information, use the subject heading "Poll Tool" and send an email to prcomm@sms.ac. Please include your company affiliation and contact information.
SMS.ac (www.sms.ac) is host to the largest mobile community in the world, with approximately 10 million users in more than 200 countries registering to use the company's wireless products and services. To learn more about SMS.ac and to discover how its brandable text and multimedia-capable technology can be integrated into your company's existing infrastructure, visit www.sms.ac and contact bizdev@sms.ac.
SMS.ac's proprietary MMSbox is a technology platform that was designed for the interoperable delivery of text and multimedia messages to virtually any enabled device. For more information on SMS.ac's core technology, visit www.sms.ac/mmsbox.
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About SMS.ac
SMS.ac is host to the largest wireless community in the world. With nearly 10 million members registered in 220 countries, SMS.ac is a truly global mobile community that has connectivity to more than 400 networks worldwide. Through its core MMSbox(tm) technologies, SMS.ac, Inc. enables worldwide wireless interaction between network operators, technology standards, the Internet, businesses, consumers and application/content developers. The result is interaction not previously possible amongst a critical mass of developers, consumers and businesses -- igniting the widespread adoption and use of wireless data.
SMS.ac drives revenues through technology licensing, subscriptions, sponsorships and shared revenue opportunities. SMS.ac's consumer site (www.sms.ac) is an example of the brandable web interfaces to MMSbox(tm) technologies available for licensing. SMS.ac and MMSbox are trademarks of SMS.ac, Incorporated. Other trademarks or service marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. To view the SMS.ac corporate Website, visit www.sms.ac/corporate.