SMS has been backed to remain the most ubiquitous form of messaging in spite of fierce competition from mobile chat apps.
John Lauer, CEO of ZipWhip – the Seattle company known for being the first to allow texts to be sent to landline telephones – insists there is no danger of SMS dying out any time soon.
Writing at wired.com, Mr Lauer highlighted that there are currently 326 million text enabled mobile numbers in the US alone. A recent study from Pew Research indicated that 81 per cent of mobile users continue to send and receive text messages, meaning one of the oldest mobile applications is still one of the most popular.
Mr Lauer went on to state that both business landlines and toll free numbers can be text enabled, as can tablets and desktops so long as the user is connected to the internet.
“With the evolution of the SMS platform, they can now text to and from any number, to and from any connected device,” he commented.
“Texting is now a utility for far more than just the mobile phone.”
Deloitte figures reported by thefonecast.com predict that 140 billion texts will be sent this year.
Although this is a decline on the 145 billion sent in 2013 – possibly as a result of competition from programs such as WhatsApp – experts responding to the research believe SMS will remain the “de facto standard” of communication for some time yet.
