Messaging Services

Messaging services is spread to every part of the world, and besides their traditional person-to-person character, there is an increased use of delivering information from enterprises to customers. In terms of content, users are not restricted to messaging only in text, but can nowadays add pictures, video and audio as well. The key trends in mobile messaging services are, SMS, MMS, mobile email, and mobile IM.  

A text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, which uses standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line and mobile phone devices is known as short message service or SMS. Whereas multimedia messaging service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages which contains multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It is an extension to the core SMS capability which allows exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.

Examples of MMS are, to send photographs from camera-equipped handsets, and delivering news and entertainment content which include videos, pictures, text pages and ringtones.

Mobile Email is convenient, as a phone as the primary inbox. It can be used to maintain both work and personal accounts on the phone, and can instantly access all the messages, whether it's for business or pleasure.

Mobile Instant Messaging or MIM is an enabled messaging service that aims to transpose the Internet desktop messaging such as ICQ or MSN experience to the usage scenario of being connected through a mobile or a cellular device.

Advantages of Message Services

• In the recent years, mobile operators want to build-up their content revenues, but the process is a very challenging one. It needs them, in effect, to become media companies, and to build the organisational structures, business relationships and marketing strategies that the media business demands. In comparison, messaging is an easy way of business for operators to develop, because they are already communications companies. Messaging demands some adaptation of an operator's traditional business, but it does not require them to enter an entirely new business which is an added advantage to the mobile operators.
• International messaging platform provides an easy way to organize updates, bulk SMS alerts and promotional text messages to billions of mobile subscribers around the world.
• Message service has a global coverage, which means that the message can reach billions of mobile subscribers anytime, anywhere.
• Message services are reliable, purpose built mobile network platform, because by using user-friendly interface, it can easily deliver millions of messages on a daily basis.
• In mobile Email, access to work and personal accounts from a single screen can be done and also uses true push technology where emails are pushed to your phone automatically as they arrive, preserving battery life and eliminating the need to manually search for new messages or continually refresh your inboxes.

Messaging Services Current Trends

As per the reports, SMS has been the most successful non-voice service for mobile operators in the history of telecommunications because it has been a key revenue generator. Every year SMS usage continues to grow as more uses are found. The key to the success of SMS has been its simplicity, reach, price and reliability. All other messaging based applications launched since SMS have struggled to meet the high expectations set by the service.

Major Messaging Services Players

Some of the major message services players in South Africa are, ABC Dancorp Business Services, Greenhill Executive, Lime SMS, Mercury Blue, Pirie Executive Services, Voice Pty Ltd and many more.