IP: Time to do this in the USA : CANADA LEADS THE WAY IN SMS COMPATIBILITY

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
>
> CANADA LEADS THE WAY IN SMS COMPATIBILITY
>
> Four Canadian wireless carriers -- Bell Mobility, Microcell Connexions,
> Rogers AT&T Wireless and Telus Mobility -- have made it possible for
> millions of Canadian wireless subscribers to use short messaging (SMS) to
> communicate with each other, regardless of which carrier they use. Industry
> analysts say yesterday's announcement could prod U.S. wireless carriers
> into doing the same. The interoperability of European wireless messaging
> systems has sparked a surge in SMS use in that region, accounting for the
> lion's share of the 750 million messages sent each day globally. Short
> messaging has lagged behind in the U.S., says an IDC analyst, because U.S.
> cell phone users are accustomed to doing their messaging via computers, not
> cell phones, and that habit may be difficult to break in the short term.
> "Nobody is really using the stuff now. At this point, interoperability
> isn't that big of a deal to the consumer." A Harris Interactive survey
> found that the most popular feature for U.S. wireless users is
> safety-related -- the ability of police to pinpoint their location in times
> of an emergency. Nearly 60% cited that as the most desired feature, vs. 7%
> for short messaging. (CNET News.com 6 Nov 2001)
>
> <http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7801778.html?tag=lh>


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