OTTAWA-The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) said Canadians sent more than 32 million person-to-person text messages during the month of September, representing a tripling in monthly usage in the 18 months since the launch of inter-carrier text messaging by Canada’s wireless carriers.
“The industry is extremely excited about how Canadians are increasingly adding text messaging to their choices for instant and inexpensive ways to communicate. In addition to this 1 million milestone for person-to-person text messages, we are seeing a rapid deployment of text messaging programs using common short codes, such as TV and radio voting, contests and other interactive campaigns,” said CWTA President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Barnes.
Inter-carrier text messaging allows wireless phone users to send and receive text messages to and from other wireless phone customers regardless of the wireless service provider they use. U.S. carriers began offering similar services in 2001 and early 2002. A deal allowing text messaging between U.S. and Canadian carriers was signed in January 2003.
Total wireless subscribers in Canada number almost 13 million-approximately 43 percent of the population. By 2005, CWTA estimated more than half of all Canadians will be mobile-phone customers.
