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Text messages reach 12bn monthly: report
Thursday, March 01 2001
by Matthew Clark


The number of text messages sent worldwide each month has reached 12 billion,
according to Gartner, the Connecticut-based technology consultancy firm.

While nine billion of these messages originate from PCs, PDAs and mobile phones,
pagers account for an additional 3 billion. 

The company says these numbers are beginning to grow and suggests that text
messaging may be emerging as the "killer" wireless application. Furthermore,
Gartner says standard messaging is being transformed into instant messaging which
it describes as a "more collaborative, friendly mechanism."

Gartner says executives now are able to multitask during meetings using instant
messaging and they are able to do it with less intrusive devices than laptops. 

Although traditionally employees might be discouraged from pursuing such
activities during meeting, Gartner suggests "productivity benefits on-line and
off-line with this electronic equivalent of the grade school pastime of passing
notes in class."

The company believes that bowed heads in meetings, where employees are probably
sending text messages with their phones under the table, could become the new
sign of disapproval or disinterest in what is being said.

"With 15 billion messages flying through our hands each month, that PowerPoint
slide in the live meeting better be relevant and compelling," said Ken Dulaney
research director with Gartner. "Otherwise workers will dive into more
productive interactions via wireless IM." 

"The IM activity could become a motivator for smaller, more succinct live
meetings," according to the company. "The challenge for the for the agenda
holders and meeting speakers is to command the attention of the live meeting
participants who may switching underground to an IM sidebar."