The date of December 3 is significant in the realm of technology since it was on this date 30 years ago that the first text message was sent to a mobile phone. As it became known afterward, the SMS (Short Message Service) was transmitted by a Vodafone engineer in Berkshire, England.
Neil Papworth, a software programmer, forwarded the message to Richard Jarvis, one of the firm’s executives. But, unfortunately, Mr. Jarvis was said to be at a Christmas party. Therefore Mr. Papworth did not receive a reply. Instead, it was sent to put the technology to the test and said, “Merry Christmas.”
Mr. Jarvis’ phone at that time was a brand-new Orbitel 901.
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“I had no idea how popular texting would become in 1992 or that it would give rise to emojis and messaging apps used by millions. I only recently informed my children that I had sent the first text message. With hindsight, it’s evident that the Christmas message I delivered was a defining moment in mobile history,” said Neil, as reported by Vodafone.
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Initially, an SMS could only be texted up to 160 characters long. The idea was born in the early 1980s, but it took nearly ten years to make it to a mobile device. Nevertheless, according to reports, phone users transmitted billions of SMS messages per year at their peak, and the term “texting” entered the dictionary in 2010.
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Although SMS is still in use, internet-based, encrypted messaging alternatives like WhatsApp and iMessage have grown in popularity.