The Text Message Turns 20

It was 20 years ago that the first text message was sent. Neil Papworth used a PC to send an early Christmas greeting to the cellphone of Richard Jarvis of Vodafone.

Since then there have been trillions of texts shuttled around the globe, each delivering their messages in 160 characters or less. But, as the text message turns 20, the key question is whether the venerable short message service (SMS) is already over the hill. After all, it has all kinds of rivals. Those looking to save costs can use WhatsApp. Apple’s iPhone will automatically convert messages sent from another iPhone to its own iMessage format, while services like Skype and FaceTime offer the ability to add video to the mix. And, after years of gigantic growth, overall text message volume is starting to decline, though total messages sent each year still measure in the trillions.