Calling preferable to SMSing

According to Techtree, telecom users would rather make a quick call then send an SMS. The trend comes on the back of the gradual reduction in telecom tariffs, making end-users comfortably ignore their phone's SMS capabilities.

A report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India suggest that the average number of SMSs sent by consumers has reduced by 7% for GSM and 6% for CDMA operators during the last quarter.

Earlier, text messaging added between 8% and 9% of the total revenue for GSM and CDMA operators. It now contributes to only 4.3% for GSM and a mere 1.8% for CDMA operators.

Wireless service provider Smart Communications has started beta testing an all-in-one messaging service that intends to attract Internet-savvy users, states Inquirer.

The new messaging service, Uzzap, will use Internet protocol (IP) passing through mobile networks to let users zap instant or e-mail messages to other users.

Users can also join chat rooms, set up chat conferences and use so-called "extended messaging" to connect with other Uzzap users, Smart said.

Optimus, a Portuguese mobile operator, has selected NeuStar's next-generation messaging services to power Optimus' multicommunity converged instant messaging service and new IP-based services, says TMCnet.

Optimus, through NeuStar's instant messaging service centre, is reportedly the first mobile operator in the world to deliver both an 'own-branded' IM service that can be accessed from the PC and the cellphone, and the popular Windows Live Messenger service.