Chat App Traffic Has For The First Time Overtaken SMS Messaging

According to research firm Informa (via BBC News), app-based messaging traffic has for the first time overtaken SMS text messaging.

“Informa said almost 19 billion messages were sent per day on chat apps in 2012, compared with 17.6 billion SMS texts … It has projected that nearly 50 billion messages will be sent per day using these apps by 2014, compared with just over 21 billion traditional SMSs”.

Although chat apps such as WhatsApp may dominate on smartphones, but about half of the global market still uses feature phones and there are less tech-savvy smartphone owners who remain oblivious to alternative messaging services. Informa spokesperson Pamela Clark-Dickson said that businesses began to look at SMS messaging more seriously as it can be used on all phones and they do not need to buy smartphones to use it.

Informa thus expects that SMS revenue will continue to increase, from $115 billion in 2012 to $127 billion by 2016.