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YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Will Texting Become Extinct Thanks to Free Social Messaging Apps?

    Phone companies missed out on $13.9 billion last year as more people opted to send free texts through SMS (short message service) applications like Blackberry Messenger and Facebook Mobile Messenger, according to a report. This follows a $8.6 billion loss in phone company provided text revenues in 2010.

    [More from Mashable: How Mobile Payments Are Revolutionizing Public Transit]

    SMS revenues are down as people communicate through chat boards and within other applications like Words with Friends. Mobile communication is also surging on Facebook, Twitter and smartphone email clients.

    The Ovum report estimates that there will be further losses in profit if the "legacy services" -- big phone companies companies -- don't start investing in bringing new and improved services to the table.

    [More from Mashable: 5 Key Components of a Successful Interest Graph]

    "Tapping into the creativity of app developers, forming industry-wide collaborations, and leveraging their usage data and strong relationships with subscribers are the key ways for operators to ensure that they hold their ground in the messaging market," says Neha Dharia, consumer analyst at Ovum and author of the report.

    SEE ALSO: For Texting Without Looking, Researchers Adapt Braille

    Does this mean people will soon give up texting? No, texting isn't likely to become an archaic form of communication any time soon. Keep in mind that 75% of the world's cellphone users still send traditional text messages. Half continue to send photos and videos through mobile messaging.

    Don't feel too bad for AT&T, Verizon and other big phone companies just yet. The study didn't factor in all the extra money made from users surpassing their allowed mobile data limits, which could make up for the billions of dollars lost in SMS revenue.

    Let us know in the comments if you have opted out of traditional text plans or have gone for cheaper plans. If you are saving money, tell us what free SMS applications you use.

    Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Andrew Stawarz

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    13 comments

    • fort557  •  Bellflower, California  •  3 mths ago
      Phone calls have become texting. Texting has evolved to texting via voice reconizing texting. Voice texting will become phone calls....
      • Sars 3 mths ago
        its a cycle... that's for sure!
    • gary  •  Sebastian, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      I have unlimited text and data. I thought most people did by now.
    • Matthew  •  Warren, Oregon  •  3 mths ago
      I use free app text plus. They give you your own number and free ten minutes of calling. Since September of last year I've paid only $100 prepaid to T-Mobile. I use my HTC smartphone via WiFi, I only use my mobile service of I have to. Let's use this technology to get over on them for once.
    • vyAhRtis  •  3 mths ago
      Since I never use texting, I sure won't miss it. If you don't want to talk to a person, why bother sending a message — especially while driving? It's no. 1 on my hit list of stupid (and highly dangerous) inventions.
      • WhiskeyBum 3 mths ago
        While Driving , I agree , don't do it . Otherwise , it allows you to send a thought or a longer message to someone that can read it when convenient and respond or not when they have the time . You don't have to interrupt someone's meeting at work or have them answer ( while driving ) to just say - Meet me at Joe's at 6pm .
        It workd better than a call in lots of instances .
    • praxis  •  3 mths ago
      Can you say "HeyWire"? Totally free texting. Sent thru the WiFi. Dont even have a data plan. Screw the phone companies gouging us for every penny we make.
    • electronic tech.  •  3 mths ago
      text message was a rip off anyway...if should have stayed free..
    • King Jaekob Caed  •  3 mths ago
      Ugh, I will rejoice on the day when having eyes down in a cellphone 24/7 with thumbs moving to create pointless messages is out of the trend. -.-
    • Brett  •  Lincoln, Nebraska  •  3 mths ago
      I personally still use traditional text messaging. It sounds weird to call it traditional. But the point I want to make and what the article mentions is that if you're not using wifi, which most likely costs you money through your internet service, you are using up your data when texting through apps. That data plan is much more expensive than it is to text normally.
      • rsm 3 mths ago
        it takes around 10kb per text. So if you text 100 messages it consumes1mb. So if you have 200mb data plan its no biggie.
      • liv3wire 3 mths ago
        It is a biggie if the so called unlimited plan is not unlimited, and I go through ATLEAST a 100 texts a day!
    • William S  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  3 mths ago
      I'm hoping Mashable will become extint, SOON!
    • Randy  •  Costa Mesa, California  •  3 mths ago
      I love technology! Let's see how we can continue to work around other chargeable schemes that phone companies use to rip you off.
    • Basil  •  Torquay, United Kingdom  •  3 mths ago
      No, but paying for texting will die once people realize they can send texts for free instead of paying ATT/VZN/etc up to $.10 a piece to send a messages in otherwise wasted bandwidth of cell packets! I stopped paying for texting last year and you should have heard how many managers came to my call when I shut it off! At least four, perhaps more, VERY concerned I was shutting off a "Vital Service" and trying anything to get me to sign up for more useless offerings. AT&T should be ashamed for charging for text messages at all, AND for having dead weight at their call centers.
    • Chris  •  Indianapolis, Indiana  •  3 mths ago
      Chris is deaf now.
    • keith g  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  3 mths ago
      i ahve been texting over the internet for the last 10yrs now and i got rid of my over priced cell phone at the same time. i call text and do it all over the net for free!!!!! plus i can do it from ne computer newhere in the world w/out have to download nething to it to do it. so remember this peeps when the cell company calls and offers u a gr8 deal tell them no, i do it for free, can u bet that cell company.
      • Boscoe Schnard 3 mths ago
        10 years of texting... now you cannot create a full sentence with proper grammar and spelling. You probable cannot read my reply, due to the fact it is written in full words and punctuated. Good luck with your pizza delivery boy life.
      • Jordan 3 mths ago
        yea this guy is probably hooked on the internet and spends all day reading and commenting on yahoo news
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