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When Was the First Text Message Sent?

communicationsmobile technology

Quick Answer

The first SMS text message, reading "Merry Christmas," was sent on December 3, 1992.

The Full Story

Engineer Neil Papworth sent the first SMS text message on December 3, 1992, from a computer to the Vodafone phone of Richard Jarvis during a company Christmas party in the UK. The message simply read "Merry Christmas." At the time, mobile phones didn't have keyboards, so Papworth typed it on a PC. It wasn't until 1993 that Nokia introduced a phone capable of sending SMS from handset to handset. Texting was slow to catch on — by 1995, the average American mobile customer sent 0.4 texts per month. The SMS industry peaked around 2012 with roughly 8 trillion messages sent globally, before messaging apps like WhatsApp began taking over.

Key Facts

1.SMS was originally designed as a side feature for engineers to test network signals, not as a consumer product
2.The 160-character limit was chosen because it roughly matched the length of a typical postcard or telex message
3.Finland became the first country where person-to-person SMS was available, in 1993

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"From "Merry Christmas" to 8 trillion messages — the accidental rise and fall of SMS texting"