Once considered a service used only in Europe and Asia, text messaging is emerging as an important form of communication in the United States, with 40% of the nation’s 220 million mobile phone users sending text messages regularly, according to research from NPD Group.
By comparison, about 21 percent of U.S. subscribers have downloaded a ringtone (although only about 10% can be considered “active” downloaders), while about 9% have downloaded a mobile game.
According to CTIA-The Wireless Assn., U.S. subscribers sent close to 65 billion text messages through the first half of this year. That’s about double the number sent in the first half of 2005.