Two Way Text Messaging

A service many cell phone companies are now offering is two way text messaging. 2 way text messaging is a way to send and receive text messages over your cell phone. AT&T started the text messaging craze in the United States in October of 2000. Two-way messaging has a number of advantages over a traditional telephone call. It can:

• be used as an alternative to paging
• serve as a reminder service
• allow you to check news headlines
• allow you to communicate on your own time
• allow you to receive e-mails from specific websites
• allow you to be more discreet in social settings than you are when you pick up the telephone to talk

Telephones with text messaging capabilities will have information about the feature in the manual. Generally, you can send and receive messages from any e-mail address or digital phone, you are alerted when you have a message waiting, you can retrieve messages from your inbox, there are no airtime or long distance charges, and you can send or receive messages up to 200 characters long. Two-way messaging generally costs a small monthly fee (around $6) but gives a great deal of versatility in how you communicate.

Two way messaging on telephones has become so commonplace that the airlines are starting to offer SMS services (Short Messaging Service) to their clients. Qantas will be allowing customers to use their in-seat telephone handset to send and receive text messages to and from the ground. Other airlines are making similar plans.

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