Cross Border SMS for the Americas

Published on: 24th January 2003

The Canadian and U.S. wireless industry associations - the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) - have launched cross-border inter-carrier text messaging services, enabling wireless phone customers to exchange text messages between U.S. national wireless service providers and the major Canadian wireless service providers.

In Canada, this new service is offered by the four national service providers - Bell Mobility, Microcell Solutions (Fido), Rogers AT&T Wireless and TELUS Mobility - as well as the Aliant Mobility, Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) and SaskTel Mobility regional carriers. Participating carriers at this time in the USA include AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Nextel, SprintPCS, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

Canada's inter-carrier messaging gateways are operated and maintained by LogicaCMG and Wireless Services Corporation (WSC). U.S. carriers are served by a variety of gateway vendors including Inphomatch, MobileSpring and WSC.

"Canadians have overwhelmingly embraced text messaging with more than 21 million messages sent in the month of December alone - a monthly increase of 110 per cent since the introduction of the Canadian inter-carrier service in April 2002," said Peter Barnes, CWTA President and CEO. "Wireless customers on both sides of the border will now be able to keep in contact with business clients, friends or relatives with the affordability and convenience of text messaging."

Tom Wheeler, President and CEO of CTIA, said, "Wireless carriers are extending text messaging beyond their national borders in direct response to the explosive growth they have experienced in their domestic markets. We expect the growth trajectory to accelerate with the introduction of international and other enhanced messaging capabilities."

Each carrier will approach billing independently."

 

Tags: [telus]  [at&t wireless]  [rogers]  [sasktel]  [borders]  [manitoba] 

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