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Business text messaging takes hold in Australia

The Australian mobile phone market is worth $17 billion and hit 125% penetration in 2011, according to the latest research.

According to the Mobile Communications Statistics and Forecast’s annual publication of the Australian mobile phone market, SMS messages are used extensively.

The mobile services industry now represents over 50% of the overall industry revenues in Australia. As the population increases, so does the demand for phones which incorporate SMS services. The research also found that the number of people with dual mobile subscriptions has increased. Many Australians have two separate phones, one for personal use and the other for business.

Whilst phone calls are still the dominant use for a mobile phone, using mobile data has become increasingly popular recently with the advent of Android and Apple powered Smartphones.

Phones using Google’s Android operating system proved to be the most popular.   By the end of 2011, the reports suggest that smartphones will dominate 50% of the market over the Apple iPhone. Total sales volumes highlighted that a number of people are changing their handsets on a regular basis to keep up with current trends.

The competition between operators to offer the latest handset on the cheapest tariff has intensified recently. The growing demand for data use means that many customers are prepared to reduce their use of fixed-line voice services.

SMS messaging for businesses

There are an estimated 6 million more mobile subscribers than people in Australia. With the growing popularity of phones, many businesses now communicate to their customers via SMS messaging.

Business text messaging is becoming increasingly common as companies can engage with consumers on an extremely cost effective level.

The research found that “retailers are fast becoming the focal point for interaction with customers, many of whom have individual needs which require a higher level of customer service.”

It’s 30 years since Australia’s first mobile phone call

Nearly everyone in Australia has a mobile phone these days. However, the first mobile phone in Australia in is only 30 years old.

The popular mobile device first emerged in Australia in 1981.  The first call was made on the country’s first mobile network – Telstra’s new Public Automatic Telephone System.

At that time Telestra was known as Telecom, and the car handset device from where they made that very first call had a very straightforward name, simply – The Mobile Phone.

What was the first mobile phone like?

The first mobile phone weighed a hefty 14kg and consisted of a 45cm handset, a receiver stored in the boot of the car and an antenna on the roof: hardly what we’d refer to as a mobile phone today.

Only the most well off Australians could afford it, as it cost $5,000. Although the phone was big, it didn’t have much memory; it was able to store only a maximum of 16 numbers. Obviously, sending an SMS with the device was unimaginable at the time.

Unlike today’s mobile phones complete with MP3 players and hundreds of different call settings, the Telstra mobile phone alerted drivers of incoming calls by automatically honking the horn and flashing the headlights!

Before and after

When the first commercially-available hand-held mobile appeared in 1983, phone coverage was limited to three mobile base stations in the greater Melbourne area and only 1000 people could use it at once.

Much has changed since then. Today the Telstra network has more than 7400 base stations across Australia and 11 million users benefit from its service. SMS services and mobile internet were a revolution when they arrived…..who knows what the future will bring.

The great debate: Samsung vs Apple iPhone 4S

The on-going battle between tech giants Samsung Electronics and Apple deepened over the last few days when Samsung moved to embargo sales of the new iPhone 4S in Australia.

The legal dispute over phone similarities comes after a court in Australia temporarily banned sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 earlier this year.

The South Korean manufacturer has previously made attempts to embargo the new Apple smartphone in France and Italy, claiming patent infringement.

The two companies have been involved in a legal dispute over smartphone and tablet designs since April when Apple sued Samsung for allegedly copying iPhone and iPad models.

Whilst both parties make counter claims, however, Apple appear to be holding the upper hand having previously won pleas to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany.

A statement by Samsung said, “Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology. We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property.”

At Esendex, we are not coming down on either side of the debate -  we love the S2 and the iphone 4 equally.  It is clear however that mobile usage is growing quickly.

Recent research from mobcity.com found that the average Australian will spend 35 minutes a day sending text messages. The number of SMS messages sent in Australia has increased dramatically over the last few years. In 2010, there was a 300% increase in overall SMS/MMS message use across the country.

With all this in mind the mobile phone race has never been closer.

Who do you think will win this battle of cool technology?

Infographic: Stats about mobile usage

As a country Australia is sending far more SMS messages than we were just a couple of years back. Below we take a look at some of the emerging trends and staggering figures that highlight the growth of mobile phone usage across Australia.

Did you know that in 2010 there was a 300% increase in overall SMS/MMS message volumes across the country? Everyone, from young children to old grandparents, knows how to send a text message today.

Figures compiled by mobicity.com show that most Australians spend 35 minutes a day sending text messages. In 2010, 8 million text messages were sent across Australia on Valentine’s Day. Teenagers send on average 5 text messages a day – 83% of all Australian teens own a mobile phone.

Half of these teens do not turn their phone off at night and a quarter of them admit to replying to texts they receive at night immediately: 10% of these teens admit to receiving text messages that wake them up each night.

But it’s not just young people who send text messages – figures show that Australian seniors send on average one text message a day, too.

This is just a snap shot of the volume of SMS messages that are being sent across Australia each and every day. As a nation we are one of the most mobile-tech savvy: 43% of Australians own a Smartphone and 26% of all Australians participate in mobile social networking and 32% of Australians own an Apple iPhone.

With such impressive growth rates it is little wonder then that more and more brands are using mobile and SMS messaging in particular as an effective marketing channel.

Click on the magnifier glass to check the infographic

Australia’s most popular mobile phone revealed

A new consumer survey has revealed that the Apple iPhone is today Australia’s most popular mobile phone.

The 2011 Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index (AMPLI) revealed interesting findings on the use of applications, services, social networking and mobile data in the Australian market.

The data shows that a majority of 32% of Australians own an Apple handset today, the first time that the iPhone has overtaken Nokia in the survey.

28% of people own a Nokia mobile phone and 13% of all Australians own a Samsung. Other mobile brands that rated less than 10% among Aussies includes: HTC (8%), Sony Ericsson (5%), LG (4%), Blackberry (3%) and Motorola (3%).

“There has been a clear shift in handset brand ownership in the last few years. Nokia ownership has been steadily decreasing, as has Motorola, while Apple has been steadily increasing in popularity since the impact of the iPhone release was first captured in 2009,” the report stated.

The era of the Smartphone

Further data released by the study reached other conclusions on Australians’ preferences when it comes to mobile technology devices.

There has been a substantial increase in use of mobile data over the last year; more than half of respondents said they use social networking on their phones now and almost half of the respondents own a tablet or plan to purchase one in the next 6 to 12 months.

This data shows the strength in which Smartphones are being welcomed into the market by Australians. Smartphone penetration is over 50% in Australia, which has led to a 300% increase in the number of emails being opened on a mobile device for the period 2010/11.

The increase in Smartphone useage among Australians is indicative of how the majority of us cannot live without our mobile phones. With most people owning a mobile phone, communication is far easier than it was just 10 years ago.

Business text messaging is becoming increasingly common because they can engage with consumers easily in a cost effective way.

Emergency SMS and natural disasters

Floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones, thunderstorms, damaging hail stones, torrential rains, destructive winds… the threat from natural disasters appears to be growing around the globe. But countries are increasingly working on ways to warn people in case of an emergency through SMS. Find out how.

As the summer approaches in Australia, there are numerous and severe weather conditions that can cause havoc and be a threat to the well-being of people and their belongings.

To help, a commission of enquiry is seeking for an emergency SMS system to be put in place so that Australians can be better prepared for natural disasters. By using SMS and mobile telephone technology, the system will aim to alert people when dangerous weather conditions are approaching.

SMS alerts in demand

Since the floods and the cyclone hit Queensland earlier this year, the demand for these SMS emergency warnings has increased considerably. Local councils, such as Brisbane and Townsville, are already offering this service to all citizens who register, so that they can receive official warnings in case of critical weather.

The use of these SMS alerts in cases of natural disasters by local and government authorities has not gone unnoticed by private companies too though, with many having launched their own kind of service too. The Australian Early Warning Network is just one of them, providing a multi-channel alerts service, with mobile phones as the main way of communication through fast and direct SMS.

All these services monitor the weather and if they detect that particularly dangerous weather may affect a specific region they send SMS alerts to registered users within that area. Once the text message is read, those who receive a text message alert are provided with some extra time to prepare for the weather, get their houses ready for the event and in if necessary evacuate.

SMS emergency warning

The specific characteristics of SMS text messages makes them the best way of communication in the complex and ever-changing situation experienced during and immediately after a natural disaster.

Haiti, Japan, New Zealand… Many countries have been recently hit by earthquakes or tsunamis, which can be among the most devastating of all natural disasters.

The effectiveness of Group SMS when a natural disaster such as this strikes can be truly life-saving, offering hope and information to those suffering.

Should you be able to send emergency SMS to 000?

Many organisations are using emergency SMS to communication crucial and critical information. The US Emergency Services system looks set to be overhauled to accommodate SMS, MMS and even video to be sent to 911 in case of an emergency. Should the Australian Emergency Services allow text messaging, too?

Text messaging emergency services is available in some shape or form among most emergency services worldwide. But these services are typically only designed for use by hearing or speech impaired individuals.

For example, in Australia today it is possible send SMS to the emergency services on 106. This is the text-based emergency number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment. The service only operates using a textphone (TTY) or a computer with modem access, rather than via a mobile phone SMS. It is operated via the National Relay Service, which claims to be the world’s first national text-based emergency service.  There is a separate emergency call procedure for Speak and Listen callers who use mobile rather than a TTY, but they have to dial 1800 555 727 and then ask for Triple Zero (000).

Anyone calling 000 who does not speak when the operator asks the initial question: “Emergency. Police? Fire? Ambulance?” is directed to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit. There they are asked to press 55, but if after three requests there is no response, calls are disconnected.

So while provisions are currently in place to allow text messaging for the hearing and speech impaired to contact Emergency Services, they are far from easy or universally acknowledged.

A far better solution could be to improve on existing 000 technologies to allow SMS alerts, as the US has planned. The benefits for everyone are obvious and could undoubtedly save lives.

There are many times when sending a simple SMS message to 000, alerting relevant authorities to your situation may be far more appropriate than making a call, for example during incidences of domestic violence or burglary.

Older people may also be able to benefit from the adoption of the new text messaging service. As we age many of us will become hearing and speech impaired, so offering a text based way to contact emergency services could be extremely beneficial for older people. Australian seniors are among the most tech-savvy in the world, too, with research showing that the average Australian senior sends at least one text message every day.

As SMS becomes increasingly part of everyday communication, as well as the ease with which organisations can incorporate text message software, calling 000 via text seems like an obvious next-step for emergency services to make.

Helping people in trouble – emergency SMS response service

A Brisbane based satellite communication specialist has launched a new automated emergency SMS response service.

Indigo Telecom has launched the service designed to offer emergency support and monitoring for professionals working in remote or dangerous areas.

The new system, SpaceGuard, claims to be able to identify when someone is in trouble and then alert support teams about the need for help and support. The service is essentially an App that runs on a cellphone, monitoring the behaviour and location of the handset.

It is possible to monitor where the mobile phone is located and alerts can be set to notify support teams if unusual activity takes place with the handset, or if the end user sets off an alert at their end.

The new automated emergency SMS responder could be of considerable value to those working in high risk areas, such as journalists operating in a war zone. In Australia, the development could become increasingly popular with companies operating in the Outback, or in dangerous industries such as mining or oil refineries.

SMS messaging services in the Outback are increasingly important to businesses that operate in the region. One of the issues with the Outback is that mobile network coverage is often not available.

Researchers at Adelaide’s Flinders University have created a new virtual mobile phone network that allows mobile phones to communicate with each other by creating a virtual network where no actual network cover exists. The development could even lead to communication via mobile phones taking place in remote spots in the Outback free of charge.

For businesses and organisations looking to contact large groups spread out across vast distances, SMS messaging is proving increasingly popular. Not only is an SMS messaging service easy to set-up and customise, messages are low cost, too. SMS also has very high ‘open rates’ so once you have sent a text message, it has most likely been read.

Manly rugby league club use group SMS messages to boost fan turnout

SMS messages are not just for businesses looking to contact customers; rugby league club Manly are adopting this innovative mode of communication, too.

In another innovative example of how group SMS can be used by organisations, it has been reported this week that Manly coach Des Hasler has sent group SMS to 11,000 club members in a bid to increase turnout for a crucial match.

Sky News Australia reported that the text message was sent with the aim of increasing the number of fans turning out for the Sea Eagle’s grand final qualifier against Brisbane at the SFS tonight.

The text message read ‘Friday night Sea Eagles v Broncos the SFS. Get behind our boys as they fight for their spot in the NRL GF.’

Something that was undoubtedly of great interest to fans was the fact that the ‘from’ field read ‘Des Hasler’. Although open-rate data is not available as yet, we suspect that the vast majority of Sea Eagle supporters would have opened an SMS message sent to them by the head coach of their favourite rugby league team and initial press reports suggest that the text message has inspired many fans to turn out for the game.

The Benefits of Group SMS

Australian businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the power of SMS to communicate with their target audience.

The personal nature of SMS messages, such as the group SMS sent by Des Hasler, combined with the fact that text messages have close to a near 100 per cent open rate, make them ideal for sending advertising messages, confirmations and reminders to large groups of people.

Along side these major benefits is the ease of set-up and management that SMS offers. No doubt as the Sea Eagles found this week, sending a simple SMS message to a large database of supporters can be done in a matter of minutes.

3 ways SMS messages help improve health

Around the world SMS services are being used in numerous innovative ways. Below we highlight a few recent examples of how SMS messages are changing the world – and our health – for the better.

1. Online SMS services help combat hay fever in Sweden

Earlier this summer scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy and the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden used text messaging surveys to help reduce the symptoms of seasonal hay fever in children.

Two separate groups were given different treatments – one a placebo, the other a cellulose powder to treat the condition. SMS played a pivotal role in the study as it was used to issue reminders and reporting of symptom scores.

2. Email to SMS service helps healthcare in rural Africa

Research funded by the Brit organisation Wellcome Trust at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Nairobi found in August that the sending of text message reminders to healthcare workers in rural Africa improved the treatment of malaria. Prompt text message reminders meant that more patients received accurate antimalarial treatment.

For five working days, two text messages (one at 09:00 and one at 14:00) were sent daily to every health worker’s mobile phone. The same process was repeated every week for six months.

Within Africa, the adherence to national malaria treatment guidelines by health workers is vital in making sure that patients stick to and correctly complete malaria treatment doses. Failure to do so can not only affect the patient’s recovery from the disease, but can also increase the likelihood of the malaria parasites becoming resistant to the drugs.

3. Text messaging helps smokers quit

Studies in the US have revealed that text messaging can actually help smokers quit. Researchers at the University of Oregon and UCLA used SMS services as a low cost option for measuring health behaviours. Research participants were prompted by eight text messages per day for three weeks to document their ongoing cravings, mood and cigarette use.
The research showed that text messaging is at least as effective as more expensive and harder-to-use handheld data collection devices often used to help smokers quit.

“Text messaging may be an ideal delivery mechanism for tailored interventions because it is low-cost, most people already possess the existing hardware and the messages can be delivered near-instantaneously into real world situations,” said the study, which is scheduled to appear this week in Health Psychology, the journal of the American Psychological Association.

With the majority of Aussies owning a mobile phone – and even seniors sending regular text messages – there are numerous opportunities for text messaging services to be used to improve our overall health in the future.