On the commuter train on Saturday I noticed it was quieter than
> usual. Typically on a weekend many passengers, especially the
> younger ones, are yakking away on their cell phones making the train
> rather noisy. (That's why some railroads have introduced "quiet
> cars", though not on weekends). Anyway, I did notice a number of
> passengers 'thumbing away', that is, apparently sending and
> receiving text messages.
Isn't it amazing how human beings (is it at a certain age level - or should I ask is it "up to" a certain age level) have become so non-verbal in their inter-personal communications?
I understand text message traffic has gone up, which the cell
> carriers love because texting uses less bandwidth capacity than a
> voice call does, but they charge more for it. One needs to pay
> extra to get unlimited texting. Otherwise, as many parents found
> out the hard way, texting is expensive.
A huge amount of the carriers revenue most probably is coming from texting. After all, texting is really a "no cost to the carrier" item hidden away in the business portion of the sub-band communications between the cell phone and the nearest cell tower; the communication link which keeps the cell system advised as to the location of the cell phone. The 160 character text message, from what I have read, costs the carrier nothing to send or receive (wonder if the person who "discovered" this capability was rewarded for its revelation?) So the extra $5 or $10/month for this "service" is pure profit. Multiply this profit by the 10's of millions of customers who text, relates to huge amounts of monthly revenue. The carriers should be rejoicing!
Has text message traffic overcame voice message traffic? Could
> someone expand on today's cell phone traffic mix? Thanks.
I am sometimes involved in secondary education where I see examples of a vast number of high school students texting (albeit it, against the rules) every chance they get during the school day. And they have learned to do it without looking at their key boards.
John Stahl Aljon Enterprises