Opinion

Text me! Why is SMS still popular in the Caribbean in 2016?

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Although most Caribbean mobile phone owners overlook it, SMS or text messaging is widely used in the region. Four reasons why are discussed.

Thanks to the increasing availability and affordability of smartphones and mobile broadband in the Caribbean, with respect to non-voice communication, users appear to prefer instant messaging (IM) services, such as Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and even Viber, to name a few. Generally, when planning to connect with others, those applications (apps) tend to be the go-to options, rather than using the Short Messaging Service (SMS). SMS, also referred to as text messaging, is rarely mentioned.

However, ironically and in this day and age – 2016 to be exact – SMS is still a force in the region. Although frequently it is overlooked, here are four reasons why it is still popular.

Every phone has SMS capability

As sophisticated as the mobile/cellular phone has become, every device – from the most basic of handsets to the most high-end of smartphones – possesses SMS capability. It therefore means that fundamentally, every mobile/cellular device on a mobile/cellular network can communicate with each other: by voice calls and by text messaging.

An attractive channel for marketing and other services

Through the network operator, third parties can connect directly with every phone on the network – once they are prepared to pay. For example, SMS has been popular for marketing campaigns and to provide a broad range of services to people in the lower socioeconomic brackets – a large segment of the population – who tend to own basic handsets. Hence, SMS can provide considerable revenue generation opportunities for network operators.

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