Text messaging is a vital part of any phone plan. Particularly popular with business clients and consumers in younger demographics, text messaging offers a quick, easy and convenient alternative for those times when a short statement is all that’s needed.
SMS text messaging uses the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, and it accounts for about 80 percent of the world’s text messages. It serves as the standard for the nearly 3 billion people around the globe who send and receive text messages on their cell phones.
How Text Messaging Works
SMS standards define 160 characters as the maximum allowed in a single text message. However, most modern cell phones allow users to type messages with more characters than this. When permitted by the carrier, network and phone, a message exceeding 160 characters is split into multiple messages, with each one being sent individually. This standard was created to prevent data from overloading the control channels of cell phone towers that are responsible for transmitting text messages.
If you’ve got a newer phone, major carriers usually permit you some flexibility with message length (Sprint text messaging and Verizon text messaging are good examples of this). However, you need to keep an eye on your message usage, since a message with even 161 characters will count for double on your bill.
Compare Text Messaging Plans
While free text messaging is occasionally included in comprehensive cell phone plans, it’s much more common for carriers to bundle text messaging in as part of a monthly package. For example, your plan might include unlimited evening and weekend minutes, 300 daytime minutes and 250 text messages per month for, say, $50.
When you’re choosing a text messaging plan, you need to consider the types of messages covered as well as the cost per message if you exceed your monthly usage allowance. For example, some plans include text-only messages in their bundle but make you pay extra to send or receive texts with images or video attached, while others include free text messaging to mobiles when it comes to sending images and video.
In North America, it’s standard for carriers to charge a default rate of 15 to 20 cents per SMS text message. If you text more than your plan covers in a single month, you’ll typically be charged 15 to 20 cents per outgoing and incoming message. Be sure to get a flexible plan that covers lots of messages if you use this service a lot during the course of a month.