Fixed Mobile Convergence

The use of mobile messaging, particularly SMS, MMS, and messages sent over social networks and instant messaging (IM) is increasing in the US at a significant rate.

Rural users in the U.S. were more likely to report higher use of SMS, while suburban users were more likely to use SMS and MMS, and urban users were more likely to use IM, e-mail, social networking, video chat, and messaging apps, according to iGR's new mobile messaging study.

“The use of mobile messaging services has been growing for the last two decades. Such services are now seen by consumers across all age groups as a critical part of their mobile experience and in some cases, more important than the mobile voice experience,” said Sarah Thoman, iGR's research analyst who was responsible for the new studies, in a statement.

U.S. consumers use mobile messaging to communicate many events. These use patterns indicate that consumers are substituting messaging functions for tasks that would have previously been accomplished through voice calls.

Most parents with children over the age of 4 said that their children used both SMS and MMS messaging on their mobile phones, iGR said in its report called “Messaging: The U.S. Consumer Perspective and Messaging: The Rural U.S. Consumer Perspective”.

While SMS messaging and e-mail are the two most used forms of mobile communication among U.S. users, rural and urban users appeared to send more mobile e-mail, on average, than SMS.

Facebook (News - Alert) is the social networking tool of choice among all U.S. mobile users. Over 73 percent of users who access social networks from their mobile phone said they accessed Twitter (News - Alert) at least twice a day or more in the last month.

Rural U.S. consumers, who reported utilizing both voice and messaging services on their mobile device, were 40 percent less likely to place or receive mobile voice calls. Fewer users also reported calling landline telephones.

Recently, an ABI Research (News - Alert) report said global revenues from mobile messaging services including SMS and mobile e-mail from mobile business customers are forecast to reach $48 billion by 2014.