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Happy birthday SMS: 15 today

Steven Parker   on 03 December 2007 - 11:26 · 6 comments & 6218 views

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It is 15 years today since the first commercial text was sent over the Vodafone network by Airwide Solutions engineer Neil Papworth.

Today marks the 15th anniversary since the first commercial short message service (SMS) text was sent.

That first message, which read "Merry Christmas," was sent by Neil Papworth, an engineer at Airwide Solutions, via the Vodafone network to a colleague at the mobile operator who was enjoying the festivities of a staff Christmas party.

Papworth sent the text on 3 December using a PC terminal and traditional keyboard, while the recipient, Vodafone's Richard Jarvis, received the message using an Orbitel 901 handset.

"I can remember the event, being there, typing [the message] in and getting confirmation that it had got through. But I wasn't the chosen one or anything like that. Eventually the time came when we had to take the system down to Vodafone to plug it in and get it working on the live network. Because I'd been working on the interface stuff it made sense for me to go down and do it," Papworth said.

View: Full Article @ ITPro

Post a comment · Send to friend Comments · There are 6 additional comments
#1 +status-seeker on 03 Dec 2007 - 11:27
I love SMS.

I can send 2000 a month.
#2 Neobond on 03 Dec 2007 - 11:28
SMS took a while to get popular in the US. I can remember back in 2002 Americans asking me "what the hell I was talking about!" when I said I just sent an SMS to a Neowin staff colleague, back in the UK or elsewhere. LOL
#3 tiagosilva29 on 03 Dec 2007 - 12:36
I say, old sport: it is ludicrous to use this lewed "technology" in favour of the resilient and reliable pigeons of carriage.
#4 JamesWeb on 03 Dec 2007 - 13:08
I share my birthday with SMS!

... I should get free texts for that.
#5 Lt-DavidW on 03 Dec 2007 - 13:09
LOL @ the non obtrusive ads for this page.
#6 Redmak on 04 Dec 2007 - 07:47
Another great DUTCH invention btw

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