Today, SMS celebrates its 32nd anniversary. In fact, the first SMS was sent, during a test, on December 3. But, despite its age, and the existence of much more interesting means of communication, it is difficult to believe that SMS could completely disappear in the near future.
Certainly, the use of SMS has already declined drastically, with the arrival of messaging services, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. And the technology that is intended to replace SMS already exists: RCS. This is a GSMA protocol which has been adopted by Google on Android smartphones, and which allows for a modern messaging experience comparable to that found on WhatsApp, Telegram and others. Furthermore, this year, Apple also started supporting this technology on its iPhones.
However, SMS messages are still necessary in certain situations. For example, as RCS uses mobile data or WiFi, SMS remains a backup solution for communicating when you do not have access to the internet. The use of SMS also remains essential to carry out certain verifications, such as during two-step authentication on online services.
A world without SMS would be a world without basic phones
It is also important to note that, at the moment, RCS texting is only available on smartphones. However, there are still many people on the planet who use basic phones. This is the case for millions of people who live in Africa, for example. According to an IDC publication, in the first quarter of 2024 alone, 18.8 million basic phones were shipped on the continent.
However, even in Africa, shipments of basic phones are now declining. In the first quarter, these shipments fell 15.9% year-over-year. And for the first time, smartphone shipments exceeded those of basic phones.
“Africa remains a market with a significant share of basic phones, although they are expected to gradually decline as the transition to smartphones gains momentum.”says Akash Balachandran, research director at IDC. “This development, coupled with increasing demand, will be the main driver for the overall growth of the smartphone market.”
