The future of SMS texting – EMS! • The Register

The future of SMS texting – EMS!

Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens all in on the act

By Kieren McCarthy • Get more from this author

Posted in Data Networking, 30th May 2001 11:37 GMT

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The biggest names in mobile manufacture have announced they are working on a next-generation version of SMS text messaging - EMS, or Enhanced Messaging Service.

According to a joint press release put out by Alacatel, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens, EMS will enable you send images, tunes and animations of the phone. The standard will be open and soon become the norm seeing as all the big boys are involved in it. Its openness will also give third parties the chance to write apps and services.

The success of downloadable ring tones is just one example of why this will take off. That and the fact that text messaging has gone through the roof with a new figure coming out every month over how many millions text messages were sent in the UK in the last week etc etc.

EMS sits on top of the SMS system, making implementation a whole lot easier. It is also a bridge from SMS to what the mobile industry is calling MMS - Multimedia Messaging Service. The first EMS phones are expected to come out anytime from June on.

While we're here though, we feel we ought to re-remind the mobile industry that it had absolutely no idea about how successful SMS would be and many even refused to support the SMS system when it first arrived. Just like to throw that in there whenever the industry starts slapping itself on the back. ®

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