SMSboy.com Launches: the UK’s First Website To Give Free,
Added: (Wed Nov 15 2000)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
15 November 2000
SMSboy.com Launches: the UK’s First Website To Give Free,
Europe-Wide SMS Text Messaging
Free, no strings method for sending SMS messages to any
GSM phone in Europe: will also introduce SMS services and features
SMSboy.com, launched today, is the first website to allow users to send
free SMS text messages from the Web to any GSM mobile phone in Europe.
Unlike rival services --which offer UK-only messaging -- users do not have to
register their details on the site, subscribe to the service, give credit card
details or pay per message. They simply access SMSboy.com from any
Web-enabled computer, and begin sending SMS messages within minutes.
According to the site’s founder Shakil Khan, SMSboy.com is unique in making
Web-based SMS text messaging services available Europe-wide and free for
any user, regardless of their mobile network.
Khan said: "SMS text messaging has become hugely popular with the 15-24
age group, thanks to the pay-as-you-go phone revolution -- people like students,
those starting out in their first jobs and so on. And of course these connected
users will embrace those services which offer the services they need and give
the best value. In the same way that pay as you go phones have democratised
mobile usage, we're democratising Web-to-SMS messaging services by making
them available to anyone in Europe, free of charge."
The growth of SMS text messaging has taken even mobile operators by
surprise. Research shows that in August 2000, 560 million messages were
sent in the UK, representing a tenfold increase year-on-year according to the
industry’s own body, the GSM Association. In Italy, messages now exceed 1
billion per month and in Germany, over 1.5 billion per month. Worldwide, the
number of text messages sent to mobile phones this month will reach 10 billion.
Text messaging is now more popular than email.
Shakil Khan added: “SMS messaging has a far greater reach than WAP right
now and is likely to remain in the lead for years to come, especially with young,
non-corporate users. Even with the next generation of mobiles, WAP services
will still be too expensive for the majority of mobile users, so SMS will still be
relevant. That’s the market we’re targeting.”
Mobiles have also become a key accessory for Britain’s teens and young adults --
70% of 15-year-olds now own one. Mobile phone ownership has even been linked
to a decline in smoking among teenagers, with mobiles ousting cigarettes from
their traditional place as a rebel totem.
As well as giving free Web-to-SMS messaging, SMSboy.com will soon allow
users to download new ringtones for their mobiles. It also claims that it will be
the first to offer Asian pop tunes and excerpts from Bollywood film soundtracks.
SMSboy.com will also expand to offer tailored SMS-based services such as
personalised information on music, nightlife, travel, dating and more.
For full details and to create a personal Web-based SMS facility, visit: www.SMSboy.com
Issued on behalf of SMSboy.com, contact: Shakil Khan, shak@SMSboy.com
(+44) 20 8594 0635 / 07940 123 789