The first text message ever sent turns 30 —the history of SMS

The first text message was sent on December 3rd, 1992 by Vodafone developer Neil Papworth. Today, an estimated 5 billion people worldwide use texting as a primary communication method. In the '90s, texting services were limited and expensive, with only Nokia device users able to send and receive messages. By the mid-2000s, more consumers began using texting for casual communication, leading to over 250 billion messages sent worldwide by 2002. Today, businesses use text messaging for various purposes such as healthcare communication, e-commerce marketing, customer service, two-factor authentication, and travel communications. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has implemented multiple regulations to maintain the integrity of the channel.