SMS turns 30 years today

“Merry Christmas”

That was the very first commercial SMS (Short Messaging System) was sent on Dec. 3, 1992, by Neil Papworth, using an Orbitel 901 handset via Vodafone UK’s network.

The rest, they say, is history.

In the Philippines, SMS or texting is huge and it even reached over a billion messages per day.

Islacom was first to offer commercial GSM service in February 1994 while Smart was first established in 1991 by Orlando Vea (founder of PayMaya, former President/CEO of Sun Cellular after PLDT bought Digitel, founder of Smart Communications) and started commercial service in December 1993.