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J.D. Bullington: Cupid flirting with text messaging
By J.D. Bullington / Tribune Columnist
May 2, 2005

Cupid has gone wireless, and his quiver totes a thesaurus instead of arrows.

Armed with the latest in Bluetooth technology, that chubby little love cherub has been transformed into a high-tech matchmaker. He's dropped his bow to holster a cell phone.

Wireless text flirting is rapidly replacing the online chat room as the easiest, least-risk-of-being-hurt method of showing another person you're interested.

Text messaging is revolutionizing the way people interact with one another. One Web site growing in popularity is www.sms.ac/flirt. This wireless service was started in 2002 and allows users to search for and flirt with other members by sending and accessing profiles and photos. Other Web sites specializing in pick-up lines and poetry are sprouting up to support the activity.

Talk about a growth industry. In June 2001, there were only 30,000 text messages sent in the United States. There were 14 billion text messages sent domestically in 2003, 25 billion in 2004 and this year the total number of text messages sent within the United States will be about 42 billion.

These figures are so seductive, serious investors can't resist flirting with the companies that are directly and indirectly involved in this industry. By 2010, text messaging is projected to be a $200 billion market.

For many students, sending text messages throughout the day is the most popular way to stay in touch during and between class. It's silent, it's fast, and it's cheap. It costs around $7 to send 1,000 text messages a month.

SMS.ac Inc. (www.sms.ac) is the largest community of worldwide mobile phone users in existence and by far the most popular gateway for cell phone owners to connect with others. SMS.ac is a wireless communications company that allows users to exchange text and multimedia messages across any technology platform and deliver messages to any wireless device. The company offers connectivity to more than 400 mobile networks worldwide, and creates revenue through joint-revenue sharing agreements with mobile network operators, advertisements, licensing, membership subscriptions and sponsorships.

SMS.ac has a real shot at being the next Yahoo, Google or eBay. What's driving its growth is social phenomenon that's still largely off the radar screen of Wall Street: wireless, high-tech romance.