| We live in a technological age where even teenagers | | | | service allowed users to log in to the service and |
| have mobile phones at school; they seem to have | | | | send friends on the 02 mobile network free mobile |
| them permanently fixed to their hands. If you take | | | | text messaging online. |
| the phones away from them they struggle to | | | | There were calls for the service to be stopped as it |
| survive the day without being able to text in their | | | | was claimed that it was discriminating against the |
| weird language or abbreviations and smileys. | | | | other competitor mobile networks like, Vodafone, |
| But now the technological age has taken a new turn | | | | Orange and Talk Talk. However, British Telecom |
| as the internet and mobile networks cross over and | | | | fought Ofcom which is the ombudsman and as far as |
| join forces to make a cheap and affordable network | | | | I am aware the service is still running today. |
| for the masses. There have been several failed | | | | Most of the mobile networks now off a certain |
| attempts to put text messaging online but until now | | | | amount of free text messages free every month, |
| most have fallen at the first hurdle. | | | | some even offer unlimited text messages to their |
| The problem with the internet is that with the | | | | clients if they pay more on their monthly line rental |
| invention of broadband most people pay a monthly | | | | bill, which has made it even harder for these online |
| subscription for unlimited access, where as the mobile | | | | companies to compete with them as no one is going |
| networks tend to charge per text message usually | | | | to pay for a service online that they already get for |
| at a rate of 10p per text. When companies provide | | | | free. |
| free text messaging online it is usually used and | | | | Text messaging online and text messaging on the |
| abused to the point that it drains the company's | | | | mobile phone have managed to revolutionise the way |
| resources. Most of the funding received for these | | | | that we all communicate with each other, it is |
| sites that provide text messaging online obtain their | | | | amazing to think that little over fifteen years ago |
| money through adverts on the site or click through | | | | few of us even owned a mobile phone and now |
| adverts. | | | | most of us would find it almost impossible to make it |
| The first of these services that I saw was offered | | | | through the day without using one or texting |
| from British Telecom and their free email service | | | | someone. |
| launched to compete with Hotmail called Talk21. The | | | | |