Global Text Message Traffic By Region, 2004-2014 [TABLE]

Global Text Message Traffic By Region, 2004-2014 [TABLE]

It’s not uncommon to see smartphone users with their heads down, rapidly typing away during an intense messaging conversation, and SMS is losing its share of the action thanks to the rise of over-the-top (OTT) mobile messaging services such as WeChat. Data released in October 2014 by Parks Associates forecast that the volume of OTT mobile messages worldwide would rise from 10.0 trillion to a massive 67.0 trillion between 2013 and 2018. Meanwhile, global text message volume was expected to fall from 9.0 trillion to 6.7 trillion.

SMS volume has peaked already, based on September 2014 figures from Portio Research. The company reported that SMS traffic worldwide hit its all-time high in 2012, when it came in at 7.760 trillion, and forecast that volume would decline annually through at least 2018, falling to 6.392 trillion that year. Volume was expected to total 7.268 trillion this year. Read the rest at eMarketer.