SMS is one of those accidental empires story. Dec 2007 will mark the 15th anniversary of the first commercial text message sent on the Vodafone network. Designed for engineers, it became the biggest consumer service todate both in terms of number of users and revenue produced. It is the simplicity and pervasiveness of the service that makes it a big hit. There are several lessons that can be drawn as we evolve the mobile data industry to the next level.

• The Hits come from unexpected quarters. Be prepared to profit from them, whatever they maybe.
• Simplicity always wins. The learning curve is low, hence wide adoption.
• Interoperability matters. Unfortunately, interoperability is the last thing people think about. We failed to apply SMS lessons to MMS and suffered. Content is facing the same dilemma.
• Viral is key component for success of any mobile service or application. Make it easy to share. Make it a social currency so people can instantaneously spread it like wildfire.

SMS will continue to dominate both the usage and revenue contribution for many more years to come.