Chat apps more popular than SMS

London, April 29: For the first time, instant messaging on chat apps, such as WhatsApp, has overtaken the traditional SMS text message, according to new research.

Almost 19 billion messages were sent per day on chat apps in 2012, compared with 17.6 billion SMS texts, telecom and media consultancy firm Informa said.

The shift is likely to have a big impact on mobile operators, for whom texts have been a key revenue source, BBC News reported.

Pamela Clark-Dickson of Informa said some operators were already “seeing a decline in their messaging revenues”.

According to separate estimates by research firm Ovum, more than 15 billion pounds of SMS revenue was lost in 2012 due to popularity of chat apps.

Informa said that it expected the messaging on chat apps to grow even further in the coming years.

It has projected that nearly 50 billion messages will be sent per day using these apps by 2014, compared with just over 21 billion traditional SMSs.

However, it said that despite the growing gap between the two, SMS will continue to remain a key player in the sector.

“There is a lot of life still in SMS,” said ClarkDickson of Informa. She explained that most of the chat apps were used by consumers who own smartphones. However, she added that lot of users still use SMSes. — PTI