Campuses that rely on delivering emergency alerts via SMS text messaging may soon need to contend with new messaging apps that allow cell carrier customers to abandon SMS texting altogether.
In the past six months, the use of text messaging has only risen by 8.7 percent, reports the Wall Street Journal. The news source also claims that SMS will continue to come under more pressure with Apple unveiling an application that will allow iPhone and iPad owners to bypass carriers and send text messages over the Internet to other people with Apple devices.
Customers find the new applications attractive because they can avoid paying additional charges for texting services.
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Photo via Flickr, B Rosen