U.S. WIRELESS MARKET PRIMED FOR MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING

摘要

Unlike short message service, multimedia message service may not need an American Idol to succeed in the U.S. marketplace. SMS, which has been a staple of European and Asian carriers' revenue streams for several years, was not heavily promoted to or used by U.S. consumers until AT&T Wireless Services and the reality TV show American Idol came up with their surprisingly successful audience polling promotion. Now, with carrier deals in the offing, new handsets due on the market and inter-carrier interoperability a forethought, the wireless industry looks much better prepared to exploit MMS, which adds imaging, voice and even short video to SMS.