OMG! R u serious?! Wht a gr8 yr 4 mobl msging!

BANGALORE, INDIA: Text messaging had emerged as one of the simplest and most useful means of mobile communication. VeriSign Inc., provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world, announced that its Messaging and Mobile Media Division delivered over 224 billion messages globally in 2008. This result not only shattered its original estimates of 200 billion messages, but it also saw a 134 percent increase in its total messages delivered from 2007. 



Qi Li, Vice president, Asia Pacific, VeriSign's Messaging and Mobile Media division, said: "Mobile messaging continues to play an even greater role in how the world communicates. VeriSign delivered a total of 1.06 billion messages globally during the recent Valentine’s Day on February 14 – typically a very high-volume day as texters sent love notes. Record usage growth requires a reliable, scalable network to ensure messages reach their intended destination – and as 2008 showed, VeriSign continues to deliver with ease.”  

Asia Pacific had traditionally led the growth of mobile messaging worldwide, and VeriSign had continued investing in and growing its reach in Asia. It had recently expanded its cadre of talent with the appointments of key executives in China and Korea and across Asia Pacific, so as to strengthen relationships with service providers and operators, and meet customer demand for improved mobile messaging services.

“Asia represents the single largest investment for VeriSign’s Messaging and Mobile Media division and we are expecting a growth rate of 20 – 25 percent in the next three years,” Qi added. “We have a long and successful track record in mobile messaging in the communications and enterprise segments, and intend to continue to address the rapidly emerging needs of mobile communications and enterprise customers throughout Asia. This increase in headcount and network resources underscores our commitment to the region, even as we look to deliver more solutions that enable our customers with a strategic edge in the near future.” 

VeriSign facilitated an average of 772 million messages per day in Q4 2008, compared to 634 million messages per day in Q3 2008 and 352 million messages per day in Q4 2007. Its combined mobile messaging networks achieved new milestones when VeriSign, together with RealNetworks, successfully delivered more than 1.1 billion inter-carrier SMS messages on Christmas Day. The growth corresponded to more than $2.6 billion in revenue generated for VeriSign’s customers in Q4 2008, and more than $8.3 billion for the year.

Mobile messaging also demonstrated strong growth within enterprises and financial institutions during 2008. The total number of Enterprise A2P messages delivered rose to nearly 1 billion in 2008, marking a 114 percent increase from 2007. In the fourth quarter of 2008, PayPal announced a new way for members to add even more security to their PayPal accounts using their mobile phones through SMS functionality provided by VeriSign.  VeriSign’s global mobile banking and financial services customer base now includes seven of the top 10 US banking brands, three of the top five credit card issuers, and a global leader in online payment solutions. 

VeriSign‘s Messaging and Mobile Media Division delivers messages on behalf of carriers and content providers around the world. VeriSign’s combined mobile messaging networks (P2P and A2P) connect to more than 700 carriers in over 200 countries and reach more than 3 billion wireless subscribers. VeriSign offers one of the most robust and reliable mobile messaging delivery engines across carrier, enterprise, and media/entertainment networks, generating billions of dollars in revenue for its customers. Together with RealNetworks, it powers inter-carrier mobile messaging for eight of the top 10 wireless carriers in North America and other major operators throughout the world.