With the global economy showing more and more signs of slowing down, mobile messaging growth will continue. In a recent report from ABI Research, mobile messaging services revenues will grow from $151 billion in 2008 to greater than $212 billion globally by 2013. Supply side drivers will be of primary importance for maintaining this level of growth.

Principal analyst Dan Shey comments: "Mobile messaging ARPUs are 85%+ of all handset data services revenues regardless of region and will remain so for many years. As messaging involves all the biggest players in the mobile industry there will be incentives for all mobile messaging suppliers to work cooperatively to serve customers well and propel all parties through these rough economic waters."

The important messaging suppliers include operators, device OEMs, content providers and middleware vendors. But although these suppliers can make the mobile messaging experience as pleasurable as possible, there must also be valid practical reasons for customers to use them and to and consider upgrading to new plans and services. One of the main reasons: more and more customers see mobile messaging services as a more efficient way to communicate than voice services.

Shey says, "The utility of mobile services will keep them a necessity in tough economic times, particularly since displaced workers need to be mobile to find work."