Total cell-out: SMS has the last word!

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">It''s the beep that has changed the face of communication over the last one year. While global figures put the volume of SMSs exchanged till December 25, 2003 at a staggering 529 billion, the figure for India is pegged at an estimated 120 billion. But what makes the SMS an universal favourite when it comes to keeping in touch? <br /><br />"It''s fast, easy and cheap.All I have to do is punch in the alphabet keys and upto 459 characters can be immediately sent across to my family and friends all over the country, and beyond the seas as well. Moreover, I immediately get to know whether the person I have sent the message to, has received it or not," explained Neetu Sharma, an interior designer. <br /><br />While Delhi leads the national charts as far as SMS volume is concerned, Kolkata is not too far behind either.<br /><br />But the maximum number of SMSs are sent or received during special occasions, like Durga Puja, Diwali and Christmas. On these days, everyone wants to greet each other and greetings are exchanged regularly. Hence the need for the SMS. <br /><br />Sources in a cellular company said, "Our daily volume of SMSs sent and received is around six to seven lakhs in Kolkata, while during festive days this goes up to 15 lakhs."<br /><br />"Earlier, I would send snail mail, which was replaced by the email. But now I find SMS more convenient because I can just click my message even when I am on the road, without the need of a PC. It has made life simpler," said Mukut Banerjee, who is in the third year of college. <br /><br />Moreover, with the break-up of the nuclear family system, relatives use their mobile phones to send photographs via their trendy handsets.<br /><br />For those interested in a break-up of the SMS files, creative text, flirtatious lines, unedited personal feelings and ''naughty'' jokes comprise the bulk of message traffic, and the primary user of SMS is constituted by the 18-25 age group. <br /><br />"It is the younger generation which enjoys the benefits of this new-age technology. And what better way for them to stay in touch but use their cellphones?" said an official of a cellular company in town. <br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">sriya.raychaudhuri@timesgroup.com</span></div> </div>