The environment is becoming a concern in India with increasing industry and potential overpopulation. SMS companies have started to create an awareness of this issue. There are companies using the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) as a nodal centre for registering cases for the entire country. Users send SMS text messages to the Union environment ministry and also to the relevant state authority as a way of holding government officials to account, and can also be used for audit purposes.

In the UK, the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Order was put in place in 2010 to encourage businesses to lower carbon dioxide emissions through connectivity to SMS gateways and energy-saving projects, helping offices to cut down on paper and optimise systems that connect and communicate with SMS gateways.

SMS is helping to raise awareness of the growing problem of carbon emissions and global warming, and through schemes like this, it's possible and easier for people to take action. Text messaging can get large numbers of people to contribute more conveniently.

The latest International Communications Market Report from Ofcom has been making a bit of a stir within the telecom industry.  Its survey of some 5,600 consumers in six major countries (including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the USA) has found for the first time that some of us are more likely to use our mobile phones for non-voice purposes (i.e., text messaging) rather than making voice calls.  Ofcom’s survey found that SMS usage levels ranged from a low of 64% (in the US) to a high of 86% (in Australia).  Conversely, voice calls ranged from a low of 68% (in Italy) to a high of 80% (in Germany).  The report found that on a per capita basis these countries had an average SMS usage level of 71.52%, while the usage figures  for voice calls was slightly lower at 71.48%.  So, it seems that while we may call it a mobile “phone” some of us are just as likely (if not more so) to use it for text messaging ignoring its voice capabilities.

Plus, if you consider that SMS usage is rampant in the developing world (thanks in part to its low cost) there probably is a strong case to say that text messaging is more popular amongst mobile phone users worldwide, rather than voice calls.

The controversy surrounding Carrier IQ (a Californian-based mobile software company) continues to rumble on now that it has emerged that federal investigators are looking into the allegations that the company’s software monitors mobile users’ activities without their knowledge or consent.  On December 14th representatives from Carrier IQ met with officials from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The aim of the meeting was to discuss and explain how their product works and what it is designed to do, and I assume that the regulators wanted to establish potential problems regarding security breaches and concerns about mobile user privacy.

This meeting is just the latest twist in this controversy which stems from an allegation by Trevor Eckhart, an Android researcher, that Carrier IQ's diagnostic tools could be a security risk as they tracked personal mobile phone data.  It seems that while he was researching  part of Carrier IQ's software for smartphones he found that one element of it monitored every key press and SMS message that was typed, and sent this usage data on to the network operator.  According to Eckhart, the software collected information such as the phone's location, which URLs the user visited, as well as data on SMS messages and phone calls, and forwarded it to the carrier—all worrying stuff as far as security and privacy are concerned.

Now Carrier IQ insists that their software (which is usually embedded on to American mobile phones by the network operators) is designed to give the carriers information about their network’s performance so they can identify where they can make improvements--that is it.  However, the telecommunication software company hasn’t been upfront about collecting this type of sensitive and highly private information and it is this failure to inform and/or get permission to monitor this type of data that seems to be the real crux of the issue.  Given that this could lead to security and privacy issues, at the very least you expect mobile users to be able to opt out of this data collection if they want.  But this is easier said than done, and more often than not users can’t easily turn it off…which again sets off alarm bells.

I see that Coca Cola in the US has a new mobile campaign out for the holiday season which aims to raise money to help protect the polar bear by raising funds to help preserve the artic. As part of this holiday mobile campaign, the drinks company has altered the iconic branding on it cans of drink and has introduced white ones just for the holiday season.  The new-look cans will also feature the image of a mother polar bear with two cubs.

For this campaign, Coca-Cola is asking its American customers to support the World Wildlife Fund’s Arctic Home campaign by sending a $1 text message donation via a shortcode.  All consumers need to do if they want to support this cause is to send an SMS message to 357357 and include their package code. The drink company has promised to match each text message donation with a $1 donation of its own.  This is in addition to an initial $2 million donation to WWF to help support its Artic Home campaign.

With more and more charities turning to SMS campaigns to boost donations it seemed a bit odd to me that politicians trying to drum up support for their campaign haven’t been able to get in on the act. Will now it seems that they can...at least in California.

Last month, the state of California finally entered the 21^st century and agreed that political candidates can receive donations for their campaign by text. The only proviso is that the politician must report the identity and address of people donating more than $100 to their campaign by SMS. This shouldn’t prove to be too difficult as it is thought that most people donating to a political campaign by text message will be making a relatively small donation-- usually $25 or less.

Now, donations to political campaigns are regulated in California by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission whose job it is to restore voter’s confidence in the government process, which includes trying to control the influence of money on politicians.  Oddly enough one of the main drivers in favour of letting people contribute to a political campaign by text was the fact that it will attract small donations from several individuals and so help to get more people involved in politics.  I guess the thinking is that donating small amounts to a political campaign via SMS will appeal to the average voter, and will mean that it is not just wealthy individuals and businesses that are involved in raising money for a political party or a politician.

If you are an opera fan and visiting London soon you may be interested to learn that the English National Opera (ENO) has launched a mobile campaign to let fans take advantage of last minute ticket offers. The goal of the mobile campaign is to help boost sluggish tickets sales for a particular performance by offering them at a reduced rate. After all it’s better to sell some seats, even if they are at a reduced price, rather than perform to a sparsely-filled theater.

The ENO’s system works by getting would-opera goers to sign up to receive text message alerts about last minute reduced ticket prices. The recipient can then go online or phone the ticket office to buy these tickets. So far, the SMS-based marketing initiative has been a real success for the English National Opera, which has seen a massive return on its mobile marketing investment. In addition, as opera fans need to sign up for this service, the English National Opera’s mobile campaign has also created a customer database which the opera company can use to promote further performances and events.

It looks like the American Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to expand the different ways that people can contact the (911) emergency dialing service to also include SMS as well as voice. The FCC’s objective is to create a new 911 system—one that would allow mobile phone users to send SMS messages along with the standard voice calls. In time it hopes to also incorporate MMS messaging for images and video. The FCC is convinced that supporting non-voice communication to its 911 emergency dialing service will significantly improve their response times…and hopefully save more lives and reduce damage to property.

I received the coolest SMS message the other day. My brother, who I usually communicate with via Twitter, sent me tweet with a picture of my new baby nephew. I have to say that this was a very pleasant surprise, and not just because of the subject matter of the picture (being an uncle is great!) but also because of how it was sent. I didn’t know that Twitter was letting people share pictures along with tweets just by attaching a picture to their text message.

Now I know that Twitter has been enhancing its Tweet by Text Message service recently, such as offering the Fast Follow service in the US which allow you to instantly receive tweets on your mobile phone as a text message…and you don’t even have to have a Twitter account. And, of course, you can receive SMS alerts about your follower’s tweets as well as using an SMS short code to get the latest tweets. I have to say, however, that I really like the idea of sharing pictures by text with your tweet as it creates a more complete message.

Have you heard the latest story about cars and texting? No I’m not talking about some dim-wit texting while driving. I’m talking about using SMS to break into cars. It seems that iSEC Partners (a team of American security specialists) has been able to hack into an anti-theft centralised computer and send the car a text message telling it to unlock and start the engine.

This was possible because more and more car alarms and GPS tracking systems are linked to the cell phone networks in the US. The alarm devices have their own cell phone number, which allows them to receive remote instructions by SMS. However, if the computer system isn’t “watertight” as far as security goes, computer hackers can get into the system and gain access to a car by texting the device with their own commands.

To highlight the susceptibility of some cars to a cyber attack, the researchers hacked into a vulnerable alarm system for a Subaru Outback by placing a laptop on the car and hacking their way into the system. Once connected, they sent an SMS command to the car’s alarm system telling it to unlock and start the engine.

I notice that yet another airline is turning to text messaging to help keep its customers sweet. Qantas is in the process of overhauling the service it gives its multi- level frequent flyer customers, which will include sending them an SMS alert to let them know if their upgrade request has come through. Certainly airlines can help keep their customer satisfied by text messaging them with details about their flight (be it the departure gate, luggage carrousel information or the dreaded delays) you can help keep a traumatic time for all a bit less stressful.

Now what Qantas is doing for its frequent flyers with its new mobile messaging initiative is to be proactive about getting the right flight information out to its regular customers. You see at the moment, frequent flyers may not know that their upgrade has come through until they get to the airport. They may be able to find out if they’ve been successful by check the website, but this isn’t always practical. Given that getting an upgrade can affect your baggage allowance, most passengers will want to know about an upgrade as soon as possible and an receiving an SMS alert about their upgrade is much more customer friendly.

I got a very interesting text message the other day.   It was from my garage reminding me that it was time for my car’s service and its annual road worthiness check.  Now from a receiver’s point of view this text message was very timely, as I tend to forget to organize this, usually leaving it until the very last minute.  Getting a reminder text message prompted me to do something there and then.  As the garage’s phone number was included in the text message, all I had to do was touch this and bingo I was calling the appointment desk …the whole business was organized in less than half a minute.

Now what really struck me about this mobile marketing initiative was that it was a great use of SMS by a small business to help keep regular business coming in.  In today’s tough market conditions, what may make or break many small businesses is their ability to keep regular business ticking over.  My car garage is a good case in point.  With fewer people splashing out on a new car, the garage has had to shift its efforts to the servicing side of the business.  To make the most of its regular customer base it is sending out SMS reminders about annual car servicing and road worthiness checks.  It decided to do this by SMS because of the ease of the system and the low cost, plus the fact that a text message is more likely to be read than acted upon than a letter or email -- and it’s less intrusive than a phone call.

I’m always surprised that so many B2B companies overlook the potential of SMS—especially given that it can have a 95%+ read rate, with most text messages read within just 15 minutes.  Text messaging is a very effective way for B2B companies to keep in touch with their employees, customers and business partners.  In term of digital marketing, if a business can personalise its text messaging so that it’s of interest to the reader, SMS marketing can be a great way to push time-sensitive promotions and product information.

Yet the question remains, why aren’t more businesses incorporating SMS as part of their digital arsenal?  Is it just a lack of awareness about how SMS marketing can dovetail with digital campaign or is there confusion about how best to use B2B SMS marketing?  By linking an SMS gateway service with their email campaigns, B2B companies will be able to communicate immediately with colleagues, as well as customers and business partners-- even if they are on the move.

The point to remember is that SMS can be used to highlight particular information – and is especially useful for time-sensitive communications, such as updates on delivery schedules, appointment/deadline reminders, order confirmations, and even stocking levels.   Within a B2B context you may find that using SMS to communicate “first to know” VIP information to your best customers and industry influencers about special events, trade shows or even products  launches will make the receivers feel special and endear them to your company.

Given the potential for disruption to European flights (as witnessed by the volcanic eruptions both last year and last month) it’s nice to see that at least some airlines are taking steps to keep passengers informed. Now travellers on Air France or its Dutch partner KLM can opt-in to receive SMS notification or emails alerting the passenger about to changes to their flight.

Once again we see that an airline has decided to use a mobile campaign to communication with passengers, though this time it’s to improve their service. The Air France-KLM Group has made a positive decision to lead the industry when it comes to improving passengers’ experiences, and a key part of this initiative is the group’s mobile campaign. With major disruption caused by snowy weather this year, and the odd volcanic cloud over Europe there is little doubt that passengers would welcome timely text message updates on their scheduled flights.

The first part of the airline group’s mobile campaign is being introduced by Air France, and has been dubbed Air France Connect. Through this service the airline sends SMS alerts to passengers of any delayed or cancelled flights. This text message can be sent up to two weeks before the departure date, which I guess give travellers time to re-work their plans. Of course improving the travellers’ experience also requires knowing about changes much nearer to take off, and the Air France text message alert system also informs passengers of last minute gate changes and bags that didn’t make the flight.