<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (July 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Mobile - service providers in Finland offer contracts in which users can send 1000 text messages a month for € 10 . In Finland, which has very high mobile phone ownership rates, some TV channels began "SMS chat", which involved sending short messages to a phone number, and the messages would be shown on TV . Chats are always moderated, which prevents users from sending offensive material to the channel . The craze evolved into quizzes and strategy games and then faster - paced games designed for television and SMS control . Games require users to register their nickname and send short messages to control a character onscreen . Messages usually cost 0.05 to 0.86 Euro apiece, and games can require the player to send dozens of messages . In December 2003, a Finnish TV channel, MTV3, put a Santa Claus character on air reading aloud text messages sent in by viewers . On 12 March 2004, the first entirely "interactive" TV channel, VIISI, began operation in Finland . However, SBS Finland Oy took over the channel and turned it into a music channel named The Voice in November 2004 . In 2006, the Prime Minister of Finland, Matti Vanhanen, made the news when he allegedly broke up with his girlfriend with a text message . In 2007, the first book written solely in text messages, Viimeiset viestit (Last Messages), was released by Finnish author Hannu Luntiala . It is about an executive who travels through Europe and India . </P> <P> In the United States, text messaging is very popular; as reported by CTIA in December 2009, the 286 million US subscribers sent 152.7 billion text messages per month, for an average of 534 messages per subscriber per month . The Pew Research Center found in May 2010 that 72% of U.S. adult cellphone users send and receive text messages . In the U.S., SMS is often charged both at the sender and at the destination, but, unlike phone calls, it cannot be rejected or dismissed . The reasons for lower uptake than other countries are varied . Many users have unlimited "mobile - to - mobile" minutes, high monthly minute allotments, or unlimited service . Moreover, "push to talk" services offer the instant connectivity of SMS and are typically unlimited . The integration between competing providers and technologies necessary for cross-network text messaging was not initially available . Some providers originally charged extra for texting, reducing its appeal . In the third quarter of 2006, at least 12 billion text messages were sent on AT&T's network, up almost 15% from the preceding quarter . In the U.S., while texting is mainly popular among people from 13--22 years old, it is also increasing among adults and business users . The age that a child receives his / her first cell phone has also decreased, making text messaging a popular way of communicating . The number of texts sent in the US has gone up over the years as the price has gone down to an average of $0.10 per text sent and received . To convince more customers to buy unlimited text messaging plans, some major cellphone providers have increased the price to send and receive text messages from $. 15 to $. 20 per message . This is over $1,300 per megabyte . Many providers offer unlimited plans, which can result in a lower rate per text, given sufficient volume . </P> <P> Japan was among the first countries to adopt short messages widely, with pioneering non-GSM services including J - Phone's SkyMail and NTT Docomo's Short Mail . Japanese adolescents first began text messaging, because it was a cheaper form of communication than the other available forms . Thus, Japanese theorists created the selective interpersonal relationship theory, claiming that mobile phones can change social networks among young people (classified as 13 - to 30 - year - olds). They theorized this age group had extensive but low - quality relationships with friends, and mobile - phone usage may facilitate improvement in the quality of their relationships . They concluded this age group prefers "selective interpersonal relationships in which they maintain particular, partial, but rich relations, depending on the situation ." The same studies showed participants rated friendships in which they communicated face - to - face and through text messaging as being more intimate than those in which they communicated solely face - to - face . This indicates participants make new relationships with face - to - face communication at an early stage, but use text messaging to increase their contact later on . It is also interesting to note that as the relationships between participants grew more intimate, the frequency of text messaging also increased . However, short messaging has been largely rendered obsolete by the prevalence of mobile Internet e-mail, which can be sent to and received from any e-mail address, mobile or otherwise . That said, while usually presented to the user simply as a uniform "mail" service (and most users are unaware of the distinction), the operators may still internally transmit the content as short messages, especially if the destination is on the same network . </P>

When did the first texting phone come out