New research from Gartner shows that an estimated 936 billion messages were sent worldwide in 2005 via the Short Message Service (SMS). Gartner predicts this will reach 2.3 trillion by 2010.

By far the most messages will continue to be sent in the Asia-Pacific region, where Gartner predicts the level of SMS messages will top 1.8 trillion in 2010.

North America will see the biggest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2006 and 2010. Gartner predicts that 318 billion SMS messages will be sent in 2010, making SMS volumes in North America the second highest worldwide. SMS levels in Western Europe will grow at a slower rate, as penetration and usage patterns peak, and are predicted to rise to 213 billion in 2010.