That's an average of 25 a day for each of the 720,000 subscribers of Globe Telecom Inc., the cell phone company that handles virtually all of the traffic. In shopping malls or on park benches, groups of friends often sit in silence, tapping out messages on their cell phone keypads. We just talk about stuff. It's like chatting on the Internet. The messaging has even spawned its own folklore, with thousands of jokes tellable in just two or three brief lines.
Analysts say text messaging is a natural outgrowth of conditions in the Philippines.
Filipinos love to chat and be with friends. With the high installation charge and monthly fee for a home telephone line still out of the reach of most people, texting has become an affordable way to keep in touch, thanks to cell phone service plans with no monthly charge. Globe, however, didn't foresee the boom. At first, text messages were totally free. Globe soon was surprised to find texting driving its sales, with many younger customers buying its phones so they could send messages to friends who already owned Globe phones.