Think text messages rates are cheap? Think again. NASA pays less to receive data from the Hubble space telescope than UK mobile users pay to send text messages.

 

Most UK consumers think of text messaging as the cheapest and easiest way to communicate, with a typical cost for a standard 160 character text message of approximately 12p.  When you break down that cost and relate it to the actual amount of data being sent, the true cost of texting is revealed.  Every character you send in a text message equates to 1 byte of data. When translating this into a per Megabyte cost, it becomes clear just how expensive it is in the UK to send text messages, with consumers paying approximately £750 per MB!

Comparatively, the US space agency, NASA pays approximately £61.50 per MB to receive data from the Hubble Space Telescope, a sophisticated 11-ton machine located 600km from Earth.  This amount includes all personnel, operational, data transmission and data processing costs for the Hubble program and equates to UK mobile users paying 12.3 times more byte for byte than NASA pays to capture and process images of outer space.  

Vyke Communications has launched a programme that is compatible with all recent Java enabled handsets.  It offers UK mobile users the opportunity to drastically reduce the exorbitant charges they are currently paying by using its smart message routing technology.  This allows Vyke Pro users to send free text messages to other Vyke Pro users around the world, or to send normal text messages to non Vyke Pro users for as little as 1p per message.  Vyke Pro is also able to remotely start-up the recipient’s Vyke Pro software and deliver messages instantaneously.  This "wake up" technology replicates the always-on-time delivery of messages that has been a key part of the popularity of SMS.

Jan Christian Berger, EVP of Global Sales for Vyke AS said, "Everyone thinks that SMS is a cheap way to communicate at a typical cost of 12p per message.  However, character by character, SMS is one of the most expensive ways in the world to move information.  Vyke Pro finally frees users from the stranglehold that the mobile operators have had on mobile messaging.  Why should users continue to pay exorbitant rates for text messaging and international calls?"