Executives from the nation’s largest wireless carriers met last week in an effort to hammer out the details of a universal short code system, according to industry sources.
Future meetings have been scheduled with an eye toward having the system commercially up and running by the end of the year.
The board of directors of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association-which comprises the nation’s largest wireless carriers-voted in March to implement a universal short code system, as reported by RCR Wireless News. CTIA will administer the list of available short codes.
However, many of the details of the system must still be worked out, including how revenues will be shared among the parties involved.
Short codes are 4- to 6-digit numbers that can be used to offer content and information services through text messages. For example, AT&T Wireless Services Inc. offered a short-code voting service in conjunction with the Fox TV show “American Idol” this year.
Viewers with AT&T Wireless phones could send text messages to a short code to vote for the show”s contestants. The application only was available to AT&T Wireless subscribers. Under a universal short-code setup, subscribers from any carrier would be able to send a text message to the same number and register their vote. Universal short codes have long been offered in Europe, and Canada’s major wireless carriers recently set up a universal short code system in conjunction with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and messaging infrastructure vendor LogicaCMG.
A variety of players in the United States, from TV and movie studios to fast-food chains to wireless advertising companies, have indicated interest in universal short code applications.
“We do hear that carriers in general are trying to work through this issue,” said Jonathon Linner, chief executive officer of mobile marketing company Enpocket. “Our sincerest hope is that it gets resolved quickly. Having access to universal short codes is very important to our business.”
