Utxt2 Project Description

The Ultralab SMS Service research project also named utxt2 was aimed at the investigation of how the sms service can be used in schools or conferences.

    The short message service (SMS) was developed as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and it allows mobile systems and other network-connected devices to exchange short text messages with a maximum length of 160 characters. The length limit is caused by the way that SMS is transmitted. It usually rides on the control channels, the same frequencies or time slots used for call setup information by mobile phones. This means that users can send or receive SMS messages while they are making a phone call, though they need a hands-free kit to read the screen or type on the keypad. SMS was commercially introduced in 1992 and in 2001, an estimated 102.9 billion SMS messages were exchanged worldwide. With the proliferation of mobile devices, there has been an explosion in the use of the short message service, with a total of 1.25 billion global GSM users as of September 2004.

    The utxt2 research project has shown that SMS can be successfully used in group discussions, be it in schools or business. It preserves anonymity, which allows people to articulate their views without fear of being criticised and is relatively easy to use. All that is needed is a mobile phone which is SMS capable. There is no need to take minutes as everything is kept in the database and can be retrieved in the same state that is was last viewed, including sticky positions and colours.