ndependence, SMS has migrated easily to ANSI-41 cellular networks, making it operable in North Amer- ica and compatible with 3G wireless systems. 20.2 Benefits for Subscribers and Vendors In addition to making it easier for subscribers of paging services to switch to cellular telephones, SMS is offering two other benefits for cellular subscribers. The first bene- fit is that a variety of business-to-business and business-to-customer transaction ser- vices can be managed over SMS. The openness of the standard for entities that send short messages allows integration with a variety of computer systems, including point- of-sale terminals (cash registers), bank computers, and the Internet. The second benefit is that SMS and its successors, EMS and MMS, have created fads that have made cellular telephones more popular, especially in Japan. While it is un- likely that anyone bought a cellular phone to send text messages, SMS-based services have driven sales in two ways. First of all, companies can gain market share against their competitors by offering more trendy services than their competitors. Second, any fad can bring peer pressure and increase sales of the equipment needed to participate. We will take a look at some cases where SMS and related services have driven sales and altered market share in Chap. 49. What are the benefits of SMS to vendors? SMS messages can be used by the cellular provider to inform subscribers of waiting voice mail, roaming status, or other account or network conditions. Because SMS messages ride on the signaling channel, SMS delivers messages on forward paging channel capacity that would otherwise remain unused. Some vendors charge for the activation of SMS service or for its use. Even if cellular subscribers are not charged for consumer use of SMS, vendors can charge corporations that use SMS transactions for delivering their messages or for gaining access to their network. Wireless service providers can partner with information services to provide everything from stock quotes to soccer s