Will Text Messaging Crash on Inaugural Ball Night?
I received this PR email with this interesting claim -- what do you think?
Barack Obama became the first tech-savvy candidate, and now President, to effectively use SMS to woo millions when he sent the historic 3AM text message announcing his VP. Now, on Inauguration night this year, mass text messaging will be once again be a popular theme - but will all of the messages reach their intended recipients? Obama's camp plans to use mass text messaging technology to make the Inauguration Ball interactive by featuring webcasting and text messaging as part of the evening. Homeland Security will issue important messages via mass text, and the Congressional Inaugural Committee issued a warning to those attending and in the area to communicate via text during the crowded event.
But could Obama's technology tactics short circuit? CEO of EzTexting.com Shane Neman says yes, as he believes that there is a serious threat that millions of text messages will be delayed or dropped, as seen in years past with momentous occasions such as New Years Eve. Top mobile companies such as Sprint and T-Mobile are bolstering their services in anticipation, but these efforts might not be enough to overcome the astronomical amount of text messages anticipated on this evening, including those sent from President-Elect Barack Obama. On January 20th, Neman speculates that millions of text messages could result in a traffic jam and errant deliveries.