<p>The recent news that more messages are being sent over mobile chat apps than through SMS was, I think, quite significant. Not necessarily in terms of straight numbers the analyst figures that sparked the story were certainly conservative, so the shift must have happened a while ago but as a reminder of how one technical means of communication can supersede another, and also as an indication of the challenges that mobile operators currently face.</p><p>Mobile analyst Dean Bubley, on the other hand, is clearly unimpressed with the coverage of this subject. In a somewhat irate blog post today, he attacked the notion that there is a simple dichotomy between SMS and "over-the-top" (OTT) apps such as WhatsApp, along with the idea that the carriers' Joyn collaboration might save their bacon:</p><p>"A central theme in these articles is a supposed battle for the 'messaging market', with lazy journalists or vendor marketeers painting a dark picture of mortal combat between the righteous fortress of SMS revenues, the marauding hordes of barbarian OTT players at the gates, and the Knights of Joyn riding to the rescue in their shining armour of interoperability.</p><p>"This is all palpable nonsense a strawman argument to reframe a complex and dynamic situation into the usual fatuous and imaginary Us vs. Them, Telcos vs OTTs narrative, coupled to a desperate attempt to make RCS and its GSMA-branded offspring look relevant. Not only is this argument flawed, the likely outcomes will in many cases be worse than useless."</p><p><a href="http://gigaom.com/2013/05/07/what-do-we-mean-when-we-talk-about-messaging-services/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-mobile-messaging-2013-5">CHART OF THE DAY: The Unstoppable Rise Of Over-The-Top Mobile Messaging</a> (Business Insider)</p><p><a href="http://www.express.co.uk/news/science-technology/397813/How-instant-messaging-is-killing-the-lowly-SMS">How instant messaging is killing the lowly SMS</a> (Express.co.uk)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dSn2vt4DWY_EGbM2DWL3v4W1ad42M&ned=us">3 additional articles.</a></p>