Why there is only 160 characters available for SMS

This is a question I often hear, "Why there is only 160 characters available for SMS?"

I came across this excellent explanation and I just had to share it with everone!

The LA Times Blog interviews German communications researcher Friedhelm Hillebrand, the gentleman who figured out how to transmit and display text messages on cell phones to explain the 160 character limit.

London Borough Uses SMS to Boost Immunizations

Southwark has employed text messaging to improve the uptake of childhood immunizations and to tackle measles outbreaks in local schools within the Borough 160characters.org reports.

The campaign is in response to an increase in the number of measles cases reported in Southwark over the last few months.

Every quarter, surgeries receive a list from the central system known as Open Exeter, which indicates all the children who are due their immunizations for the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab (MMR).

By running a search on their clinical system, practices were able to send out a text message to a group of selected patients, who were due their first MMR or booster MMR jab, advising them to call the surgery to make an appointment.