14 DAY TRIAL // Can you picture a world in which you wouldn’t be able to text or send out SMSs to loved ones? Neither can we.
Well, today is a sad day for the mobile industry, as the so-called father of SMS, Matti Makkonen, has succumbed to an illness at age 63 (as reported by Wired).
Details on the exact affliction that caused his death were not shared with us.
Despite this nickname, Makkonen was often modest enough to point out that he did not invent the technology all by himself. Speaking during the 20th anniversary of the first text message, Makkonen said he considered inventing SMS a joint effort and praised Nokia for helping popularize the technology.
The managing director of Finnish telecoms group Finnet Association, Jarmo Matilainen, had been working with Makkonen, who was a former managing director of Finnet Ltd himself.
Matilainen described Makkonen as the “grand old man of the mobile industry.”
“It’s very sad. He was just going to retire and he should have had many years ahead,” he said, adding that Makkonen had been irrevocably drawn to the communication technology.
While SMS is currently losing ground to mobile messaging apps, there are still people who actively employ this type of communication.
Matti Makkonen will certainly be missed!