Text messaging has grown immensely in popularity as an efficient and enjoyable way of communicating. And as new, cutting-edge services make their way into the competitive mobile landscape, newly revamped text messaging that offers even more functionality, is due.

 

Nick Ingelbrecht, research analyst at Gartner (News - Alert) was quoted in a recent news release as saying, "Nobody could have predicted the phenomenal success of SMS, and the race is on to find its successor. Without a doubt, new services are needed, but a clear leader has yet to emerge from the messaging services currently being deployed, such as mobile IM (instant messaging), video messaging, mobile e-mail and unified and integrated messaging."

For this, wireless mobile provider, Virgin Mobile USA has launched 3jam SMS 2.0, a new service that takes basic text messaging to the next level via multi-party texting, which allows group communications to occur.

With the service, customers can send a message to more than one person at the same time, while also allowing everyone who received the message to reply back to the entire group.

The new service, introduced today, is free to join and made possible through the wireless providers partnership with SMS services firm 3jam.

"Our firm has reviewed dozens of mobile 2.0 services, and 3jam stood out because of their ability to enhance communications in a simple yet effective way. At the heart of mobile devices, people want to communicate better, faster and more simply with their friends and family," commented 3jam investor Tim Chang, partner at Norwest Venture Partners in a statement to the press.