World's First SMS Has Been Sold As An NFT For $150,000

In the modern days of the internet and mobile devices, texting has become extremely common that It's safe to say that it's rare to see someone who doesn't text or chat at all for a whole day.

But what is then known as a common activity, began back in December 3, 1992, when the world's first text message was sent.

At that time, the message was sent by British operator Vodaphone and consists of only 15 characters that reads: "Merry Christmas."

And this time, Vodaphone sold the message as an non-fungible token (NFT) at an auction to an unnamed buyer, who bought it using the cryptocurrency Ether.

The Aguttes auction house in Paris, that ran the auction, said it expected the proceeds to range from €100,000 to €200,000.

The prediction was close, because the tokenized SMS was sold for €132,680 (≈$150,000).

"The NFT Smart Contract represents the exclusive ownership of a detailed and unique digital replica of the original communication protocol that transmitted the world’s first SMS. The exclusive NFT was minted in an edition of 1 and Vodafone assures that Vodafone will not mint another NFT related to the first SMS in the future," the auction house said.

The winning bidder whose identity was not disclosed, is revealed to be Canadian and involved in the tech sector

The person not only receive the message as a tangible asset, but also receives the SMS message displayed using an animation in a digital picture frame.

It's worth noting though, that the NFT is a replica of the original communication protocol that transmitted the SMS, the auction house said.

Vodafone said that it would donate the proceeds of the sale to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

"Technology has always had the power to innovate and change the world," Vodafone quoted the UNHCR’s Private Sector Partnerships Service head, Christian Schaake, as saying.

"Through this combination of groundbreaking tech and movement for social good, UNHCR can continue helping refugees and people who’ve been forced from home, giving them an opportunity to transform their lives and build better futures for themselves, their loved ones and the communities they’re living in"

"The first printed book, the first phone call, the first email, all these inventions have changed our lives and communication in the world," said Maximilien Aguttes, the development manager at Aguttes auction house.

"This first text message received in 1992 is a historic testament to human and technological progress. It transmitted a message of joy, 'Merry Christmas'."

The message was originally sent by programmer Neil Papworth to a his colleague, Richard Jarvis, who received the message on his Orbitel 901 cellphone during the company's Christmas party.

At that time, Papworth and his colleagues were developing a type of communication where Vodaphone clients could send messages to each others' phones.

It was the team who managed to developed the technology, and managed to transmit the first-ever SMS through Vodafone's network.

"In 1992, I had no idea just how popular texting would become, and that this would give rise to emojis and messaging apps used by millions," Papworth was quoted as saying by the auctioneer. "I only recently told my children that I sent that first text. Looking back with hindsight, it's clearer to see that the Christmas message I sent was a pivotal moment in mobile history," he added.

At that time, Papworth couldn't sent the message through his cellphone because cellphones didn't have keyboards.

It was only in 1994, that the team was able to properly transmit SMS messages from phone to phone, thanks to the arrival of the Nokia 210.

Years later, the technology was then adopted by various companies and telecommunications networks, giving the rise of its popularity.

Quickly, texting as a means of communication began to overtake the use of phone calls, according to the press release.