AT&T Offers An International Long Distance Text-Message Plan

In an indication that Americans are increasingly adopting text messaging, AT&T said Thursday it will offer an international long distance text-messaging plan beginning next week.

While texting with mobile phones and other devices has been popular for a few years in Asia and Europe, the text-messaging phenomenon has only lately been gathering momentum in the United States. AT&T said the offering is the first international texting plan to be offered in the United States by a major wireless service provider.

The AT&T plan, which will formally begin on Sunday, will let customers send international text messages for 10 cents a message, or 100 long distance text messages for $9.99 a month. More than 140 countries will be covered in the plan, AT&T said, adding that picture and video messages aren't included in the package.

Texting took hold in Europe and Asia well before U.S. consumers, particularly teenagers, took up the phenomenon with a vengeance in the past year. In China, officials recently stopped construction of a chemical plant after more than 1 million text messages were sent by citizens to protest the plant.

AT&T has had an extensive text-messaging program underway for several months.