Why is 160 The Magic Number for SMS Text Messages?

Have you ever wondered why you can’t text more than 160  characters?

If you thought it was because of software or hardware limitations or even crazy mathematics you’d be way off according to LA Times.

Apparently, it’s because some German bloke thought 160 was “perfectly sufficient.”

Friedham Hillebrand was a communications researcher who was working with a group developing a standard for mobiles to send and receive text messages.

Hillebrand sat at his typewriter and banged out a bunch of sentences and questions, took the average and came up with the magic number – 160!

I wonder if Friedham invented some of that text speak – i av no idea m8 – r u sure u wanna no?

Anyways, as chairman of ‘GSM’s Nonvoice Services Committee’ he came up with the idea of backdooring the messages in a smaller, secondary radio channel that phones already used to figure out reception strength. This smaller signal could only handle 128 characters, not the magic 160 Hillebrand had already set his heart on as perfection.

After some serious tweaking, they raised the limit 160 characters. Then he forced every carrier to support SMS or else!! MWAHAHAHAHAHahahhaah!

Friedham Hillebrand, u r gr8!

Let everyone chant the magic number – 160!