Submitted by Mike Grenville on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:46

Last Friday BBC Radio 1 listeners were able to send the radio station free picture messages from their mobile phones as part of its 'Access All Areas' week.

On Friday 11th December listeners in the United Kingdom were able to send free picture messages to the BBC Radio 1 messaging number (81199), for a chance to see their images featured on the BBC Radio 1 website: www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/mmsday/highlights/. The event attracted the equivalent of five months’ Picture Message traffic in one 24 hour period.

The Mobile Data Association (MDA), brought together each of the UK’s major mobile network operators, 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Vodafone and Virgin Media, to form a partnership with the BBC which aims to get more young people involved with the station. The MDA has also launched an educational website with the long-term aim of helping people to send picture messages: www.getsettings.org.

Using technology from WIN plc, the images were moderated then used to populate an online mosaic for listeners to view and share their images.

Over 42,000 MMS messages were received during the 24 hour period, equating to approximately 5 months of BBC Radio 1’s usual picture message traffic levels.

Martin Ballard, Operations Director at the MDA, said: “BBC Radio 1’s Picture Messaging Day was a springboard to generate further interest in MMS. Our getsettings website aims to address configuration issues around older handsets in circulation and SIM-only contracts. But the emergence of increasingly sophisticated and affordable devices means users can begin to capitalise on the rich mobile messaging facilities which are now available, as they did with text messaging at the beginning of the decade.

"As well as illustrating the social power of picture messaging, this project should act as a catalyst to inspire new ways for the medium to be used” said Ballard.