Responding to growing demand for text messaging services in Tonga, the Tonga Communications Corporation will invest nearly $1 million pa'anga this year in a new SMSC platform.

"Text messaging is popular worldwide and the high usage of the text service in Tonga has led to an overload in the SMSC handling capacity, particularly during the December period when many Tongans returned to Tonga for the festive season," Acting Managing Director, Tai'atu 'Ata'ata said today.

Taiatu said that to ease the congestion problem, TCC had temporarily suspended the +456 or U-Call me Back service.

"TCC has allotted just under $1 million pa'anga in its 2007-08 budget to finance the purchase of a new SMSC platform, which will handle a larger customer base as well as improve the efficiency of the text messaging service," she announced today.

TCC aimed to select an SMSC provider by early February and embed the new system before June 2008.

"The move to upgrade the current SMSC platform will be welcomed by customers," said Tai'atu. She said the new system would soon benefit all U-Call customers.