LONDON -- T-Mobile UK today announced a groundbreaking deal with US mobile operators, which will enable its UK customers to exchange text messages with people on non-GSM networks in the USA. The series of agreements is the first by a UK mobile operator and means that T-Mobile customers can now send text messages to 60 million customers across 55 networks in the USA.Previously, it was only possible for UK customers to send text messages to GSM networks, equating to just 10 per cent of US subscribers. Following the new agreements, T-Mobile can now reach 75 per cent of the combined US and Canadian market, regardless of whether the recipient subscribes to a GSM, TDMA or CDMA network.After a slow start, SMS usage is growing rapidly in the USA, with nearly 500 million messages now being sent per month. The monthly figure is likely to grow to more than 1 billion messages per month by early 2003, and is projected to exceed 30 billion messages during 2004.Clent Richardson, chief sales and marketing officer at T-Mobile, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for T-Mobile and demonstrates our commitment to providing customers with a truly seamless international service.“There are more than 150 million wireless users in the USA, many of whom will have friends, family and business contacts in the UK. Enabling T-Mobile customers to reach these customers via SMS shows that we are once again delivering on our brand promise of ‘Get more service’.” Text messages sent to the USA cost 20p per message.T-Mobile (UK)