THE first text message ever sent, which reads “Merry Christmas”, was sold today for 107,000 as a “non-fungible token” (NFT) at a Paris auction house.
The message, posted on December 3, 1992, was auctioned by the operator Vodafone.
Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth sent the SMS from his computer to a manager in Britain, who received it on his 2kg ‘Orbitel’ phone, similar to a desk phone, but cordless and with a strap.
“They were in the middle of the holiday season so he texted her ‘Merry Christmas'”said Maximilien Aguttes, head of development at auction house Aguttes.
Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that has gained popularity this year, with NFT art selling for millions of dollars.
These digital objects, covering images, video, music and text, They exist on the blockchain, a transaction log that is kept on computers on the network. Each NFT has a unique digital signature.
The sale of intangible assets is not legal in FranceTherefore, the auction house packaged the text message in a digital frame, displaying the code and communication protocol, Aguttes said.
The buyer will receive a replica of the original communication protocol transmitted by SMS and the proceeds will go to the United Nations Agency for Refugees.