Mexico is the largest SMS market in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a report from mobile messaging company Acision, with combined SMS and MMS service sales totalling $601m (£374m) in sales in Q3, 2011 – a year-on-year growth of 32 per cent. That number accounts for 57 per cent of all VAS (value added services) in the country.

The third edition of the Acision Mobile Value Added Service Monitor (MAVAM) shows that total VAS sales in Mexico increased by 38 per cent over the same period, generating $1,047m. Thats 31 per cent of the mobile operators’ services sales, 6 per cent above the average for the region.

Use of competitive IM services is much lower in Mexico, at 24 per cent, due to lower smartphone pentration. MMS, meanwhile, grew 8 per cent from Q1, 2011, with 32 per cent using the service – but only 28 per cent of those users send more than one MMS per week.

“The ubiquity, simplicity and reach of SMS continue to make it the Value Added Service of choice among mobile users in Mexico today,” says Vancrei Oliveira, Acision’s senior vice president and general manager for Latin America. “The report highlights key areas where operators can generate further revenue, such as offering new personalized messaging features to increase SMS and MMS usage and enhance the messaging experience, which can be delivered through the Acision Cloud.”