Owen,

Excellent point, re use by utility companies, and perhaps certain financial institutions – to remind us of our payment commitments! 🙂

Regarding the telecoms service providers, frequently I feel bombarded by messages. Increasingly, we are getting wired subconsciously to check when we receive any kind of alerts, but if most of them, several times a day, are from the telco, I think people beginning to ignore them, and may delay checking their phones when there is a legitimate situation that deserves their attention.