Irish consumers are leading the way in transatlantic text messaging.Wireless carriers Verizon Wireless and Vodafone said yesterday they would let their customers send text messages via mobile across the Atlantic early in the new year.

However, Vodafone's Irish customers have been able to text Verizon and Sprint customers in the United States and Canada since last week at a cost of 25 cents per text.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Vodafone and Verizon Communications, the largest US wireless operator, said the transatlantic link-up would begin early next year.

Initially, Verizon customers in the United States and Vodafone customers in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Britain will be able to message each other.

A US company called InphoMatch will handle conversion of the messages between the networks.

Verizon said in testing, conversion and delivery would happen "within seconds".

Text messaging, so commonplace throughout Europe, has begun to catch on in the US as carriers roll out phones with more advanced features.