Abstract: A communication system includes a number of terminals, each allowing the input of a text message represented as digital symbols, and storing the text message, and including modems for encoding the text message for transmission via a public telecommunications network to a remote terminal, the terminals also being arranged to receive acknowledgements from the remote terminal that such text messages have been received, and to re-attempt transmission in the event of a transmission failure or the absence of such an acknowledgement, and the terminals further being arranged to automatically answer a call placed via the public telecommunications network, to receive and decode a text message from a remote terminal included in such a call, to store the received text message, to transmit a signal acknowledging receipt of the received text message to the remote sending terminal, and to allow retrieval of the stored text message.