@ehBeth,
It can for sure.
The long ones are usually to/ from deaf people. We got used to using "pagers" (as they're still called, even iPhones and Blackberries) for communication and often use them instead of email/ PCs. (Mostly depending on time sensitivity. Many deaf people will get an email sent to their "pager" within 15 minutes or so, but I know a lot of people who don't check their email more than once a week.)
They're not all that long mind you, but it's not terribly unusual.