Introduction to SMS

INTRODUCTION TO SMS MESSAGING
WHAT DOES SMS TEXT MESSAGES MEAN?
Definition:
Short Message Service (SMS) is the ability to send and receive short alphanumeric messages to and from mobile telephones. The Short Message Service & is a feature available in most modern digital phones, that lets users receive and send short text messages (from 150 to 160 characters) to other cell phones, usually limited to phones activated on the same network.
WHY USE SMS? SMS allows users to directly transmit messages to each other without the use of an operator (it is, however, necessary to have the underlying operator controlled wireless service). The first user can send a message to a mobile unit, via a direct connect computer. The SMS protocol of messaging is also "smarter" then standard paging. SMS is a store and forward method therefore, if the end user is not available, the mobile unit is powered off, or the unit is outside a service area, when the unit comes back on line the message will appear. A SMS message can also be sent "certified," where it will notify the message originator of the end user's receipt of the message.
WHAT ARE AN SMS CENTRE / SMSC?
SMSC is an abbreviation for the words Short Message Service Centre. An SMSC provides a number of services, in particular the regulation of the transfer of text messages between mobile phones. When a user sends a text message (SMS message) to a recipient, the phone actually sends the message to the SMSC. The SMSC stores the message and then delivers it to the destination recipient when they are available. The SMSC usually has a configurable time limit for how long it will store the message Generally speaking there is at least one Short Message Service Centre (SMSC) per network. For bulk transmission and reception of

SMS messages, SMSC's have conventional, fixed, network interfaces as well as mobile network interfaces. A number of protocols have been defined to support this sort of wire-line access. SMPP is the most commonly used of these protocols.