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  Short Message Service
Introduction
Technial Overview
Applications
Added Value
For Users
Benefits For
Service Providers
Future Of SMS
Links And References
Summary
 		Introduction

Short message service (SMS) is a globally accepted wireless service that enables the transmission of alphanumeric messages between mobile subscribers and external systems such as electronic mail, paging, and voice mail systems.

SMS appeared on the wireless scene in 1991 in Europe, where digital wireless technology first took root. The European standard for digital wireless, now known as the global standard for mobiles (GSM), included short messaging services from the outset.

In North America, SMS was initially made available on digital wireless networks built by early pioneers such as BellSouth Mobility and Nextel. In 1998, when the buildout of personal communications service (PCS) networks based on GSM, code division multiple access (CDMA), and time division multiple access (TDMA) methods was completed, SMS enjoyed full-fledged deployment.

The Short Message Service (SMS), as defined within the GSM digital mobile phone standard that is popular in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and some parts of North America, has several unique features:
  • A single short message can be up to 160 characters of text in length. Those 160 characters can comprise of words or numbers or an alphanumeric combination. Non-text based short messages (for example, in binary format) are also supported.
  • The Short Message Service is a store and forward service, in other words, short messages are not sent directly from sender to recipient, but always via an SMS Center instead. Each mobile telephone network that supports SMS has one or more messaging centers to handle and manage the short messages.
  • The Short Message Service is characterized by out-of-band packet delivery and low-bandwidth message transfer. Initial applications of SMS focused on eliminating alphanumeric pagers by permitting two-way general-purpose messaging and notification services, primarily for voice mail. As technology and networks matured, a variety of services were introduced, including electronic mail and fax integration, paging integration, interactive banking, and information services such as stock quotes. Wireless data applications include downloading of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards for activation, debit, and profile-editing purposes.
  • The Short Message Service features confirmation of message delivery. This means that unlike paging, users do not simply send a short message and trust and hope that it gets delivered. Instead the sender of the short message can receive a return message back notifying them whether the short message has been delivered or not.
  • Short messages can be sent and received simultaneously with GSM voice, Data and Fax calls. This is possible because whereas voice, Data and Fax calls take over a dedicated radio channel for the duration of the call, short messages travel over and above the radio channel using the signaling path. As such, users of SMS rarely if ever get a busy or engaged signal as they can do during peak network usage times.
  • Ways of sending multiple short messages are available. SMS concatenation (stringing several short messages together) and SMS compression (getting more than 160 characters of information within a single short message) have been defined and incorporated in the GSM SMS standards.

Jaakkola, Riikka
Liu, Jing
Wikström, Leo
Shaimi, Abdehalk

© The SMS Group 1999
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