Short Message Service

Short Message Service (SMS) is a text messaging service component of phone, Web, or mobile
communication systems. It uses standardized communications protocols to allow fixed line or mobile
phone devices to exchange short text messages.
SMS was the most widely used data application, with an estimated 3.5 billion active users, or
about 80% of all mobile phone subscribers at the end of 2010. The term "SMS" is used for both the
user activity and all types of short text messaging in many parts of the world. SMS is also employed in
direct marketing, known as SMS marketing.
SMS as used on modern handsets originated from radio telegraphy in radio memo pagers using
standardized phone protocols. These were defined in 1985 as part of the Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) series of standards as a means of sending messages of up to 160 characters to
and from GSM mobile handsets. Though most SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text messages,
support for the service has expanded to include other mobile technologies, such as ANSI CDMA
networks and Digital AMPS, as well as satellite and landline networks.

History

Initial concept
Adding text messaging functionality to mobile devices began in the early 1980s. The first action
plan of the CEPT Group GSM was approved in December 1982, requesting "The services and facilities
offered in the public switched telephone networks and public data networks... should be available in the
mobile system". This plan included the exchange of text messages either directly between mobile
stations, or transmitted via Message Handling Systems widely in use at that time.
The SMS concept was developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by
Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. The GSM is optimized for telephony, since this was
identified as its main application. The key idea for SMS was to use this telephone-optimized system,
and to transport messages on the signaling paths needed to control the telephone traffic during time
periods when no signaling traffic existed. In this way, unused resources in the system could be used to
transport messages at minimal cost. However, it was necessary to limit the length of the messages to
128 bytes (later improved to 160 seven-bit characters) so that the messages could fit into the existing
signaling formats. Based on his personal observations and on analysis of the typical lengths of postcard
and Telex messages, Hillebrand argued that 160 characters was sufficient to express most messages
succinctly.
SMS could be implemented in every mobile station by updating its software. Hence, a large
base of SMS capable terminals and networks existed when people began to use SMS. A new network
element required was a specialized short message service center, and enhancements were required to
the radio capacity and network transport infrastructure to accommodate growing SMS traffic.

Early development
The technical development of SMS was a multinational collaboration supporting the framework
of standards bodies. Through these organizations the technology was made freely available to the
whole world.
 The first proposal which initiated the development of SMS was made by a contribution of
Germany and France into the GSM group meeting in February 1985 in Oslo. This proposal was further
elaborated in GSM subgroup WP1 Services (Chairman Martine Alvernhe, France Telecom) based on a
contribution from Germany. There were also initial discussions in the subgroup WP3 network aspects
chaired by Jan Audestad (Telenor). The result was approved by the main GSM group in a June '85
document which was distributed to industry. The input documents on SMS had been prepared by
Friedhelm Hillebrand (Deutsche Telekom) with contributions from Bernard Ghillebaert (France
Télécom). The definition that Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert brought into GSM called
for the provision of a message transmission service of alphanumeric messages to mobile users "with
acknowledgement capabilities". The last three words transformed SMS into something much more
useful than the prevailing messaging paging that some in GSM might have had in mind.
SMS was considered in the main GSM group as a possible service for the new digital cellular
system. In GSM document “Services and Facilities to be provided in the GSM System,” both mobile-
originated and mobile-terminated short messages appear on the table of GSM teleservices.
The discussions on the GSM services were concluded in the recommendation GSM 02.03
“TeleServices supported by a GSM PLMN.” Here a rudimentary description of the three services was
given:
1. Short message Mobile Terminated (SMS-MT)/ Point-to-Point: the ability of a network to
transmit a Short Message to a mobile phone. The message can be sent by phone or by a
software application.
2. Short message Mobile Originated (SMS-MO)/ Point-to-Point: the ability of a network to
transmit a Short Message sent by a mobile phone. The message can be sent to a phone or to a
software application.
3. Short message Cell Broadcast.
The material elaborated in GSM and its WP1 subgroup was handed over in Spring 1987 to a
new GSM body called IDEG (the Implementation of Data and Telematic Services Experts Group),
which had its kickoff in May 1987 under the chairmanship of Friedhelm Hillebrand (German Telecom).
The technical standard known today was largely created by IDEG (later WP4) as the two
recommendations GSM 03.40 (the two point-to-point services merged) and GSM 03.41 (cell
broadcast).
WP4 created a Drafting Group Message Handling (DGMH), which was responsible for the
specification of SMS. Finn Trosby of Telenor chaired the draft group through its first 3 years, in which
the design of SMS was established. DGMH had five to eight participants, and Finn Trosby mentions as
major contributors Kevin Holley, Eija Altonen, Didier Luizard and Alan Cox. The first action plan
mentions for the first time the Technical Specification 03.40 “Technical Realisation of the Short
Message Service”. Responsible editor was Finn Trosby. The first and very rudimentary draft of the
technical specification was completed in November 1987. However, drafts useful for the manufacturers
followed at a later stage in the period. A comprehensive description of the work in this period is given
in.
The work on the draft specification continued in the following few years, where Kevin Holley
of Cellnet (now Telefónica O2 UK) played a leading role. Besides the completion of the main
specification GSM 03.40, the detailed protocol specifications on the system interfaces also needed to be
completed.
SMS is a stateless communication protocol in which every SMS message is considered entirely
independent of other messages. Enterprise applications using SMS as a data bearer require that session
management be maintained external to the protocol.
Gateway providers
SMS gateway providers facilitate SMS traffic between businesses and mobile subscribers,
including mission-critical messages, SMS for enterprises, content delivery, and entertainment services
involving SMS, e.g. TV voting. Considering SMS messaging performance and cost, as well as the level
of messaging services, SMS gateway providers can be classified as aggregators or SS7 providers.
The aggregator model is based on multiple agreements with mobile carriers to exchange two-
way SMS traffic into and out of the operator's SMSC, also known as local termination model.
Aggregators lack direct access into the SS7 protocol, which is the protocol where the SMS messages
are exchanged. SMS messages are delivered to the operator's SMSC, but not the subscriber's handset;
the SMSC takes care of further handling of the message through the SS7 network.
Another type of SMS gateway provider is based on SS7 connectivity to route SMS messages,
also known as international termination model. The advantage of this model is the ability to route data
directly through SS7, which gives the provider total control and visibility of the complete path during
SMS routing. This means SMS messages can be sent directly to and from recipients without having to
go through the SMSCs of other mobile operators. Therefore, it is possible to avoid delays and message
losses, offering full delivery guarantees of messages and optimized routing. This model is particularly
efficient when used in mission-critical messaging and SMS used in corporate communications.

Interconnectivity with other networks

Message Service Centers communicate with the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or
PSTN via Interworking and Gateway MSCs.
Subscriber-originated messages are transported from a handset to a service center, and may be
destined for mobile users, subscribers on a fixed network, or Value-Added Service Providers (VASPs),
also known as application-terminated. Subscriber-terminated messages are transported from the service
center to the destination handset, and may originate from mobile users, from fixed network subscribers,
or from other sources such as VASPs.
On some carriers nonsubscribers can send messages to a subscriber's phone using an Email-to-
SMS gateway. Additionally, many carriers, including AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA, Sprint, and
Verizon Wireless, offer the ability to do this through their respective websites.
For example, an AT&T subscriber whose phone number was 555-555-5555 would receive e-
mails addressed to 5555555555@txt.att.net as text messages. Subscribers can easily reply to these SMS
messages, and the SMS reply is sent back to the original email address. Sending email to SMS is free
for the sender, but the recipient is subject to the standard delivery charges. Only the first 160 characters
of an email message can be delivered to a phone, and only 160 characters can be sent from a phone.
Text-enabled fixed-line handsets are required to receive messages in text format. However,
messages can be delivered to nonenabled phones using text-to-speech conversion.
Short messages can send binary content such as ringtones or logos, as well as Over-the-air
programming (OTA) or configuration data. Such uses are a vendor-specific extension of the GSM
specification and there are multiple competing standards, although Nokia's Smart Messaging is
common. An alternative way for sending such binary content is EMS messaging, which is standardized
and not dependent on vendors.
SMS is used for M2M (Machine to Machine) communication. For instance, there is an LED
display machine controlled by SMS, and some vehicle tracking companies use SMS for their data
transport or telemetry needs. SMS usage for these purposes is slowly being superseded by GPRS
services owing to their lower overall cost.[citation needed] GPRS is offered by smaller telco players as
a route of sending SMS text to reduce the cost of SMS texting internationally.

AT commands
Many mobile and satellite transceiver units support the sending and receiving of SMS
using an extended version of the Hayes command set, a specific command language originally
developed for the Hayes Smartmodem 300-baud modem in 1977.[citation needed]
The connection between the terminal equipment and the transceiver can be realized with a serial
cable (e.g., USB), a Bluetooth link, an infrared link, etc. Common AT commands include AT+CMGS
(send message), AT+CMSS (send message from storage), AT+CMGL (list messages) and AT+CMGR
(read message).
However, not all modern devices support receiving of messages if the message storage (for
instance the device's internal memory) is not accessible using AT commands.

Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS

While SMS reached its popularity as a person-to-person messaging, another type of SMS is
growing fast: application-to-person (A2P) messaging. A2P is a type of SMS sent from a subscriber to
an application or sent from an application to a subscriber. It is commonly used by financial institutions,
airlines, hotel booking sites, social networks, and other organizations sending SMS from their systems
to their customers. According to research in 2011, A2P traffic is growing faster than P2P messaging
traffic