SMS Messaging - What is it All About? By David H. Urmann At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

SMS or Short Message Service is the sending and receiving of short text messages. It can be between mobile phones or Web to mobile phones. It is very popular nowadays with the advent of technology. It makes the communication of people from different places much easier.

SMS is Short Message Service. It is a protocol in communication to exchange short messages in the form of text. It is done between two mobile devices. Short Message Service (SMS) also allows short text messages to be sent from the Web to another mobile telephone. SMS text messaging is the famous data application in the world today. About 74% of active mobile users sends and receives text messages on their mobile phones.

The text messages can’t exceed 160 characters that include words, numbers and spaces. There are full-keyboard mobile phones for faster texting and alphanumeric pads that needs to be tapped several times to get a particular letter.

SMS technology helps the growth of text messaging. Even when using a different protocol, SMS is now synonymous to text messages. Short Message Service was made as part of the GSM series of standards. It was created in 1985 as a way of sending message to and from GSM mobile device. Different supports for the service follows after that. It includes alternative standards such as:
• ANSI CDMA networks
• Digital AMPS
• Satellite network
• Landline network

A. Person to person text messaging
In communicating person to person, mobile users make use of the SMS. It is applied to:
• say hello
• prompting someone
• arrange a meeting
• tell something to someone

SMS is an ideal messaging medium when:
• the information to be given is short
• full conversation would take too long
• traveling abroad or
• not around to take a voice call

Short Message Service is more convenient than email because it is proactive. It can be sent directly to mobile phones kept in the pocket of the user. Messages can also be stored for later reading. SMS is a practical way of transferring information. It is also one way of keeping in touch with friends and relatives. When the user has familiarized him in reading and sending text messages, communicating is easy. Person to person messaging is very acceptable to vast majority. It generates a big volume of short messages.

B. Voice Mail Notification or Fax Mail Notification
The SMS common use is to let the mobile users know of their received
• new voice messages or
• fax mail messages

This is the mobile network operator’s and mobile user’s starting point to use SMS. When new message is sent into the mailbox, an SMS alert will inform the user. The application of SMS will remain one of the largest generators of short messages.

C. Unified Messaging
Another valuable promising network service is Unified Messaging. Unified Messaging lifts up communication over the technology used. It makes the message overtake the media. In unified messaging, a single interface is used. People can get in different kinds of messaging by using this interface. They can access conveniently from one point the following:
• fax messages
• voice mail
• short messages
• email and others

Unified Messaging is a convenient application. The user will be notified that they have a new message in the unified messaging box. The short message contains the type of new message such as:
• fax
• email or
• voice mail

D. Net E-mail Alerts
More often, Internet email users were not notified that they have new email in their mailbox. From time to time, they check the content of it. By connecting internet email with SMS, a new email notification will be received by the user. The Net E-mail Alert will be received as a short message.

It will show details such as:
• E-mail sender
• Subject field and
• E-mail’s first few words message

Many Mobile Net E-mail Solutions includes filtering. Users are only alerted of:
• messages with defined keywords in the subject field or
• a particular sender
This application is fast growing and become known for SMS.

E. Downloading Ring tones
Downloading ring tone is another promising SMS-based application. When someone is calling, the phone will play tune. This tune is the so called ring tones. The users can choose from wide range of ring tones built in the phone’s memory. Downloading new ring tones also becomes a trend. It can be downloaded from an Internet site to the phone. These tunes can be:
• popular television tunes or
• film theme tunes

As the use of mobile phone increases, distinctive ring tones help decide just whose phone is ringing.

F. Chat
Another emerging application is the SMS-based chat services. Chat can be general information services. It is from a person that tends to be from an Internet site. Commercial chat services give the participants an option to select which message they receive on their mobiles. It is according to who the sender is.

G. Information Services
SMS can deliver a wide range of information to the phone users. It can be:
• headlines
• flight information
• jokes
• share prices
• weather and others
• lottery results

Any short message information can be sent by SMS. It can be configured as:
• push-based and from a public or private source or
• pull-based and from a public or private source

It may combine public information with private information.
Ex. Share prices from bank databases

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