1.

Introduction

Cellular carriers expected wireless Internet access to be the next big thing, but while
they were waiting for consumers to jump on the bandwagon, a sleepy
technology that had been around for years took them by surprise. Short
Messaging Service, or SMS, has become wildly popular in Europe and Asia,
where more advanced digital networks made SMS available long before its
debut in North America. Now, SMS is catching on here as a relatively low
cost and easy to use solution for on-the-go connectivity.

Definition

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. The European standard for
digital wireless, now known as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM),
included short messaging services from the outset.

In North America, SMS was made available initially on digital wireless networks built by
early pioneers such as BellSouth Mobility, PrimeCo, and Nextel, among others. These
digital wireless networks are based on GSM, code division multiple access (CDMA), and
time division multiple access (TDMA) standards.

Network consolidation from mergers and acquisitions has resulted in large wireless
networks having nationwide or international coverage and sometimes supporting more
than one wireless technology. This new class of service providers demands network-
grade products that can easily provide a uniform solution, enable ease of operation and
administration, and accommodate existing subscriber capacity, message throughput,
future growth, and services reliably. Short messaging service center (SMSC) solutions
based on an intelligent network (IN) approach are well suited to satisfy these
requirements, while adding all the benefits of IN implementations.

Figure 1 represents the basic network architecture for an IS–41 SMSC deployment
handling multiple input sources, including a voice-mail system (VMS), Web-based
messaging, e-mail integration, and other external short message entities (ESMEs).
Communication with the wireless network elements such as the home location register
(HLR) and mobile switching center (MSC) is achieved through the signal transfer point
(STP).
 Figure 1. Basic Network Architecture for an SMS Deployment (IS–41)

Voice mail
HLR
MSC
Air
interfac
STP e
web
MSC
SMS
C

E- mail Air
MSC
STP interfac
e

Other
MSC
ESMEs

HLR

SMS provides a mechanism for transmitting short messages to and from wireless devices.
The service makes use of an SMSC, which acts as a store-and-forward system for short
messages. The wireless network provides the mechanisms required to find the destination
station(s) and transports short messages between the SMSCs and wireless stations. In
contrast to other existing text-message transmission services such as alphanumeric
paging, the service elements are designed to provide guaranteed delivery of text messages
to the destination. Additionally, SMS supports several input mechanisms that allow
interconnection with different message sources and destinations.

A distinguishing characteristic of the service is that an active mobile handset is able to

receive or submit a short message at any time, independent of whether a voice or data call
is in progress (in some implementations, this may depend on the MSC or SMSC
capabilities). SMS also guarantees delivery of the short message by the network.
Temporary failures due to unavailable receiving stations are identified, and the short
message is stored in the SMSC until the destination device becomes available.
SMS is characterized by out-of-band packet delivery and low-bandwidth message
transfer, which results in a highly efficient means for transmitting short bursts of data.
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 evolved, a variety of services have been introduced,
including e-mail, fax, and paging integration, interactive banking, information services
such as stock quotes, and integration with Internet-based applications. Wireless data
applications include downloading of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards for
activation, debit, profile-editing purposes, wireless points of sale (POSs), and other field-
service applications such as automatic meter reading, remote sensing, and location-based
services. Additionally, integration with the Internet spurred the development of Web-
based messaging and other interactive applications such as instant messaging, gaming,
and chatting.

Currently, there are approximately 30 billion SMS messages sent globally each month,
with the majority of that traffic occurring in Western Europe and Asia. In North America
most major cellular providers offer either one-way or two-way SMS to their subscribers.
With one-way service, you can receive messages; while with two-way service, you can
both receive and send messages.
The Short Message Service (SMS), as defined within the GSM digital mobile phone
standard 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.
These are used for ringtones and logos services for instance.
• 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 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.

To use the Short Message Service, users need the relevant subscriptions and hardware,
specifically:

• a subscription to a mobile telephone network that supports SMS

• use of SMS must be enabled for that user (automatic access to the SMS is given
by some mobile network operators, others charge a monthly subscription and
require a specific opt-in to use the service)
• a mobile phone that supports SMS
• knowledge of how to send or read a short message using their specific model of
mobile phone
• a destination to send a short message to, or receive a message from. This is
usually another mobile phone but may be a fax machine, PC or Internet address.
2. Benefits of SMS

In today's competitive world, differentiation is a significant factor in the success of the

service provider. Once the basic services, such as voice telephony, are deployed, SMS
provides a powerful vehicle for service differentiation. If the market allows for it, SMS
can also represent an additional source of revenue for the service provider.

The benefits of SMS to subscribers center around convenience, flexibility, and seamless
integration of messaging services and data access. From this perspective, the primary
benefit is the ability to use the handset as an extension of the computer. SMS also
eliminates the need for separate devices for messaging because services can be integrated
into a single wireless device—the mobile terminal. These benefits normally depend on
the applications that the service provider offers. At a minimum, SMS benefits include the
following:

• Delivery of notifications and alerts

• Guaranteed message delivery
• Reliable, low-cost communication mechanism for concise information
• Ability to screen messages and return calls in a selective way
• Increased subscriber productivity

More sophisticated functionality provides the following enhanced subscriber benefits:

• Delivery of messages to multiple subscribers at a time

• Ability to receive diverse information
• E-mail generation
• Creation of user groups
• Integration with other data and Internet-based applications

The benefits of SMS to the service provider are as follows:

• Ability to increment average revenue per user (due to increased number of calls
on wireless and wireline networks by leveraging the notification capabilities of
SMS)
• An alternative to alphanumeric paging services, which may replace or
complement an existing paging offer
• Ability to enable wireless data access for corporate users
• New revenue streams resulting from addition of value-added services such as e-
mail, voice mail, fax, and Web-based application integration, reminder service,
stock and currency quotes, and airline schedules
• Provision of key administrative services such as advice of charge, over-the-air
downloading, and over-the-air service provisioning
• Protection of important network resources (such as voice channels), due to SMS’
sparing use of the control and traffic channels
 • Notification mechanisms for newer services such as those utilizing wireless
application protocol (WAP)

All of these benefits are attainable quickly, with modest incremental cost and short
payback periods, which make SMS an attractive investment for service providers.

3. Network Elements and Architecture

The basic network structure of the SMS in an IS–41 network is depicted in Figure 1.

External Short Messaging Entities

An ESME is a device that may receive or send short messages. The short message entity
(SME) may be located in the fixed network, a mobile device, or another service center.

• VMS—The VMS is responsible for receiving, storing, and playing voice

messages intended for a subscriber that was busy or not available to take a voice
call. It is also responsible for sending voice-mail notifications for those
subscribers to the SMSC.
• Web—The growth of the Internet has also affected the world of SMS. Therefore,
it is almost mandatory to support interconnections to the World Wide Web for the
submission of messages and notifications. The increasing number of Internet
users has a positive impact on the SMS traffic increment experienced in the last
few years.
• E-Mail—Probably the most demanded application of SMS is the ability to deliver
e-mail notifications and to support two-way e-mail, using an SMS–compliant
terminal. The SMSC must support interconnection to e-mail servers acting as
message input/output mechanisms.
• Others—There are several other mechanisms to submit short messages to the
SMSC that include, but are not limited to, paging networks, specialized software
for PC–based messaging and operator bureaus.

SMSC

SMSC is a combination of hardware and software responsible for the relaying and storing
and forwarding of a short message between an SME and mobile device.

The SMSC must have high reliability, subscriber capacity, and message throughput. In
addition, the system should be easily scalable to accommodate growing demand for SMS
in the network.

Normally, an IN–based solution will allow for a lower entry cost compared to point
solutions because it can support other applications on a single hardware platform and
share resources, thereby spreading the deployment cost over several services and
applications.
Another factor to be considered is the ease of operation and maintenance of the
application, as well as the flexibility to activate new services and upgrade to new
software releases.

Signal Transfer Point

The STP is a network element normally available on IN deployments that allows IS–41
interconnections over signaling system 7 (SS7) links with multiple network elements.

HLR

The HLR is a database used for permanent storage and management of subscriptions and
service profiles. Upon interrogation by the SMSC, the HLR provides the routing
information for the indicated subscriber. Also, if the destination station was not available
when the message delivery was attempted, the HLR informs the SMSC that the station is
now recognized by the mobile network to be accessible, and thus the message can be
delivered.

Visitor Location Register (VLR)

The visitor location register is a database that contains temporary information about
subscribers homed in one HLR who are roaming into another HLR. This information is
needed by the MSC to service visiting subscribers.

MSC

The MSC performs the switching functions of the system and controls calls to and from
other telephone and data systems. The MSC will deliver the short message to the specific
mobile subscriber through the proper base station.

Air Interface

The air interface is defined in each one of the different wireless technologies (GSM,
TDMA, and CDMA). These standards specify how the voice or data signals are
transferred from the MSC to the handset and back, as well as the utilization of
transmission frequencies, considering the available bandwidth and the system’s capacity
constraints.

The Base Station System

All functions related to the transmission of electromagnetic radio signals between the
MSC and the mobile devices are performed in the base station (BS). The BS consists of
base station controllers (BSCs) and the base transceiver stations (BTSs), also known as
cell sites or simply “cells.” The BSC may control one or more BTSs and is in charge of
the proper resource assignment when a subscriber moves from one sector of one BTS to
another, regardless of whether the next sector lies within the same BTS or in a different
one.

The Mobile Device

The mobile device is the wireless terminal capable of receiving and originating short
messages. Commonly, these devices have been digital cellular phones, but more recently
the application of SMS has been extended to other terminals such as POS, handheld
computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The wireless network signaling
infrastructure is based on SS7. SMS makes use of the mobile application part (MAP),
which defines the methods and mechanisms of communication in wireless networks and
employs the services of the SS7 transactional capabilities application part (TCAP). An
SMS service layer makes use of the MAP signaling capabilities and enables the transfer
of short messages between the peer entities.

The capabilities of the terminal vary depending on the wireless technology supported by
the terminal. Some functionality, although defined in the SMS specification for a given
wireless technology, may not be fully supported in the terminal, which may represent a
limitation in the services that the carrier can provide. This trend, however, is disappearing
as service providers’ merger and acquisition activity demands uniform functionality
across all the constituents of the parent companies. Also, some manufacturers may
include additional functionality, not considered in the specification, attempting to offer a
more attractive product for service providers as well as end users. This will be the case
more often as service provider continue to incorporate SMS into their revenue-generating
and customer-loyalty strategies.

4. Signaling Elements

The MAP layer defines the operations necessary to support SMS. Both American and
international standards bodies have defined a MAP layer using the services of the SS7
TCAP. The American standard is published by Telecommunication Industry Association
and is referred to as IS–41. The international standard is defined by the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and is referred to as GSM MAP.

The following basic MAP operations are necessary to provide the end-to-end SMS:

• Routing Information Request—Before attempting delivery of a short message,

the SMSC must receive routing information to determine the serving MSC for the
mobile device at the time of the delivery attempt. This is accomplished by way of
an interrogation of the destination handset’s HLR, which is accomplished via the
use of the SMSrequest and SendRoutingInfoForShortMsg mechanisms in IS–41
and GSM, respectively.
• Point-to-Point Short Message Delivery—The mechanism provides a means for
the SMSC to transfer a short message to the MSC that is serving the addressed
mobile device. After the address of said MSC has been obtained from the station’s
HLR, the short message delivery operation provides a confirmed delivery service.
 The operation works in conjunction with the base station subsystem while the
message is being forwarded from the MSC to the MS. Therefore, the outcome of
the operation comprises either success (such as delivery to the mobile) or failure
caused by one of several possible reasons. The point-to-point short message
delivery is accomplished via the use of the short message delivery–point-to-point
(SMD–PP) and forwardShortMessage mechanisms in IS–41 and GSM,
respectively.
• Short Message Waiting Indication—he operation is activated when a short
message delivery attempt by the SMSC fails due to a temporary failure, such as
the station being unregistered, and provides a means for the SMSC to request the
HLR to notify the SMSC when the indicated mobile device becomes available.
This short message waiting indication is realized via the use of the
SMS_notification indicator and set_message_waiting_data mechanisms in IS–41
and GSM, respectively.
• Service Center Alert—The operation provides a means for the HLR to inform
the SMSC, which has requested a notification that a specific mobile device is now
recognized by the mobile network to be available. This service center alert is
accomplished via the use of the SMS_notification and alert_service_center
mechanisms in IS–41 and GSM, respectively.

Service Elements

SMS is comprised of several service elements relevant to the reception and submission of
short messages:

• Message Expiration—The SMSC will store and reattempt delivery of messages

for unavailable recipients until either the delivery is successful or the expiration
time—set on a per-message basis or on a platform-wide basis—arrives.
• Priority—This is the information element provided by an SME to indicate the
urgent messages and differentiate them from the normal priority messages. Urgent
messages usually take priority over normal messages, regardless of the time of
arrival to the SMSC platform.
• Message Escalation—The SMSC stores the message for a period no longer than
the expiration time (it is assumed that the escalation time is smaller than the
expiration time associated with the message), and after said escalation time
expires, the message will be sent to an alternate message system (such as a paging
network or an e-mail server) for delivery to the user.

In addition, SMS provides a time stamp reporting the time of submission of the message
to the SMSC and an indication to the handset of whether or not there are more messages
to send (GSM) or the number of additional messages to send (IS–41).

Subscriber Services

SMS comprises two basic point-to-point services:

 • Mobile-originated short message (MO–SM)
• Mobile-terminated short message (MT–SM)

Mobile-originated (MO) short messages are transported from the MO–capable handset to
the SMSC and can be destined to other mobile subscribers or for subscribers on fixed
networks such as paging networks or Internet protocol (IP) networks (including the
Internet and private e-mail networks). Mobile-terminated (MT) short messages are
transported from the SMSC to the handset and can be submitted to the SMSC by other
mobile subscribers via MO–SM or by other sources such as voice-mail systems, paging
networks, or operators.

For MT–SM, a report is always returned to the SMSC either confirming the short
message delivery to the handset or informing the SMSC of the short message delivery
failure and identifying the reason for failure (cause code). Similarly, for MO–SM, a
report is always returned to the handset either confirming the short message delivery to
the SMSC or informing of delivery failure and identifying the reason.

Depending on the access method and the encoding of the bearer data, the point-to-point
short messaging service conveys up to 190 characters to an SME in GSM networks and
from 120 to 205 in IS–41 networks.

In GSM networks, the type of messaging service is identified by the protocol identifier
information element, which identifies the higher-level protocol or interworking being
used. Examples are telex, group 3 telefax, X.400 messaging, European Radio Messaging
System (ERMES), and voice telephone.

In IS–41 networks, the service type is distinguished by use of the teleservice identifier.
Basic teleservices include the following:

• Cellular messaging teleservice (CMT)

• Cellular paging teleservice (CPT)
• Voice-mail notification teleservice (VMN)

CMT differs from the CPT due to the inclusion of a reply mechanism that enables a user
or network acknowledgment to be selected on a per-message basis. The user
acknowledgment includes a response code that paves the way for powerful interactive
services between SMSCs.

Many service applications can be implemented by combining these service elements.

Aside from the obvious notification services, SMS can be used in one-way or interactive
services providing wireless access to any type of information anywhere. By leveraging
new emerging technologies that combine browsers, servers, and new markup languages
designed for mobile terminals, SMS can enable wireless devices to securely access and
send information from the Internet or intranets quickly and cost-efficiently. One of these
technologies where SMS can provide a cooperative, rather than a competitive, approach
is the WAP, which allows transport of data for mobile wireless users.
Some of the potential applications of SMS technology, utilizing both MT–SM and MO–
SM where appropriate, include the following:

• Notification Services—Notification services are currently the most widely

deployed SMS services. Examples of notification services using SMS include the
following:
o Voice/fax message notification, which indicates that voice or fax mail
messages are present in a voice mailbox
o E-mail notification, which indicates that e-mail messages are present in an
e-mail mailbox Reminder/calendar services, which enable reminders for
meetings and scheduled appointments.
• E-mail Interworking—Existing e-mail services can be easily integrated with
SMS to provide e-mail to short messaging and mobile e-mail and message
escalation.
• Paging Interworking—Paging services integrated with SMS allow digital
wireless subscribers to be accessible via existing paging interfaces, as well as
escalation of messages.
• Information Services—A wide variety of information services can be provided
by the SMS, including weather reports, traffic information, entertainment
information (e.g., cinema, theater, concerts), financial information (e.g., stock
quotes, exchange rates, banking, brokerage services), and directory assistance.
SMS can support both push (MT) and pull (MO) approaches to allow not only
delivery under specific conditions but also delivery on demand, as a response to a
request.
• WAP Integration—SMS can deliver notifications for new WAP messages to
wireless subscribers but can also be used as the transport mechanism for WAP
messages. These messages can contain diverse information from sources that
include databases, the World Wide Web, e-mail servers, etc.

Mobile Data Services

The SMSC can also be used to provide short wireless data. The wireless data may be in
interactive services where voice calls are involved.

Some examples of this type of service include fleet dispatch, inventory management,
itinerary confirmation, sales order processing, asset tracking, automatic vehicle location,
and customer contact management. Other examples may be interactive gaming, instant
messaging, mobile chat, query services, mobile banking, etc.

Customer Care and Management

The SMSC can also be used to transfer binary data that can be interpreted by the mobile
device without presentation to the customer. This capability allows the operators to
administer their customers by providing a mechanism for programming the mobile
device. Examples of such services include mobile device programming, which allows
customer profiles and subscription characteristics to be downloaded to the mobile device
(customers can be activated/deactivated based on the data downloaded) and advice of
charge, which enables the SMS to be used to report charges incurred for the phone call
(e.g., calls made when roaming).

One interesting method to provide customer support is to offer a list of answers to

frequently asked questions via short message. SMS also can be used to distribute general
information about other products and services being offered by the service provider, thus
guaranteeing maximum penetration of the advertising over the existing customer base. In
a different scenario, a service provider may want to deliver short messages to subscribers
to remind them of, for example, past-due payments, instead of reminding them over
traditional mail or courier delivery, therefore reducing cost and ensuring that the message
is delivered to its destination in a timely manner.

5. Mobile-Terminated Short Message Example

Figure 3 depicts the successful MT—SM scenario for GSM.

Figure 3. MT—SM Scenario (GSM)

 MSC
ESME SMSC HLR BST VLR MS

1. The short message is submitted from the ESME to the SMSC.

2. After completing its internal processing, the SMSC interrogates the HLR and
receives the routing information for the mobile subscriber.
3. The SMSC sends the short message to the MSC using the forward short message
operation.
4. The MSC retrieves the subscriber information from the VLR. This operation may
include an authentication procedure.
5. The MSC transfers the short message to the MS.
6. The MSC returns to the SMSC the outcome of the forwardShortMessage
operation.
7. If requested by the ESME, the SMSC returns a status report indicating delivery of
the short message.

Figure 4. MT Short Message Scenario (IS—41)

 MSC
ESME SMSC HLR BST MS

1. The short message is submitted from the ESME to the SMSC.

2. The SMSC sends an acknowledgement to the ESME, indicating reception of the
short message.
3. After completing its internal processing, the SMSC interrogates the HLR.
4. The HLR sends the routing information for the mobile subscriber to the SMSC.
5. The SMSC sends the short message to the MSC using the SMSDPP Invoke
operation.
6. The MSC transfers the short message to the MS.
7. The MS returns an acknowledgement to the MSC.
8. The MSC returns to the SMSC the outcome of the SMSDPP operation.
9. If requested by the ESME, the SMSC returns a delivery receipt indicating
successful delivery of the short message

6. Mobile-Originated Short Message Example

Figure 5 depicts the successful MO–SM scenario, utilizing the GSM method. The IS–41
method for the MO-SM scenario is depicted in Figure 6.

Figure 5. MO—SM Scenario (GSM)

ORIGINATING TERMINATING
MS MSC MS SMSC VLR SME

1. The MS is powered on and registered with the network.

2. The MS transfers the SM to the MSC.
3. The MSC interrogates the VLR to verify that the message transfer does not
violate the supplementary services invoked or the restrictions imposed.
4. The MSC sends the short message to the SMSC using the forwardShortMessage
operation.
5. The SMSC delivers the short message to the SME (and optionally receives
acknowledgment).
6. The SMSC acknowledges to the MSC the successful outcome of the
forwardShortMessage operation.
7. The MSC returns to the MS the outcome of the MO-SM operation.

Figure 6. MO—SM Scenario (IS—41)

ORIGINATING MSC MSC TERMINATING
MS BST SMSC HLR BST MS

1. The MS transfers the SM to the MSC.

2. The MSC interrogates the home SMSC to verify that the message transfer does
not violate the supplementary services invoked or the restrictions imposed. The
MSC sends the short message to the home SMSC using the SMSPP Invoke
operation.
3. The SMSC delivers an acknowledgment to the MSC.
4. The MSC returns order release to the MS.
5. The SMSC queries the HLR for the location of the destination MS.
6. The HLR returns the destination (MSC) serving the destination MS.
7. The SMSC delivers SM to the MSC serving the destination MS.
8. The SMSC delivers the short message to the MS.
9. The MS acknowledges to the MSC the successful outcome of the SMSDPP
operation.
10. The MSC returns to the SMSC the outcome of the MO–SM operation (delivery
successful).
7. SMS VOLUMES PER EUROPEAN MARKET

The SMS market in the European Union reached one billion short messages per month in
April 1999.
The market size thereby doubled in about six months. Very approximate market sizes are:

SMS messages per

Country
month
Germany 200 million
Italy 150 million
Finland 75 million
UK 70 million
Norway 70 million
Sweden 70 million
Portugal 60 million
France 60 million
Spain 60 million
Denmark 50 million
Belgium 25 million
Greece 15 million
TOTAL 1 Billion

NETWORK OPERATOR MESSAGE QUANTITIES AND GROWTH

Specific examples for certain leading mobile operators are:

Number
Network Number of Average SMS Annualized
Date SMS per
Operator Customers per Customer Growth Rate
month
Aug
Sonera 1.2 million 20 million 17 Messages 800%
98
Mar
Sonera 1.6 million 40 million 25 Messages 200%
99
Vodafone (PRE- Feb
1.2 million 19 million 16 Messages n/a
PAY) 99
Vodafone Feb
3.8 million 8 million 2.1 Messages 200%
(POST-PAY) 99
Vodafone Feb
5 million 27 million 5.5 Messages n/a
(TOTAL BASE) 99
Mar
Mannesmann D2 5 million 100 million 20 Messages 800%
99

8 other use of sms

RINGTONES

Another emerging SMS-based application is downloading ringtones. Ringtones are the

tunes that the phone plays when someone calls it. With the same phone often sold with
the same default tune, it is important for phone users to be able to change their ringtone to
distinguish it from others. Phones often come with a range of different ringtones built
into the phone's memory that the users can choose from. However, it has become popular
to download new ringtones from an Internet site to the phone- these phones tend to be
popular television or film theme tunes. It is important that network operators consider
copyright issues when offering ringtone services, since such commercial tunes much be
licensed before they can legally be distributed (the people behind "The Saint" theme tune
must be getting reach!). Ringtone composers are also popular because they allow mobile
phone users to compose their own unique ringtones and download them to their phones.

Much of the usage is spurred by word of mouth- people hear someone else's phone
ringing and ask where they got that particular ringtone.

As mobile phone penetration increases, and everyone has a mobile phone, unique
ringtones to help determine just whose phone is ringing will become increasingly
popular. Expect to see this application grow in availability and popularity over time.

CHAT

An emerging application for the Short Message Service is chat. In the same way as
Internet chat groups have proven a very popular application of the Internet, groups of
likeminded people- so called communities of interest- have begun to use SMS as a means
to chat and communicate and discuss.

Chat can be distinguished from general information services because the source of the
information is a person with chat whereas it tends to be from an Internet site for
information services. The "information intensity"- the amount of information transferred
per message tends to be lower with chat, where people are more likely to state opinions
than factual data.
SMS-based chat services are an emerging application area. It remains to be seen how
willing the participants in the chat groups are to pay for EVERY message sent to the chat
channel. It is likely that commercial chat services will let participants select which
messages they receive on their mobiles according to who the message sender is.

Because SMS chat applications are high volume applications whereby one message
submission leads to multiple message deliveries, expect this application to be a
significant generator of short messages in the future.

INFORMATION SERVICES

The Short Message Service can be used to deliver a wide range of information to mobile
phone users from share prices, sports scores, weather, flight information, news headlines,
lottery results, jokes to horoscopes. Essentially, any information that fits into a short
message can be delivered by SMS.

Information services can therefore be configured as push-based and from a public or

private source or pull-based and from a public or private source. An information service
for an affinity program may combine public information such as share prices with private
information from bank databases.

Successful information services should be simple to use, timely, personalized and

localized.

9. The Future of SMS- Introducing the Long Message Service

It is a valid question to ask whether the Short Message Service (SMS) has a prosperous
future ahead of it given that GSM is evolving to encompass high-speed packet data
services such as GSM Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

GSM SMS has several unique features that can be summarized as message storage if the
recipient is not available, confirmation of short message delivery to the sender and
simultaneous transmission with GSM voice, data and fax services. Importantly, these
features will NOT be incorporated into other planned GSM services such as GPRS.
However, SMS does have some disadvantages-primarily the limited message length of
160 characters.

SMS as we know it will be used through to the year 2005 at least, since the mobile
phones, infrastructure, specifications, market development and awareness are in place
today. Over time, as users connect to networks that offer more advanced data services
and buy mobile terminals that support them, they will find it more convenient to receive
all their CHOSEN emails rather than only a notification by SMS. They will continue to
use SMS for some applications- the underlying bearer will be mixed and matched
according to the application and its importance to the user. SMS could be used
automatically when roaming for example due to the advantages of store and forward
when in a different time zone. Non-urgent emails could be sent by SMS for users to
decide whether to forward the entire message. Urgent emails get sent immediately using
packet data. By supporting multiple standards and bearer services, the Wireless
Application Protocol anticipates this multiple service world. Essentially, in 3GSM, SMS
will not be a standalone service but part of multimedia messaging. Different applications
will use different bearer services- bearers will be mixed and matched depending on
characteristics of application and mobile environment.