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. The benefits
of SMS to subscribers center around convenience, flexibility, and seamless integration
of messaging services and data access. From this perspective, the benefit is to
be able to use the handset as an extension of the computer. SMS also eliminates
the need for separate devices for messaging, as services can be integrated into
a single wireless device-the mobile terminal. SMS provides a time stamp reporting
the time of submission of the message and an indication to the handset of whether
there are more messages to send (GSM) or the number of additional messages to
send.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 handling multiple input sources, including a voice-mail
system (VMS), Web-based messaging, e-mail integration, and other external short
message entities (ESMEs).
