December 08, 2005
How SMS Works
SMS, or Short Message Service, is the technology behind what we
often refer to as ‘text messages’ or ‘SMSes’, as well as what allows
for news alerts on cellular phones. In recent years SMS has ballooned
to over a 50 billion dollar industry and is quickly taking the
communications world by storm.
Short Message Service actually refers to a framework that uniquely
allows computers, or in this case phones, to communicate with each
other without the need of a central hub. With SMS, phones can find each
other, send short packets of information back and forth, and do it all
without any central computer to guide them. But because the system does
not rely upon fixed lines like a land based telephone system does, the
amount of information that can be sent at one time is limited in size.
This depends on the language spoken, but for English letters this
typically means around 150 characters (Chinese and Japanese letters are
limited to 70).
Quite recently, however, new developments in the technology have
allowed for even longer messages to be sent. Long or Concatenated SMS
is a development that allows multiple messages to be combined to form a
single message. In effect, what happens is that your phone actually
sends out a few smaller messages and then the receiving phone simply
compiles those messages so that for users on both ends, it appears as
though the message were cohesive. While there are some limitations, the
brilliance behind SMS is that because there is no need for central
hubs, and thus the system can be expanded indefinitely without any
concerns of it slowing down or becoming more expensive.
The most common form of SMS is ‘texting’. This usually takes place
with a cellular phone in which individuals use the letters behind the
number pad on their phone to spell out words and phrases and then send
them out. Because many companies charge by the word, individuals have
come up with a sort of ‘texting slang’ to cut down on the amount of
words required to convey a particular message. For example, ‘gr8’ and
‘BTW’ mean ‘great’ and ‘by the way’. In addition, other words have just
been shortened, such as ‘lata’ to mean ‘later’. Most users simply pick
up the lingo through frequent use, and although some slang is widely
understood and used, other shortcuts are developed within circles of
friends and family.
The major advantage of SMS is its price. The price is typically
$0.05 per message, a significant cut below that of traditional
telephony and cell phone per-minute charges. The savings of SMS has its
roots in the nature of the technology. Short Message Service, like SIP,
is modeled on a peer to peer model and not a cog and wheel like
traditional communication systems. This means that instead of having to
route a message through a central hub, your text goes straight from you
to its destination. This has radically cut down on the cost of SMS
implementation and led to its overwhelming popularity throughout the
world.
Short Message Service (SMS) has radically changed the face of the
communications industry. While the practice has become quite common
throughout the world, it has only recently become popular here in the
United Stats, a growth partly predicated upon, surprisingly enough, its
featured role in the show American Idol. The fact that ‘texting’ is
quickly gaining both in popularity and recognition in the United States
is not surprising however, due to its ability to offer users a cheap,
quick, and often fun way to communicate with friends and family.
About the Author: Jim Sherman writes about interesting topics such as SMS call. See http://www.mobalex.com/products/smspage.html for more information.
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