What is SMS?

SMS stands for Short Message Service and is a protocol that enables sending of text-based messages between mobile phones. The technology used for SMS was in development as early as 1985, but the first actual message was sent by Neil Papworth in 1992 through Vodafone's network in the U.K. The content of the message was "Merry Christmas" and since then the use of SMS technology has grown explosively throughout the world, and SMS has become an important channel for communication in many ways.

A single text message can contain 160 characters (140 bytes), but several messages can be joined together in order to achieve longer messages.

SMS usage

What SMS may be most commonly associated with is person to person communication, but SMS is also used in order to allow machine-to-machine or machine-to-person communication. The uses are many; surveillance, remote control of machinery and equipment, delivery of entertainment, marketing, informational messages, reminders, alarms, authentication and other business critical use to name a few.

As SMS is a very simple and effective way to communicate globally, the possibilities are endless.

Benefits of SMS

• Mobile. Messages can be sent and received anywhere where there is mobile network coverage (sometimes even through land-line and satellite networks). The majority of all mobile phones today support SMS without any need for special settings or software.
• Ease of use. There is no specific "SMS-address" that one needs to know, but merely the phone number that is often already available (compare to for instance e-mail).
• Efficiency. The natural limit of characters per message in the SMS protocol together with the pay-per-message business model renders in short, concise and effective messages.
• Recipient's choice. An SMS can be read and replied to whenever it suits the recipient as the SMS stores itself in the telephone once it is received.
• Discrete. SMS often works well when a call is inappropriate; in a meeting, at the movies or when having bad reception.