Sending SMS text messages, technically identified as Short Message System (SMS), but more commonly acknowledged as “texting”, is a simple, easy, and handy system to correspond to and from mobile devices. In addition to being a exceptional method for people to keep in touch, text messages can be a handy way for software programs to exchange simple messages, and even setup commands, between mobiles. text messages does not need a direct connection between cell phones; the communications infrastructure for the system is already prepared, and it functions across most mobile service providers. One feature of SMS messaging that makes it especially practical for mobile software applications is that it relies on mobile fixed identity, the phone number. This aspect provide a distinct benefit over other technologies that use IP addresses because a mobile device IP address will vary depending on current network.
Short Message Service (SMS) is a communication service component of the GSM mobile communication system. It uses uniform communications rules that allow incoming and outgoing short text messages between cell phones. SMS text messaging is the most commonly used data application around the globe, boasting almost two and a half billion active users, or three quarters of all mobile phone subscribers.
SMS as used on modern mobiles was at first included as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards in 1985 as a way of sending messages of up to 160 characters, to and from GSM mobile handsets. Since the mid-eighties service support has expanded to include other mobile technologies such as ANSI CDMA networks and Digital AMPS, as well as satellite and landline networks. The largest number of SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text messages, though the standard supports other types of broadcast messaging as well. Computer to mobile device SMS capabilities are also expanding rapidly.
GSM was initially called Groupe Spécial Mobile. It is the most accepted standard for mobile telephone systems around the globe. The GSM Association, the promoting industry organization of mobile phone network providers and manufacturers, estimates that approximately 80% of the world mobile market uses the standard. GSM is utilized by over 3 billion people across more than two hundred countries and territories. Its pervasiveness allows international roaming arrangements between mobile phone carriers, offering subscribers the benefit of their mobiles in many parts of the world. GSM differs from its predecessor technologies in that both signaling and speech channels are digital. This means GSM is thought of as a second generation (2G) mobile phone system. Additionally, this facilitates the extensive implementation of data communication software.
The ubiquity of GSM implementation has been a benefit for consumers that are given the ability to roam and switch carriers without needing to replace their mobile phones, and also to carriers, who can select equipment from many equipment suppliers. GSM pioneered low-cost implementation of SMS texting, which is now supported on other mobile phone standards.
General packet radio service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G and 3G GSM. In 2G systems. GPRS data communication is typically charged per megabyte of traffictransferred, while data transfer using traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether or not the subscriber actually is transmitting or if it is idle. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, that has guaranteed quality of service during the connection for non-mobile users.
2G cellular systems combined with GPRS are regularly referred to as 2.5G. 2.5G is a technology bridge between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of cell phone telephony. It provides moderate-speed data transfer, by using unused time division multiple access (TDMA) channels. Originally it was intended to extend GPRS to cover other standards, but these networks are converting to the GSM standard. GPRS is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer releases.
GPRS was created as a GSM reaction to the earlier CDPD and i-mode packet switched cellular technology. Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) was a wide-area mobile data service which used unused bandwidth normally used by AMPS mobile phones. The service was dropped in conjunction with the discontinuation of the parent AMPS service.
CDPD was developed in the early 1990’s, with anticipation it would be a future technology. But, it had competition from then current slower but less expensive Mobitex and DataTac systems. CDPD never earned common acceptance and in time newer, faster standards such as GPRS gained general acceptance and started dominating.
For consumers CDPD had very limited offerings. AT&T Wireless first offered the technology in the US under the brandname PocketNet, one of the very first consumer wireless web service offers. Cingular Wireless later offered CDPD under the Wireless Internet brand (as opposed to Wireless Internet Express, Cingular Wireless GPRS/EDGE data). AT&T Wireless PocketNet failed as a product launch. However, CDPD was used by several enterprise and government networks. It was especially successful as a first-generation wireless data solution for telemetry devices (machine to machine communications) and for public safety mobile data terminals.
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) (also called Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC), and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) is a backward-compatible digital cell phone technology that delivers improved data transmission rates on top of standard GSM. EDGE is considered a 3G radio technology. EDGE delivers more than three-fold improvement in both the capacity and performance of GSM/GPRS networks by using advanced ways of coding and transmitting data, that deliver higher bit-rates per radio channel. EDGE delivers broadband performance and supports high bandwidth data applications such as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
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