Short Message Service: A comprehensive guide
Introduction
SMS is nearly 30 years old. The first-ever text message, sent in 1992, simply said, “Merry Christmas.” The service was first available to consumers in 1993, but the growth was slow as consumers couldn’t exchange messages with people who had services with other carriers. Another reason was the early mobile phones only had numerical keypads, so sending alpha characters required multiple key presses. Texting became easier after Nokia introduced the first smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard in 1996.
When the iPhone was released in 2007, SMS popularity skyrocketed. According to research, Americans sent and received 65 texts per month in the first quarter of 2006. In the present day, SMS has become an integral part of our lives. So, through this blog, let us learn what SMS is and how it works.
Meaning of SMS
SMS is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224-character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices such as cellular phones and smartphones. It uses standardized communication protocols to send text messages from device to device and is a low-cost and widely available medium for sending text messages. However, you need to recharge your mobile with an SMS pack from time to time to enjoy the facility of sending short messages. MobiKwik, one of India’s most used digital payment platforms, allows you to make instant payments to get an SMS pack Airtel and many more SMS recharges.
Types of SMS
SMS content is classified into two types: person-to-person (P2P) and application-to-person (A2P)
When most people think of text messaging, they envision peer-to-peer SMS. P2P SMS is generally conversational, and it occurs between real people in real time.
On the other hand, there are three types of A2P SMS:
- When a customer gives a company their phone number and requests to be contacted in the future, they receive informational messaging.
- When a message is sent that contains a sales or marketing promotion, this is referred to as promotional messaging.
- Non-marketing messages that provide important information to customers, such as a welcome message, an order confirmation, or a shipping update, are examples of transactional messages.
If a company wants to send SMS messages to its customers, they must take certain legal and regulatory considerations into account. Senders of A2P SMS messages, for example, must obtain consent from recipients and send messages from an approved SMS number type. Different countries have different A2P SMS requirements and regulations, so businesses should check local regulations.
How does SMS function?
SMS is comparable to paging. However, SMSs do not require the mobile phone to be active or within range and will be held for several days until the phone becomes active or within range. SMS messages are sent via mobile data over cellular networks, beginning with 2G, to anyone with roaming service capability. They can also be transmitted digitally in a variety of ways, including the following:
- From one Wi-Fi device to another;
- From web-based applications accessed via a web browser;
- From instant messaging applications;
- Via VoIP applications such as Skype; and
- From some unified communications app
What are the applications of SMS?
SMS is commonly used for the following purposes:
- Sending notifications to customers from service centers;
- E-commerce platforms sending delivery notifications;
- Sending a voicemail message notification to the owner of a mobile phone;
- SMS marketing involves sending promotional messages to cell phones.
- Sending subscribers a notification about their plans, like an SMS pack for Jio
- Sending codes through a multifactor authentication platform
The popularity of SMS text messages prompted the creation of an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) and a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). EMS is an SMS adaptation that allows users to send and receive ringtones, operator logos, and simple media combinations to and from EMS-compliant handsets. Furthermore, MMS allows multimedia files, such as pictures and videos, to be shared over a cellular network.
Conclusion
In short, SMS is an excellent tool for communicating with people or businesses or customers, regardless of the message you need to send or the assistance you need to provide.
MobiKwik provides SMS pack recharge facilities to users with several other benefits. If you want to recharge your SMS pack for Jio, it is the most reliable online payment platform. It also provides the recharges of SMS pack Airtel in all circles to stay in touch with friends and family via the Airtel network.
