SMS is also uniquely positioned as a very attractive advertisement medium. SMS should no longer be treated as a value added service in mobile networks.SMS is not only providing a useful mechanism for a host of innovative services over mobile networks but it acting as a point of entry for new data services like WAP in mobile networks. Short Message Service (SMS) allows the exchange of short messages between a mobile 4 station and the wireless system, and between the wireless system and an external device 5 capable of transmitting and optionally receiving short messages. There are various applications of SMS:
- SMS is particularly suited for these kinds of short messages because SMS is much cheaper than calling someone and giving the same message. Calling someone to give the same message would invariably take more time and hence more cost.
- Every user is assigned an e-mail address at signup and any message delivered to that email is converted to short messages and delivered to the mobile.
- It is possible to send e-mail messages (less than 160 characters) from a mobile phone to any e-mail address via SMS.
- Information services like news, weather, entertainment and stock prices etc. can be availed just by sending a keyword like NEWS, WEATH etc to the short message center number.
- SMS can be used by the network operators to provide services like balance enquiry in case of prepaid cards using SMS.
- Mobile chatting is one more hot application of SMS
- SMS can be used to notify users that they have received new voice-mail or fax messages.
- It provides an alternative to alphanumeric paging services
- Using SIM-Toolkit, now a part of GSM specifications, SMS can be used to have on the air activation of features.
- Downloading new ring tones.
The majority of these are to do with the fact that SMS is plain vanilla in nature. Enhanced Messaging Service is a mechanism by which you can send a comparatively richer message that are combination of text, simple melodies, picture and animations to an EMS compliant handset. It basically extends the User Data Header in SMS and infact needs no upgrade to the network infrastructure.SMS is also uniquely positioned as a very attractive advertisement medium. SMS should no longer be treated as a value added service in mobile networks.The various header fields in the PDU are fixed which puts a constraint on the scenarios that can be indicated. 3G specifications are being looked up to look and address these constraints.SMS provides a very convenient method of exchanging small bits of information between mobile users. The reasons for the enormous popularity of SMS have been the fact that this mechanism of sending and receiving messages not only saves time but costs less as well. One is relatively much more comfortable sending a message via SMS than talking over phone. With new information services and unique value added services being used by the operators the popularity of SMS is increasing further.SMS is a first generation GSM service. SMS has some inherent limitations.
Applications of SMS