SMS

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Short message service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones that permits the sending of short messages (also known as SMSes, text messages, messages, or more colloquially texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and, even, fixed-line phones. SMS was originally designed as part of the GSM digital mobile phone standard, but is now available on a wide range of networks, including 3G networks. The first SMS is believed to have been sent in December 1992 from a personal computer (PC) to a mobile phone on the Vodafone GSM network in the United Kingdom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_message_service

A Google search on "definition of SMS" found:

"Short Message Service: available on digital GSM networks allowing text messages of up to 160 characters to be sent and received via the network operator's message center to your mobile phone, or from the Internet, using a so-called "SMS gateway" website. If the phone is powered off or out of range, messages are stored in the network and are delivered at the next opportunity." <http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=definition+of+SMS+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=>

GSM is a mobile telephone system developed for Europe, but now used across the world. Other mobile telephone systems have equivalent services to SMS and it is possible to send a message from a telephone handset on one of these systems to another.

Some mobile phone systems, such as the Japanese i-mode (just introduced to Australia), allow for larger messages than SMS and are more like e-mail. There are also multimedia versions of SMS (such as MMS), which allow images, audio and video to be sent. SMS is very popular in Australia (and some other countries), where it rivals voice telephony as the main way people communicate at a distance.

SMS can be easily interfaced to computer systems, allowing for dissemination and collection of information. Some years ago I tried a survey system which collected customer opinions via SMS <http://www.tomw.net.au/2001/inet/index.html#Second1>.

SMS could be interesting:

• it is used in teenage pregnancy prevention the UK
• SARS reporting in Hong Kong
• AIDS patients being contacted with their lab results in South Afirca.
• the text the President service in the Philippines:

http://www.op.gov.ph/txtgma.asp

• the city bus service in Helsinki allowed you to comment via SMS and the posting went straight on the web.( not sure if that is still online today Dec 2004)