Short Message Service (SMS): The Creation of Personal Global Text Messaging

Short Message Service (SMS)......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Introduction......Page 15
1.2 Network-based Communication Services in the Early 1980s......Page 19
1.2.2 Telex, the Forefather of Modern Text Communication......Page 20
1.2.3 The Advent of Many Faster Transport Techniques for Text and Data......Page 21
1.2.4 Creation of New, Fully Standardised Text Communication Services......Page 22
1.2.5 Creation of Value-added Text Communication Services Based on Servers......Page 23
1.2.7 Internet, Web Browsing and Email as the Winners in Communication in Fixed Networks......Page 24
1.3.1 Way of Working in GSM Standardisation......Page 25
1.3.2 Service Philosophy of GSM Developed from 1982 to 1984......Page 26
1.3.3.1 Reference Model......Page 27
1.3.3.2 Teleservices......Page 28
1.3.3.3 Bearer Services......Page 29
1.4 GSM Mobile Telephony and SMS – the Most Successful Telecommunication Services......Page 30
2.2.1 Invention......Page 33
2.3 Was SMS Invented during the ISDN Work?......Page 34
2.4.2 Was SMS Invented in a Copenhagen Pizzeria Session in 1982?......Page 35
2.5 A Clarifying Discussion within the GSM Community in Spring 2009......Page 36
2.6.1 Concept Development and Standardisation of SMS......Page 37
2.6.2 Development of SMS in the Market......Page 39
3.1.1 Introduction......Page 41
3.1.2.1 Roots of SMS in ‘Enhanced’ Paging Integrated in a Multiservice Mobile Communication System......Page 42
3.1.2.2 A Surprising Proposal in the S900 Interim System Context......Page 43
3.1.2.3 The Mutation of an Enhanced Paging Service to a General Short Messaging Service in the Specification Process of the DF900 Trial Systems for GSM......Page 44
3.1.2.4 A Technical Discussion and Input to GSM#07 Plenary in November 1984......Page 45
3.1.3 Memories of the Work on the SMS Concept in the Second Half of 1984......Page 46
3.1.3.2 A Possible Concept for a General Short Message Service......Page 47
3.1.3.4 Coding of Characters and Text Formatting......Page 48
3.1.3.6 Communication Directions......Page 49
3.1.4.2 The Proposed Structure and Classification for Standardisation......Page 50
3.1.5 Significance of the Results in the DF900 Cooperation in the Second Half of 1984......Page 51
3.2 The Standardisation of the SMS Concept in the GSM Committee from February 1985 to April 1987......Page 52
3.2.1.1 Process......Page 53
3.2.1.2 First SMS Service Concept in CEPT GSM......Page 54
3.2.2.1 Scope of Work in WP1 from Mid-1985 to Early 1987......Page 55
3.2.2.3 A More Elaborate Service Concept and a First Technical Concept......Page 56
3.2.2.4 Other Service Aspects......Page 57
3.2.3 Work on SMS Network Aspects from Mid-1985 to April 1987......Page 59
3.3.1 The Decisions of GSM#13 in February 1987 on SMS......Page 60
3.3.3 The Beginning of IDEG/WP4 and DGMH......Page 61
4.1 Background......Page 63
4.2 Some Personal Sentiments at the Start......Page 64
4.3 The Instructions that IDEG Were Given for Provision of SMS......Page 65
4.4.2 Network Architecture and Transport Mechanisms......Page 66
4.4.3 Service Elements......Page 68
4.4.4 Supplementary Services......Page 71
4.4.5 Short Message Length and Alphabet......Page 72
4.5.1 Some General Remarks on the Way that Services, Networks and Communication Protocols Were Described in the Late 1980s......Page 73
4.5.3 Network Architecture......Page 75
4.5.4 Service and Service Elements......Page 77
4.5.5 Protocol Architecture and Service Definition......Page 78
4.5.6.2 The Mobile-originated Case......Page 79
4.5.7 Addressing Capabilities......Page 80
4.5.8 Maximum Length of Message......Page 81
4.6.1 General......Page 82
4.6.2 Inter-MSC Transfer of Short Messages – by X.25 or Signalling Capabilities?......Page 84
4.6.3 Service Centre – Inside or Outside the PLMN?......Page 85
4.6.4 What Interface to Choose for the SMS-SC.SMS-GMSC/SMS-IWMSC Connection?......Page 86
4.6.5 Fixed Interworking or Variable Interworking?......Page 87
4.6.6 Some Concluding Remarks......Page 88
4.7 Final Remarks on the Period of the First Three Years of DGMH......Page 89
4.8.2 Map Operations for the Support of SMS......Page 90
4.9 Other Tasks of DGMH......Page 91
5 The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from October 1990 to the End of 1996......Page 93
5.1 Topics Discussed in this Chapter......Page 94
5.2.2 Multiple Service Centre Scenarios......Page 95
5.2.3 Delivery Reports......Page 96
5.2.5 SMS – an Optional Feature?......Page 97
5.2.9 SMS Negative Time Zone......Page 98
5.2.11 Sending to and Receiving from Non-Numeric Addresses......Page 99
5.2.12 SMS API......Page 100
5.2.14 Upgrading Network Capability Reduces SMS Length......Page 101
5.2.16 Specifying Service Centre Interconnect to the Cellular Network......Page 102
5.2.17 Replace Short Message......Page 103
5.2.20 Improved Error Reporting......Page 104
5.2.23 Expanding SMS Character Capabilities......Page 105
5.2.24 Using SMS to Alert to Waiting Voicemail......Page 106
5.2.27 Manual Flow Control......Page 107
5.2.31 Concatenated SMS......Page 108
5.2.33 SMS Message Indication......Page 109
5.2.34 More on SMS Alphabet Coding......Page 110
5.2.37 Use of AT Commands for SMS......Page 112
5.2.38 SMS Compression......Page 114
5.3 Concluding Remarks on the SMS Period 1990–1996......Page 115
6 The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from the Beginning of 1997 to Mid-2009......Page 117
6.2 SMS Compression......Page 118
6.3 Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS)......Page 119
6.4 Voicemail Management......Page 121
6.5 Routers......Page 122
6.6 Language Tables......Page 123
6.7.3 Support of SMS in GPRS and UMTS......Page 125
6.8 The End of an Era......Page 126
6.9 Further Reading......Page 127
7 Early Commercial Applications and Operational Aspects......Page 129
7.1 Fixed-network Connection to the SMS-SC......Page 130
7.2 Network Operator Interworking, Roaming and Number Portability......Page 132
7.3 Third-party SMS-SCs......Page 133
7.4 Intelligent Terminal Connections to Mobile Phones......Page 134
7.6 SMS to Fax and SMS to Email......Page 135
7.7 Two-way Real-time Messaging Applications......Page 137
7.8 Performance......Page 138
7.9 SMS Traffic Growth......Page 139
7.10 Billing......Page 140
7.12 SMS in 2009......Page 141
8.1 The Creation of a Large Base of Mobiles and the Global SMS Infrastructure......Page 143
8.3 How SMS Was Discovered by Young People and Became a Part of the Youth Culture and Widely Accepted......Page 144
8.4.1.1 Model 1: a Simple Calculation......Page 145
8.4.2 Some Considerations about the Market Development......Page 146
8.4.4 Long-term Prospects for SMS......Page 147
9.1 Factors that Were Critical for the Success of SMS......Page 149
9.2 Proposals for a Further Evolution of SMS: SMS Phase 3......Page 150
9.3.2 A Proposal for Optimising MMS by a New, Simple, Ubiquitous MMS......Page 151
Annex 1 Abbreviations Used in Several Parts of the Book......Page 153
Annex 2 Sources for Quoted GSM Documents and Other Documents......Page 157
Annex 3 Meetings of IDEG/WP4/GSM4 and DGMH in the Period from May 1987 to September 1990......Page 161
Annex 4 DGMH Attendance in the Period from May 1987 to September 1990......Page 163
Annex 5 Meetings of GSM4/SMG 4 and DGMH in the Period from October 1990 to the End of 1996......Page 165
Annex 6 DGMH Attendance in the Period from October 1990 to the End of 1996......Page 167
Annex 7 Evolution of GSM Specification 03.40......Page 175
Annex 8 Literature......Page 183
Annex 9 Brief Biographies of the Authors......Page 185
Index......Page 191