Messaging
SMS
SMS (Short Messaging Service) allows users to send and receive text messages on a mobile phone. Each message can be up to 160 characters long and sent to and from users of different operator networks. All mobile phones support SMS.
Billions of text messages are sent worldwide every week. It is estimated that a worldwide total of 1 trillion text messages were sent in 2005.
In addition to person-to-person SMS, a variety of content-based text messaging services are available. The majority of GSM operators allow users to subscribe to services that send news, sport and entertainment content direct to a mobile phone in the form of an SMS. For more information please contact your GSM operator.
MMS
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a store and forward messaging service that allows subscribers to exchange multimedia messages.
As such it can be seen as an evolution of SMS, with MMS supporting the transmission of additional media types: text, picture, audio, video, or a combination of all four.
The originator can easily create a Multimedia Message, using phone camera, or can use images and sounds stored previously in the phone (or downloaded from a web site).
If the recipient phone is not switched on, the Multimedia Message will be stored and sent as soon as the phone is switched on. A number of Multimedia Messages can be stored in the user’s handset and reviewed or forwarded later. With MMS, it is also possible to send messages from phone to email, and vice versa.
In order to send or receive a MMS, the user must have a compatible phone that is running over a GPRS or 3GSM network. Most mobile phones and operator networks support MMS.
So how does MMS work?
Depending upon the operator, a typical example of how a MMS message can be sent and received between two compatible MMS phones is outlined below:
- Using a MMS compatible phone, take a photo
- Use your phone to personalise the message by adding text, sound clip or your own voice
- Send the MMS message
On a compatible phone, the MMS message will appear with a new message alert. The picture message will open on the screen, the text will appear below the image and any sound will begin to play automatically.
If the message is sent to a non-compatible phone the user will receive a SMS message telling them they have been sent a picture message. They may then be given a website address, and possibly a username and password to view the message.
(This is a simple example that may differ from operator to operator.)
Instant Messaging (IM) is an IP-based (Internet Protocol) application that can provide real-time written communication between people using a PC or Laptop.
Mobile Instant Messaging is the ability to engage in Instant Messaging services from a mobile handset. Mobile IM allows users to address messages to other users using an alias (or user name) and address book, enabling the sender to know when his/her "buddies" are available.
The advantage of mobile IM is that messages are sent and received in real-time via mobile handsets in the same way as fixed IM services, but without a computer. Mobile IM is seen as a natural evolution of the popular SMS service.
To date, users have required an existing active IM account and a compatible handset (one with a pre-installed messaging client) running over a GPRS or 3GSM network. To start using mobile IM, users need to log-in to the IM application.
IM issues and GSMA action
Mobile IM is available from some operators now, but it is not always possible to use IM services between different operators and different IM communities. Other issues affecting existing IM services include concerns over security and cost transparency.
The GSMA has been working with mobile operators to develop a true inter-network IM service. This initiative, called "Personal IM", is designed to attach the GSM principles of interoperability, ease-of-use, security, reliability and the calling-party-pays cost model to global IM services.
IM industry agreement
Many of the world's largest operators – including Aircel, Bharti, BSNL, China Mobile, Hutchison Essar, Idea, MTNL, Orange, Spice, Telefónica, TeliaSonera, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile), T-Mobile, Turkcell and Vodafone – have signed 32 letters of intent leading to interoperability agreements that will ensure IM services can be used across different networks and countries.
Please contact your operator to determine whether your network supports mobile IM services.
Wireless email is the ability to send and receive email over wireless devices. As 2.5G (GPRS) and 3GSM networks give users constant connectivity access to their email, wireless email services are expected to become increasingly popular.
There are a wide variety of handsets available today that support wireless push email services.
Push refers to technologies that allow a central system, for example the mobile phone network, to send – or push – information to an end-user without any action on their part or on the part of the mobile device.
With push email, emails are sent directly to the mobile device as soon as the email server receives them rather than waiting for the user or email client to request the email.
Today's push email devices range from mid-priced mobile phones through to smartphones and specific email devices such as the Blackberry.
To use wireless email services, devices must have supporting software; please contact your operator to determine whether your network supports email services.
