Many people send text messages to each other daily from their mobile phone, without even thinking about what SMS is and how this service affects modern society.
What is SMS?
So what is SMS? It is unlikely that anyone will be able to decipher the Russian abbreviation, since it is just a transcription of the English SMS (Short Message Service), which means “short message service”. This special technology allows mobile users to share mini-letters among themselves (160 in total in Latin and no more than 70 characters in Cyrillic).
Today, such messages are an integral part of the modern world and mobile technology in general. More than 90% of cellular customers use this service, and the number of messages sent has long ago exceeded hundreds of billions a year. By sending a short text to the number of another subscriber, you can make an appointment, notify about an important event, wish a happy birthday or express condolences on the loss of a loved one.
When was the short message service introduced?
The short message service was first created specifically for GSM Phase 1 (digitalstandard that supports data rates up to 10 kbps). The introduction of SMS into the standard was carried out in 1989, thanks to notorious people: Friedhelm Hillebrand (Deutsche Telekom), Kevin Holley (Cellnet), Ian Harris (Vodafone) and others.
The first message was sent in December 1992, in the UK. SMS from a computer to a phone was sent over Vodafone's GSM network. It was a simple Merry Christmas.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, SMS messages began to be exchanged only in 2000.
Advantages and disadvantages of the short message service
It's been a long time since the first text message was sent, and since then, the mobile phone service has evolved a lot and has many benefits. But, unfortunately, due to the rapid development of technology, in addition to the advantages, the service for sending SMS messages also has disadvantages. All this is described in the corresponding table below.
| Benefits | Flaws |
| Supports all cellular networks from GSM to UMTS. | Slow message delivery speed - from 5 to 10 seconds, depending on the mobile operator. |
| Receive notification of delivery or receipt of SMS. | Restriction on the number of characters entered per message. |
| Ability to send a text message to a subscriber,who is out of network coverage or in situations where a telephone conversation is not possible (for example, during a meeting). | Frequent technical problems with sending SMS messages between different mobile operators. |
But, despite the presence of quite significant shortcomings, SMS is very popular among mobile subscribers. In addition, almost every year many developers try to improve the service. They produce various devices and software that are designed to make life easier for users. These include, for example, T9 input technology or SMS voice dialing for Android phones. With these functions in your smartphone, you can forever forget about the inconvenient typing of a text message.
How does SMS work?
Short text messages are transmitted in the same way as a voice signal, from the base transceiver station (BS) through the switching centers and to the SMSC (Short Message Service Centre). It is the SMSC that is responsible for receiving, storing and sending them further. After the message has reached the processing center, it is sent to the nearest BS, where the recipient is located.
If the subscriber's phone is turned off or he finds himself out of the network coverage area, the center will save the message until he is back in touch. If the recipient is not online for a long time, then the sender will receive an alert - SMS, which states that the message cannot be sent. If the switch was installedcommunication with the subscriber, then the message is transmitted by standard signaling channels.
When a text is received, it is displayed on the phone screen and stored in the Subscriber Identity Module, SIM card. If the connection fails, the switch notifies the SMSC to retransmit the information.
Methods of sending SMS messages
What SMS is and how this service works has already been said before. Now you can learn about how a text message is sent.
There are only three ways to send SMS:
- Mobile to mobile.
- From computer to mobile phone.
- From mobile phone to computer.
How to send SMS from mobile to mobile?
To send a short text message from one mobile phone to another mobile phone you need:
- Go to the "Messages" section in the main menu of the phone.
- Press "Create message".
- Add the recipient's number (manually or using a contact search).
- Print the message itself.
- Press "Send".
In addition, some mobile phones can send SMS via "Contacts". For this you need:
- Go to Contacts.
- Select recipient number.
- Click on the message icon next to the phone number.
- Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 of the standard procedure for sending SMS.
One more thing worth mentioning are special widgets (simple elementscontrols) in new smartphones. The icons of these small programs can be placed on the main screen of a mobile phone and go to the "Messages" menu without performing any additional actions.
Sending short text messages is a paid service. The cost of SMS is indicated in the tariff plans and may vary significantly, depending on the selected mobile operator. It can be from 1 rub. and above, the most expensive messages sent to other countries.
How to send SMS from PC to mobile phone?
Sending SMS from a computer to a phone is even easier than from one mobile phone to another. This can be done using the website of a particular mobile operator or third-party resources, which are more than enough on the Internet. Most of these online resources do not charge for the provision of services, but instead attach small advertising messages to the body of the message.
To send free SMS messages from the site, you need to know:
- name of mobile operator (Beeline, Megafon, MTS, etc.);
- recipient's phone number;
- country and operator code (for example, when sending SMS to Ukraine, instead of the usual +7(9xx), the code +3(8xx) is used.
In addition to the sites of mobile operators and third-party Internet resources, you can also send messages using programs familiar to many users. For example, the function of sending SMS is present in Mail Agent, QIP or Skype. But such a service will already cost money.
How to send SMS from a mobile phone to a computer and is it possible?
Many who know what SMS is will not believe, but you can send a message from a mobile phone to a computer. To do this, the recipient will need an ordinary GSM modem, which must be connected to a PC.
To receive SMS messages on your computer, you must first install a SIM card in the modem, from which the lock will be released (PIN code). In some cases, in order to receive messages, the user will have to make additional hardware settings.
Common problems with sending SMS and how to solve them
When sending messages, many often encounter various problems. For example, an SMS notification does not come, or after the message was successfully sent, the addressee did not receive it. In such cases, there are several ways to solve problems:
- Check the availability of funds in the account.
- Check for the presence and congestion of the connection (often SMS does not work correctly on holidays).
- Change sending SMS via GPRS to GSM.
- Check if SMSC is installed on the phone and if it is configured correctly.
- Try sending a message in full international format – +7(9xx)xxx-xx-xx.
- Check if the correct SMS format is set in the mobile phone settings. Russian mobile operators only accept "text" and "GSM-alphabet" formats.
- Check if the SIM card is full (if you don't receive SMS notifications).
- Contact recipient,maybe there are problems on his part.
- Call the mobile operator's customer service and ask for new SMS configuration settings.
Fun facts about texting
And finally, some interesting facts about SMS messages:
- US is the leader in sending short text messages.
- Every year, subscribers around the world send more than 6 trillion text messages, which is more than 190 thousand SMS per second.
- In order to reduce the number of characters in one SMS message, residents of many countries use abbreviations for some phrases and phrases.
- People who type frequently, including texting, may develop tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon in the hand).
- Modern cellular networks can receive SMS messages during a subscriber's telephone conversation. This does not affect mobile or voice traffic in any way.
- "Smishing" is a special type of fraud by sending SMS messages, the purpose of which is to seize the user's confidential data or money.
- A person's concentration on typing SMS is much greater than that of a driver.
- The Guinness Book of Records has a registered record for the speed of typing an SMS message, which is 264 characters per minute.
- In many countries, the short text messaging service is more popular than a regular phone call. So, in the world this service is used by 74% of users.
