SMS (Short Message Service) is a service available on most digital cellular/mobile or the internet that enables short messages (test messages/SMSes) with up to 160 characters to be exchanged between cellular/mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones through special features for messaging.

History

The idea behind the emergence of SMS is said to have evolved around the 1980’s, however, many did not believe that the concept of sending texts via one communication medium to another could be actually possible.

However, by 1985, the concept of SMS was finally taking shape due to the needs of the GSM sub group. And by 1992, the first commercial short message could be successfully tested; on 3rd December, 1992 by Neil Papworth of the SEMA Group from a personal computer to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone on the Vodafone GSM network in the United Kingdom. But the initial growth was slow, with customers in 1995 sending on average only 0.4 messages per GSM customer per month. By the end of 2000, the average number of messages per user had only reached 35.

SMS process in action

SMS messages are sent via a ‘store and forward’ mechanism to a SMSC (short-message-service-centre), which then attempts to send the message to the recipient. It may even possibly retry if the user is not reachable at a given moment. Users can also request delivery reports. SMS can also be used to send binary content such as ring tones or logos.

Some SMS service provider(s) offers features that are able to send messages to land-line telephones, regardless of their capability of receiving text messages, by automatically phoning the intended recipient and reading the message using a speech synthesizer along with the number of the sender.

Popularity

By mid-2004, the number of SMS texts which were being sent was recorded at a rate of 500 billion messages per annum around the world. Today, the statistics have doubled. Short messages are particularly popular amongst young urbanites; SMS voting, SMS Chat, ordering ring-tones, wallpapers, entering competitions, and booking tickets are fuelling the craze for SMS.

The limitations on text characters were supposedly a serious concern for the SMS users. But this seems to have instead become a boon; the fun involved in communicating through abbreviated words. Human creativity to meet an end at work again!

Impact of SMS

The popularity of SMS has induced some subtle but interesting changes in society; In Academics, it could be used to cheat during exams, Criminals can use it for their nefarious activities, political rallies can be sparked by just forwarding SMSes. However, all is not bad; it has innumerable uses for the good of the people, provided it is put into good use. Today, SMS is Machine-to-Machine Communication, Advanced traffic tracking system which uses SMS to retrieve data of vehicles, and so on.

And the best part of SMS messaging is that you can have a cheap, yet effective means either to send any information, or spread the warmth around the globe.