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SMS stands for
Short Message Service (SMS)
which in turn is a communication service
standardised in the
GSM mobile communication system, using
standardised
communications protocols allowing the
interchange of short text messages between
mobile telephone devices. SMS text
messaging is the most widely used data
application on the planet, with 2.4
billion active users, or 74% of all mobile
phone subscribers sending and receiving
text messages on their phones. The SMS
technology has facilitated the development
and growth of
text messaging. The connection between
the phenomenon of text messaging and the
underlying technology is so great that in
parts of the world the term "SMS" is used
as a synonym for a text message or the act
of sending a text message, even when a
different protocol is being used. SMSes
are used on modern handsets and were
originally defined as part of the
GSM series of standards in 1985
as a means of sending messages of up to
160 characters (including spaces), to and
from GSM mobile handsets.
Since then, support for the service has
expanded to include alternative mobile
standards such as
ANSI CDMA networks and
Digital AMPS, as well as
satellite and
landline networks. Most SMS
messages are mobile-to-mobile text
messages, though the standard supports
other types of broadcast messaging as
well. |
