Exchanging text messages, technically identified as Short Message System (SMS), but typically known as “texting”, is a simple, easy, and handy manner to communicate to and from smartphones.  In addition to being a exceptional method for people to communicate, SMS can be a practical method for software programs to exchange simple messages, and even setup commands, between  mobiles.  text messages doesn’t require a direct connection between smartphones; the communications infrastructure for the process is already in place, and it functions across most mobile networks. One feature of SMS text messaging that makes it particularly valuable for mobile software programs is that it utilizes cell phone fixed identity, the phone number. This characteristic provide a unique benefit over other technologies that rely on IP addresses because a mobile phone IP address can vary depending on current network.

Short Message Service (SMS) is a communication service component of the GSM mobile communication system.  It uses uniform communications protocols that allow sending and receiving short text messages between cell phones. SMS texting is the most commonly used data application around the globe, with about 2.4 billion active users, or almost 75% of all mobile phone subscribers.

SMS text messaging as used on modern smartphones was originally defined as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards in 1985  as a means of transferring messages of up to 160 characters, between GSM mobile handsets.  Since then service support has expanded to include other mobile technologies 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.  Computer to cell phone SMS capabilities are also expanding rapidly.

Global System for Mobile Communications was initially known as Groupe Spécial Mobile.  It is the most accepted standard for mobile telephone systems around the globe. The GSM Association, the promoting trade organization of mobile phone carriers and manufacturers, estimates that close to 80% of the world mobile market uses it.  GSM is utilized by over 3 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories.  Its ubiquity  enables international roaming arrangements between mobile phone operators, providing subscribers the use of their mobiles in many parts of the world.  GSM has evolved from its forerunner technologies in that both signaling and speech channels are digital.  Thus GSM is thought of as a second generation (2G) mobile phone system.  This also  eases the wide-spread implementation of data communication programs.

The pervasiveness of GSM deployment has been a benefit for consumers that are given the ability to roam and switch carriers without needing to replace their cell phones, and also to carriers, who can select equipment from a variety of equipment suppliers. GSM is credited with pioneering low-cost implementation of SMS texting, which is now supported on other mobile phone standards.

General packet radio service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G and 3G GSM. In 2G systems.  GPRS data transfer is usually charged per megabyte of datasent and received, while data transfer using traditional circuit switching is charged per unit of connection time, independent of whether or not the user actually is transmitting or if it is idle. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, that has guaranteed quality of service during the connection for non-mobile users.

2G cellular systems combined with GPRS are often called 2.5G.  2.5G is a technology bridge between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of cell phone telephony. It provides moderate-speed data transfer, by using unused time division multiple access (TDMA) channels. Originally it was intended to extend GPRS to cover other standards, but these networks are converting to the GSM standard.   GPRS is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer releases.

GPRS was created as a GSM reaction to the earlier CDPD and i-mode packet switched cellular technologies.  Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) was a wide-area mobile data service which used unused bandwidth normally used by AMPS mobile phones.  The service was dropped in conjunction with the retirement of the parent AMPS service.

CDPD was developed in the early 1990’s, with anticipation it would be a future technology. However, it had competition from then current slower but cheaper Mobitex and DataTac systems.  CDPD never gained widespread acceptance and in time newer, faster standards such as GPRS gained widespread acceptance and became dominant.

For consumers CDPD had little to offer.  AT&T Wireless initially sold the technology in the US under the brandname PocketNet, one of the very first consumer wireless web service products. Cingular Wireless later offered CDPD under the Wireless Internet brand (as opposed to Wireless Internet Express, Cingular Wireless GPRS/EDGE data). AT&T Wireless PocketNet was generally considered a failure.  But, CDPD was used  by some enterprise and government networks.  It was especially successful as a first-generation wireless data solution for telemetry devices (machine to machine communications) and for public safety mobile data terminals.

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) (also called Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC), and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) is a backward-compatible digital mobile device technology that provides better data transmission rates on top of standard GSM.  EDGE is referred to as a 3G radio technology.  EDGE delivers  more than three-fold improvement in both the capacity and performance of GSM/GPRS networks by incorporating advanced systems of coding and transmitting data, that deliver higher bit-rates per radio channel.  EDGE delivers broadband performance and supports high bandwidth data applications such as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

An interesting software suite for Smartphone SMS Monitoring, GPS Location Tracking, MMS Monitoring and Phone Event Log archive with a Web Account is PhoneBeagle.  Follow this link if you are interested in    Cell Phone Monitoring Software that is compatible with BlackBerry  and  Android  Smartphones,.    Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for 
Parental Control and Employee Monitoring of Mobile Phones .

Tagged with: • • • • •

Filed under: Global Finance

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!