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| Sunday, 09 April 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Short and sweet 'SMS' it's a common word for many of us these days, isn't it? You SMS to vote for your favourite television super star, you SMS to inform your friend that you are unable to come to school or even to tell your parents that you have to stay late after school.
Just when we have finally become used to seeing everybody constantly talking on his or her mobile phones (even land phones have this facility at present), it suddenly seems like no one is talking at all. Instead, they're typing away on tiny numerical pads, using their cell phones to send quick messages. SMS, or text messaging, has replaced talking on the phone for a new "thumb generation" of texters. What is SMS? SMS stands for 'Short Message Service'. In simple terms, it is a method of communication that sends text between cell phones, or from a PC or hand held computer to a cell phone. The "short" part refers to the maximum size of the text messages: 160 characters (letters, numbers or symbols in the Latin alphabet). For other alphabets, such as Chinese, the maximum SMS size is 70 characters. But how do SMS messages actually get to your phone? Even if you are not talking on your cell phone, your phone is constantly sending and receiving information. It is talking to its cell phone tower, over a pathway called a control channel. The reason for this chatter is so that the cell phone system knows which cell your phone is in, so that your phone can change cells as you move around. Every so often, your phone and the tower will exchange a packet of data that lets both of them know that everything is OK. Your phone also uses the control channel for call set up. When someone tries to call you, the tower sends your phone a message over the control channel that tells your phone to play its ring tone. The tower also gives your phone a pair of voice channel frequencies to use for the call. The control channel also provides the pathway for SMS messages. When a friend sends you an SMS message, the message flows through the SMSC (SMS Centre), then to the tower, and the tower sends the message to your phone as a little packet of data on the control channel. In the same way, when you send a message, your phone sends it to the tower on the control channel and it goes from the tower to the SMSC and from there to its destination. SMS has several advantages. It is more discreet (cautious) than a phone conversation, making it the ideal form for communicating when you don't want to be overheard. It is often less time-consuming to send a text message than to make a phone call or send an e-mail. SMS doesn't require you to be at your computer like e-mail and instant messaging (IM) do, although some phones are equipped for mobile e-mail and IM services. SMS is also a convenient way for deaf and hearing-impaired people to communicate. SMS is a store-and-forward service, meaning that when you send a text message to a friend, the message does not go directly to your friend's cell phone. The advantage of this method is that your friend's cell phone doesn't have to be active or in range, for you to send a message. The message is stored in the SMSC (for days if necessary) until your friend turns his/her cell phone on or moves into range, at which point the message is delivered. The message will remain stored on your friend's SIM card until he/she deletes it. In addition to person-to-person messages, SMS can be used to send a message to a large number of people at the same time, either from a list of contacts or to all the users within a particular area. This service is called broadcasting, and is used by companies to contact groups of employees or by online services to distribute news and other information to subscribers. Companies have come up with many uses for the service beyond just your typical person-to-person message. Because SMS doesn't overload the network as much as phone calls, it is frequently used by TV shows to let viewers vote on a certain topic or for a contestant. As a promotional tool, wireless carriers put up giant screens at concerts and other large-scale events to display text messages from people in the audience. You can use text messaging subscription services to get medication reminders sent to your phone, along with weather alerts, news headlines or even novels broken into 160-character "chapters". Internet search engines such as Yahoo! and Google have short messaging services that enable users to get information such as driving directions, movie showtimes or local business listings just by texting a query to the search engine's phone number. The possibilities for integrating SMS into your lifestyle seem endless. Naturally, SMS has limitations, and there are some people who feel it has outlived its usefulness. Disadvantages Despite their popularity, short messaging services have received some criticism. Here are a few of the disadvantages: * You have to pay for it. Most wireless plans charge for a certain number of text messages a month. Some only charge for user-originated messages, while others charge for incoming messages as well. If you exceed your message allowance, some service providers may get you to pay additional charges and those little charges can add up. * Speedy message delivery is not guaranteed. During periods of high traffic, it might be minutes or even hours before a message gets through. * It's strictly for sending text messages. SMS does not support sending pictures, video or music files. Alternatives Alternative messaging services allow for more elaborate types of messages. With EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), you can send formatted text, sound effects, small pictures and icons. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to send animations and audio and video files in addition to text. If your mobile phone is EMS- or MMS-enabled, you can use these standards just as you would use SMS. However, the cost per message will be higher. Another alternative to using SMS is using an instant messaging programme on your cell phone. This can be in the form of software that's pre-installed on your phone, or you can use WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) to access the Internet and sign into your IM account. WAP is a protocol that gives you small, simplified versions of web pages that are easily navigable on your mobile phone or computer. You can use it to send instant messages or actual e-mails from your phone. A common complaint about SMS is its inefficient delivery structure when the message centre is backed up, messages take longer to reach their destination. To make message delivery faster, networks are using more new advanced technologies such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). *** History SMS was created during the late 1980s to work with a digital technology called GSM (global system for mobile communications), which is the basis for most modern cell phones. The Norwegian engineers who invented it wanted a very simple messaging system that worked when users' mobile phones were turned off or were out of signal range. Most sources agree that the first SMS message was sent in the UK in 1992. |
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