Mobile Video will Be the Rage. The Connection between Short Message System (SMS) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the Evolution Toward Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
SMS Text Messaging is hugely popular, and new technology that improves mobile device bandwidth will make Multimedia Messages the new preferred communications method.
Exchanging text messages, technically identified as Short Message System (SMS), but also referred to as “texting”, is a straightforward, easy, and convenient system to keep in touch between cell phones. In addition to being a exceptional way for people to correspond, SMS texting can be a useful system for software programs to exchange simple messages, and even settings instructions, to and from smartphones. text messages doesn’t require a direct connection between mobile phones; the communications infrastructure for the process is already prepared, and it works across most cell service providers. One aspect of text messaging that makes it particularly sensible for mobile software applications is that it utilizes cell phone fixed identity, the phone number. This aspect presents a unique benefit over other technologies that rely on IP addresses because a smartphone 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 mobile devices. SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application on earth, boasting about 2.4 billion active users, or three quarters of all cell phone subscribers.
SMS texting as used on modern smartphones was originally included as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of protocols in 1985 as a way of exchanging messages of up to 160 characters, to and from GSM mobile handsets. Since the mid-eighties service support has extended to comprise other mobile technology 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 kinds of broadcast messaging as well. Computer to mobile SMS texting capabilities are also growing rapidly.
GSM was initially called Groupe Spécial Mobile. It is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems on the planet. The GSM Association, the promoting industry association of mobile phone operators and manufacturers, estimates that about 80% of the world mobile market uses it. GSM is enjoyed by over 3 billion people across more than two hundred countries and territories. Its pervasiveness allows international roaming agreements between mobile phone network providers, offering subscribers the use of their cell phones all over the world. GSM differs from its predecessor 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 facilitates the extensive implementation of data communication programs.
The pervasiveness of GSM implementation has been a benefit for consumers that are given the option to roam and switch carriers without needing to replace their smartphones, and also to operators, who can choose equipment from a variety of equipment vendors. GSM pioneered affordable deployment of SMS text messaging, which subsequently has been supported on other mobile phone standards.
Recent versions of the standard work with the initial GSM system. Release ’97 of the standard upgraded to packet data capabilities by means of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Release ’99 introduced higher speed data transmission using Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE).
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 communication is typically charged per megabyte of datasent and received, while data communication using traditional circuit switching is charged per minute of connection time, independent of whether or not the subscriber actually is using it 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 regularly called 2.5G. 2.5G is a technology bridge between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of cell phone telephony. It delivers moderate-speed data transfer, by using unused time division multiple access (TDMA) channels. Initially there was some thought 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 response 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 discontinued along with with the retirement of the parent AMPS service.
CDPD was developed in the early 1990’s, and was seen as a future technology. However, it had competition from then current slower but cheaper Mobitex and DataTac systems. CDPD never earned general acceptance before newer, faster standards such as GPRS earned widespread acceptance and became predominant.
For consumers CDPD had very limited offerings. AT&T Wireless first 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. However, CDPD was used by a number of enterprise and government networks. It was especially popular 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 referred to as Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC), and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) is a backward-compatible digital mobile technology that supplies superior data transmission rates on top of standard GSM. EDGE is referred to as a 3G radio technology. EDGE allows more than three-fold increase in both the capacity and performance of GSM/GPRS networks by utilizing advanced ways 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).
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