Short message service center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) is a network element in the mobile telephone network which delivers SMS messages.
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[edit] Operation
When a user sends a text message (SMS message) to another user, the message gets stored in the SMSC which delivers it to the destination user when they are available. This is a store and forward operation. The SMSC usually has a configurable time limit for how long it will store the message, and users can usually specify a shorter time limit if they want.
A message may also come from an application, for example voice mail server sending voice mail incoming message alerts. Mobile operators allow businesses to interact with their SMSC to submit the messages in bulk. From SMSC point of view, such applications are called SME (Short Message Entities). In this case the SMSC is responsible for locating SMSC of the destination user and submitting the message there.
[edit] Protocols
For bulk transmission and reception of SMS messages, SMSCs have conventional, fixed, network interfaces as well as mobile network interfaces. A number of protocols have been defined to support this sort of wire-line access:
- SMPP (Short message peer-to-peer)
- The most common protocol and the only non-proprietary one in wide use.
- EMI/UCP (External Machine Interface/Universal Computer Protocol)
- A proprietary protocol by LogicaCMG.
- CIMD (Computer Interface to Message Distribution)
- A proprietary protocol developed by Nokia for its Artuse SMSC.
- OIS (Open Interface Specification)
- Despite the name, a proprietary protocol developed by Sema Group (now Airwide Solutions).
[edit] Companies
Two companies who make many of the SMSCs in use in the GSM world are Logica and CMG - or rather just one company, LogicaCMG, as these two merged on January 1st, 2003. Other large players include Tanla Solutions, Jataayu,Bharti Telesoft,Tele DNA (India) , Intervoice, Comverse Technology, Nokia, Huawei, Unisys, Airwide Solutions, Jinny, Oksijen Teknoloji, Telenity, Teligent AB, Lucent, Motorola and Symsoft.
Other Companies working on SMSC development [Pyro SMSC] www.pyronetworks.com
