SMS Messaging Applications

Fundamental SMS Concepts

The first part of the book describes the fundamental SMS concepts and features; it is important to read it carefully because it provides you with the core terminology and knowledge required to do anything serious with SMS messages.

Network

In this book, a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) is a company that runs and manages a mobile phone network. Verizon, T-Mobile and Vodafone are examples of MNOs. Often, we will simply call such a company a “network” or an “operator” (or sometimes a “network operator”).

GSM vs CDMA Networks

Mobile phone networks can be implemented using different technologies; the two main ones are GSM and CDMA. If your phone has a SIM card in it, it’s a GSM phone; if it doesn’t, it’s a CDMA one (however, this rule is becoming less reliable as some CDMA networks have recently started to introduce SIM cards too!).

European networks are all GSM, while US networks are prevalently CDMA (with the exception of AT&T and T-Mobile, which are GSM); the rest of the world is partially GSM and partially CDMA. At the time of writing, GSM networks are reported to have about 1 billion users world-wide, while CDMA ones have about 300 million.

SMS messages were first introduced in GSM networks. Later, CDMA networks have also implemented SMS messaging, but in a different way. The basic behavior is similar in the two types of network, but advanced features such as binary messages have significant differences in CDMA networks. The main body of this book describes the ...