SMS Full Form Name: SMS Meaning
Full Form of SMS :
Short Message Service
SMS Full Form is Short
Message Service. SMS is a service that allows short messages to be sent on
smart phones and various mobile devices. It is meant to be a ‘short’ message
with just 160 characters including numbers, letters, and symbols. It has become
a very significant part of mobile communication. Today the world cannot be
imagined without the use of SMS or the so-called ‘text messages’.
Bernard Ghilebaert and Friedhelm
Hilebrand created the concept of short messaging in the year 1964. Though
initially the usage of SMS was very less, gradually all networks and phones
have adapted SMS as a part of their service. Currently, it is the most utilized
data application all over the world. The recent developments allow users to
keep track of financial transactions, receiver alerts and updates, etc.
SMS Full Form – Additional Information
In this age when communication is
of prime importance for every activity, it is a necessity to have effective
communication medium that can facilitate quicker contact for faster results.
There are times when reaching a person through voice call is not feasible due
to network issues or inability of the person to attend the call for various
reasons. Thus, it is important to have a source through which the concerned
person can be contacted in case of emergency, irrespective of the availability
of the network. Short Message Service or SMS is the perfect medium to achieve
this.
What is SMS?
SMS or Short Message Service is a
text messaging service that is used for transfer of mobile data between mobile
devices or fixed line in the form of short alphanumeric messages that are made
up of either 160 Latin characters or 70 non-Latin characters like Arabic or
Chinese. This is receive, store and forward method of transmitting the message.
All Global System for Mobile
Communications or GSM mobile phones as well as third generation (3G) wireless
networks are suited to send SMS across the globe. There are different charges for
local, roaming or international SMS transmissions. Even though each SMS can
have a maximum of 160 characters and 140 bytes of data, longer messages can be
sent as one message, albeit they are broken in bits of a maximum number of
characters and then charged as separate messages.
SMS is sent from a mobile device
to a collection center known as Short Message Service Center (SMSC). Here the
location of the subscriber is established by the mobile network and then the
message is forwarded to the desired destination device in the form of a small
data packet. Even if the recipient is unavailable or the device is switched
off, the message is retained at the center and delivered at a later stage.
Advantages of SMS
Unlike voice calls where if the
person to be contacted is not available the call cannot be completed or if the
mobile device is out of range or switched off, the connection cannot be
established the SMS becomes an ideal mode of communication. Since the messages
are stored at the SMS center and can be delivered when the mobile device is
detected as active, it is guaranteed to be delivered at some point in time.
SMS are used for faster
communication, for example, to set up an appointment, schedule the delivery of
courier, pass on information to traveler regarding the vehicle and driver
details or even for forwarding intimations about bank transactions, etc.
Once you send SMS you get an
instant notification of the status of delivery whether the message is delivered
instantly or not. In the case of a network error, the sender is intimated about
the delay in message delivery or is requested to try again later. SMS are
stored in the phone and thus unless you delete it or the storage capacity is
full, the message remains in the device for further reference if need be. It is
a good medium of instant communication for the majority of times.
Uses of SMS
SMS is an effective communication
method for point-to-point transmission as well as Cell Broadcasting, that is
advertising to all the subscribers in a particular geographical zone like
target advertising. Person to person SMS is a personal communication. On the
other hand, currently, application to person (A2P) is fast gaining popularity
and importance.
This communication is from an
application to a subscriber or vice versa. Airlines, hotels, railways etc use
this to keep the customer updated on their status of booking, departure and
arrival timings, etc. Financial institutions use A2P to inform the clients
about deposits, withdrawals or transactions conducted using debit/credit card.
This helps in the client being updated about the status of his account details.
There are times when one does not
get much time for an extended voice call. Under such circumstances, the
important message to be conveyed can be easily sent through SMS. Since the
sender receives a delivery notification, it is easy to track if the message has
been sent across successfully or not.
Sending SMS on various networks
is facilitated thanks to the interconnectivity of different service providers.
Even though SMS is predominantly from one mobile device to another, there are
instances where a person can send the message across through some messaging
sites from computers as well. This gives flexibility to some extent in case a
person needs to send an important message while working on a laptop or PC.
Understanding the Process
We often use our mobile in
various locations, either locally or while “roaming”, that is out of the home
network area. Voice calls, as well as SMS, are charged differently for local network
and roaming network. This is because you are out of the range of your home
service provider and are currently using leased network connection for voice
and messaging. Thus, when we send SMS, it is first directed to the SMSC or the
receiving center.
The message is held there till
they locate the position of the receiver whether it is local or roaming and if
the receiver is active or inactive / switched off. Once the location of the
subscriber is established, the SMSC sends the message in a small data packet
form and the receiver gets it. It is crucial to have the receiver active on the
network for instant delivery of the message; else the message is held back in
the SMSC until the time they find the network open for a receipt.
SMS are encoded using various
alphabets. By default, the GSM has a 7-bit alphabet that supports 160
characters, 8-bit data alphabet supports 140 characters and 16- bit UCS-2
(Unicode) has 70 characters. Thus, the messages can be written using the
specified number of characters per message. Over and above the character limit
accounts for a new SMS, even though it is a continuation of the long message.
Since the message transmission is
done through a segmented information system, the number of assigned characters
gets reduced. 160 characters come down to 153 for 7-bit encoding. For 8-bit
encoding, the 140 mark becomes 134 and in 16-bit instead of 70, it is 67
characters. Theoretically 255 segments are permissible. However, practically
maximum 6 to 8 are used. These segments need to be reassembled by the
receiver’s handset in order to project the multiple short messages as a single
long message.
Safety and Reliability of SMS
As the technology progresses, so
does the threats to the security of networks. We constantly learn about cyber attacks
and network hacking. Since SMS passes through many networks, sometimes
including the internet especially while roaming, it is vulnerable to such
attacks. Besides, as SMS is a receive-store and forward system of
communication, the messages are likely to be intercepted and read by undesired
persons.
Similarly, if the phone falls
into the hands of an adversary, there are chances that your important and
private messages are read and distributed. Every system has its pros and cons.
It is up to us to use the facility wisely and make the most of what the
progressive technology has to offer, whether it is the use of the internet or a
simple thing like text messaging on the phone.