Table Of ContentSHORT MESSAGE
SERVICE (SMS)
Short Message Service (SMS): The Creation of Personal Global Text Messaging
Edited by Friedhelm Hillebrand, Finn Trosby, Kevin Holley and Ian Harris
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-68865-6
SHORT MESSAGE
SERVICE (SMS)
THE CREATION OF PERSONAL
GLOBAL TEXT MESSAGING
Friedhelm Hillebrand (Editor)
Hillebrand&Partners,Germany
Finn Trosby
Telenor,Norway
Kevin Holley
Telefo´nicaEurope,UK
Ian Harris
ResearchInMotion,Canada
A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., Publication
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Harris,Ian,1962-
Shortmessageservice(SMS):thecreationofglobalpersonaltextmessaging/Friedhelm
Hillebrand,editor;IanHarris,KevinHolley,FinnTrosby.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-68865-6(cloth)
1. Textmessages(Telephonesystems)2. Instantmessaging. I. Hillebrand,Friedhelm.
II. Holley,Kevin,1963- III. Trosby,Finn. IV. Title.
TK5105.73.H3752010
006.7--dc22
2009042563
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN978-0-470-68865-6(H/B)
Typesetin10/12.5ptTimesbyLaserwordsPrivateLimited,Chennai,India
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyAntonyRoweLtd,Chippenham,Wiltshire
Contents
Introduction xiii
1 Communication Networks in the Early 1980s and the Portfolio of GSM
Services 1
F.Hillebrand
1.1 Station-to-station MorseTelegraphy, theOriginofAllModernTechnicalText
Communication 1
1.2 Network-based Communication Services in the Early 1980s 1
1.2.1 Telephony 2
1.2.2 Telex,theForefatherofModernTextCommunication 2
1.2.3 The AdventofMany FasterTransportTechniquesforTextandData 3
1.2.4 CreationofNew,Fully StandardisedTextCommunicationServices 4
1.2.5 CreationofValue-addedTextCommunicationServicesBased
onServers 5
1.2.6 The DevelopmentofPrivateMobile RadioNetworks 6
1.2.7 Internet,WebBrowsingandEmailastheWinnersinCommunication
inFixedNetworks 6
1.3 Services Portfolio of GSM 7
1.3.1 WayofWorkinginGSMStandardisation 7
1.3.2 ServicePhilosophy ofGSMDevelopedfrom1982to1984 8
1.3.3 GSM’s Fixed-network-serviceCompanions 9
1.3.3.1 Reference Model 9
1.3.3.2 Teleservices 10
1.3.3.3 Bearer Services 11
1.4 GSM Mobile Telephony and SMS – the Most Successful Telecommunication
Services 12
2 Who Invented SMS? 15
F.Hillebrand
2.1 Introduction 15
2.2 Clarification of the Terms ‘Invention’ and ‘Innovation’ 15
2.2.1 Invention 15
vi Contents
2.2.2 Innovation 16
2.3 Was SMS Invented during the ISDN Work? 16
2.4 Was SMS Invented by Test Engineers, Students or in a Pizzeria Session? 17
2.4.1 WasSMSDiscoveredorInventedbyTestEngineersorStudents? 17
2.4.2 WasSMSInventedinaCopenhagenPizzeriaSessionin1982? 17
2.5 A Clarifying Discussion within the GSM Community in Spring 2009 18
2.6 Timetables of SMS Genesis 19
2.6.1 ConceptDevelopmentandStandardisationofSMS 19
2.6.2 DevelopmentofSMSintheMarket 21
3 The Creation of the SMS Concept from Mid-1984 to Early 1987 23
F.Hillebrand
3.1 The Birth of the SMS Concept in the French and German Network Operators 23
3.1.1 Introduction 23
3.1.2 DocumentaryEvidencethatSurvived 24
3.1.2.1 Roots of SMS in ‘Enhanced’ Paging Integrated in a
Multiservice Mobile Communication System 24
3.1.2.2 ASurprisingProposalintheS900InterimSystemContext 25
3.1.2.3 The Mutation of an Enhanced Paging Service to a
General Short Messaging Service in the Specification
Process of the DF900 Trial Systems for GSM 26
3.1.2.4 A Technical Discussion and Input to GSM#07 Plenary
in November 1984 27
3.1.3 MemoriesoftheWorkontheSMSConceptintheSecondHalfof1984 28
3.1.3.1 The Overall Expectations and Possibilities in the early
80s 29
3.1.3.2 A Possible Concept for a General Short Message Service 29
3.1.3.3 Feasibility of a Short Message Service 30
3.1.3.4 Coding of Characters and Text Formatting 30
3.1.3.5 Display and Generation of Short Messages 31
3.1.3.6 Communication Directions 31
3.1.4 FirstSteptoaRealisation:TheProposalforStandardisation
SubmittedtoGSM#07PlenaryinOslofrom25Februaryto1March
1985 32
3.1.4.1 The Start of the SMS Standardisation 32
3.1.4.2 The Proposed Structure and Classification for
Standardisation 32
3.1.4.3 The Finalisation of the Input 33
3.1.5 Significance ofthe Resultsinthe DF900 Cooperationinthe Second
Halfof1984 33
3.2 The Standardisation of the SMS Concept in the GSM Committee from
February 1985 to April 1987 34
Contents vii
3.2.1 Agreement on GSM Service Scope and the SMS Service Concept in
theFirstHalfof1985 35
3.2.1.1 Process 35
3.2.1.2 First SMS Service Concept in CEPT GSM 36
3.2.2 ElaborationoftheSMSServiceRequirements 37
3.2.2.1 Scope of Work in WP1 from Mid-1985 to Early 1987 37
3.2.2.2 SMS Work Included in Recommendation GSM 02.03
‘Teleservices Supported by a GSM PLMN’ 38
3.2.2.3 AMoreElaborateServiceConceptandaFirstTechnical
Concept 38
3.2.2.4 Other Service Aspects 39
3.2.3 WorkonSMSNetworkAspectsfromMid-1985toApril1987 41
3.2.4 Conclusions 42
3.3 The Acceleration of the GSM Project, Including SMS in 1987 42
3.3.1 The DecisionsofGSM#13inFebruary1987onSMS 42
3.3.2 The GSM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and its Influence
onSMS 43
3.3.3 The BeginningofIDEG/WP4andDGMH 43
4 The Technical Design of SMS in DGMH from June 1987 to October 1990 45
F.Trosby
4.1 Background 45
4.2 Some Personal Sentiments at the Start 46
4.3 The Instructions that IDEG Were Given for Provision of SMS 47
4.4 Overall Description of the Work in the Period from 1987 to 1990 and Work
Items Dealt with 48
4.4.1 General 48
4.4.2 NetworkArchitectureandTransportMechanisms 48
4.4.3 ServiceElements 50
4.4.4 SupplementaryServices 53
4.4.5 ShortMessageLengthandAlphabet 54
4.5 The SMS of September 1990 55
4.5.1 SomeGeneralRemarksontheWaythatServices,Networksand
CommunicationProtocolsWereDescribedintheLate 1980s 55
4.5.2 The SpecificationsDefiningtheShortMessageServiceMid-1990 57
4.5.3 NetworkArchitecture 57
4.5.4 ServiceandServiceElements 59
4.5.5 ProtocolArchitectureandServiceDefinition 60
4.5.6 PrincipleSchemesofShortMessageTransfer 61
4.5.6.1 The Mobile-terminated Case 61
4.5.6.2 The Mobile-originated Case 61
4.5.7 AddressingCapabilities 62
viii Contents
4.5.8 MaximumLengthofMessage 63
4.5.9 AlphabetAvailableforUserInformation 64
4.6 Major Design Issues 64
4.6.1 General 64
4.6.2 Inter-MSC TransferofShortMessages–byX.25or
SignallingCapabilities? 66
4.6.3 ServiceCentre–InsideorOutsidethePLMN? 67
4.6.4 WhatInterfacetoChoosefortheSMS-SC↔SMS-GMSC/
SMS-IWMSC Connection? 68
4.6.5 FixedInterworkingorVariableInterworking? 69
4.6.6 SomeConcludingRemarks 70
4.7 Final Remarks on the Period of the First Three Years of DGMH 71
4.8 Work on SMS in GSM Bodies Outside GSM4 72
4.8.1 GSM04.11 72
4.8.2 MapOperationsfortheSupportofSMS 72
4.9 Other Tasks of DGMH 73
5 The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from October 1990
to the End of 1996 75
K.Holley
5.1 Topics Discussed in this Chapter 76
5.2 Technical Improvements to SMS 1990–1996 77
5.2.1 ContinuousMessageFlow 77
5.2.2 Multiple ServiceCentreScenarios 77
5.2.3 DeliveryReports 78
5.2.4 SMSCharacterSets 79
5.2.5 SMS–anOptionalFeature? 79
5.2.6 StoringSMSontheSIMCard 80
5.2.7 UnacknowledgedSMS 80
5.2.8 MemoryCapacityAvailable 80
5.2.9 SMSNegativeTimeZone 80
5.2.10 LengthofBinarySMS 81
5.2.11 SendingtoandReceivingfromNon-NumericAddresses 81
5.2.12 SMSAPI 82
5.2.13 StorageofSMSinthePhone 83
5.2.14 UpgradingNetworkCapabilityReducesSMSLength 83
5.2.15 SMStoanExternalTerminal 84
5.2.16 SpecifyingServiceCentreInterconnecttotheCellular
Network 84
5.2.17 ReplaceShortMessage 85
5.2.18 DetectingTerminalCapabilities 86
5.2.19 NokiaCellularDataCard 86
Contents ix
5.2.20 ImprovedErrorReporting 86
5.2.21 ReceivingSMSfromExternalSystems 87
5.2.22 AvoidingSMSDuplicates 87
5.2.23 ExpandingSMSCharacterCapabilities 87
5.2.24 UsingSMStoAlerttoWaitingVoicemail 88
5.2.25 WhichTimeZonetoUseforSMS 89
5.2.26 DelayingSMSafterPhonePower-On 89
5.2.27 ManualFlow Control 89
5.2.28 SIMManagementbySMS 90
5.2.29 IconsforVoicemailAlert 90
5.2.30 EnsuringProperDisplayControlviaControlCharacters 90
5.2.31 ConcatenatedSMS 90
5.2.32 SMSDivert 91
5.2.33 SMSMessageIndication 91
5.2.34 MoreonSMSAlphabetCoding 92
5.2.35 InterworkingwithEmail 94
5.2.36 SMSBetweenNetworks 94
5.2.37 UseofATCommandsforSMS 94
5.2.38 SMSCompression 96
5.2.39 MoreonNewAlphabets 97
5.2.40 MoreonInternationalSMSMessaging 97
5.3 Concluding Remarks on the SMS Period 1990–1996 97
6 The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from the Beginning
of 1997 to Mid-2009 99
I.Harris
6.1 SIM Toolkit Data Download and Secure Messaging 100
6.2 SMS Compression 100
6.3 Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) 101
6.4 Voicemail Management 103
6.5 Routers 104
6.6 Language Tables 105
6.7 Other Important Standards Work for SMS 107
6.7.1 ReservedCodePoints 107
6.7.2 PortNumbers 107
6.7.3 SupportofSMSinGPRSandUMTS 107
6.8 The End of an Era 108
6.9 Further Reading 109
7 Early Commercial Applications and Operational Aspects 111
I.Harris
7.1 Fixed-network Connection to the SMS-SC 112
x Contents
7.2 Network Operator Interworking, Roaming and Number Portability 114
7.3 Third-party SMS-SCs 115
7.4 Intelligent Terminal Connections to Mobile Phones 116
7.5 SMS Keyboard Text Entry 117
7.6 SMS to Fax and SMS to Email 117
7.7 Two-way Real-time Messaging Applications 119
7.8 Performance 120
7.9 SMS Traffic Growth 121
7.10 Billing 122
7.11 The Content Provider Access (CPA) Model Deployed in Norway 123
7.12 SMS in 2009 123
8 Global Market Development 125
F.Hillebrand
8.1 The Creation of a Large Base of Mobiles and the Global SMS Infrastructure 125
8.2 First Use of SMS by Network Operators 126
8.3 How SMS WasDiscoveredby YoungPeople andBecamea Part of the Youth
Culture and Widely Accepted 126
8.4 SMS Has Become the Leading Mobile Messaging Service and Will Stay in
the Lead in the Foreseeable Future 127
8.4.1 GlobalSMSTrafficandRevenuesin2008 127
8.4.1.1 Model 1: a Simple Calculation 127
8.4.1.2 Model 2: Research by a Market Research Firm 128
8.4.1.3 Model 3: Another Crude Extrapolation 128
8.4.1.4 Conclusion 128
8.4.2 SomeConsiderationsabouttheMarketDevelopment 128
8.4.3 AForecastfor2013 129
8.4.4 Long-termProspectsforSMS 129
9 Conclusions 131
F.Hillebrand
9.1 Factors that Were Critical for the Success of SMS 131
9.2 Proposals for a Further Evolution of SMS: SMS Phase 3 132
9.3 What Can be Learnt from SMS for Standardisation in Other Areas 133
9.3.1 GeneralAspects 133
9.3.2 AProposalforOptimisingMMSbyaNew,Simple,UbiquitousMMS 133
Annex 1 Abbreviations Used in Several Parts of the Book 135
Annex 2 Sources for Quoted GSM Documents and Other Documents 139
Contents xi
Annex 3 Meetings of IDEG/WP4/GSM4 and DGMH in the Period from
May 1987 to September 1990 143
Annex 4 DGMH Attendance in the Period from May 1987 to September 1990 145
Annex 5 Meetings of GSM4/SMG 4 and DGMH in the Period from
October 1990 to the End of 1996 147
Annex 6 DGMH Attendance in the Period from October 1990
to the End of 1996 149
Annex 7 Evolution of GSM Specification 03.40 157
Annex 8 Literature 165
Annex 9 Brief Biographies of the Authors 167
Index 173
