Messaging
SMS
MMS
Instant Messaging
Email
SMS
SMS (Short Messaging Service) allows users to send & receive text messages on a mobile phone, using the numbered keypad on the handset to input characters. Each message can be up to 160 characters long and sent to and from users of different operator networks. All mobile phones available today support SMS. Indeed, SMS has become a global phenomenon, with billions of text messages sent worldwide every week. It is estimated that a worldwide total of 1 trillion text messages were sent in 2005.
In addition to person-to-person SMS, a large variety of content-based text messaging services are available. The majority of GSM operators offer users the ability to subscribe to services that send news, sport and entertainment content direct to a mobile phone in the form of an SMS. For more information please contact your GSM operator.
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MMS
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a store and forward messaging service that allows mobile subscribers to exchange multimedia messages with other mobile subscribers. As such it can be seen as an evolution of SMS, with MMS supporting the transmission of additional media types: text, picture, audio, video, or a combination of all four.
The originator can easily create a Multimedia Message, either using a built-in or accessory camera, or can use images and sounds stored previously in the phone (and possibly downloaded from a web site).
Even if the recipient phone is not switched on, the Multimedia Message will be stored and sent to the recipient as soon as they switch on their phone. A number of Multimedia Messages can be stored in the users handset and reviewed or forwarded at a later date. With MMS, it is not only possible to send your multimedia messages from one phone to another, but also from phone to email, and vice versa.
In order to send or receive a MMS, the user must have a compatible phone that is running over a GPRS or 3GSM network. The vast majority of mobile phones and operator networks available today support MMS.
So how does MMS work?
Depending upon the operator, a typical example of how a MMS message can be sent and received between two compatible MMS phones is detailed below:
- STEP 1: Using a MMS compatible phone, take a photo
- STEP 2: Use your phone to personalise the message by adding text, sound clip or your own voice
- STEP 3: Send the MMS message
On a compatible phone, the MMS message will appear with a new message alert. The picture message will open on the screen, the text will appear below the image and the sound will begin to play automatically.
If the message is sent to a non-compatible MMS phone the user will receive a SMS message along the lines of: "You have been sent a picture message." They may then be given a website address, and possibly a username and password on which they can view the message.
This is a simple example and may differ from operator to operator.
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Instant Messaging
Instant Messaging (IM) is an IP-based (Internet Protocol) application that can provide real-time written communication between people using a PC or Laptop.
Mobile Instant Messaging is the ability to engage in Instant Messaging services from a mobile handset. Mobile IM allows users to address messages to other users using an alias (or user name) and address book, enabling the sender to know when his/her "buddies" are available.
 The advantage of mobile IM is that messages are sent and received in real-time via mobile handsets in the same way as fixed IM services, but without the need to be attached to a computer. Mobile IM is seen as a natural evolution of the popular SMS service.
To date, users have required an existing active IM account - such as that offered by AOL and Yahoo! - and a compatible handset (one with a pre-installed messaging client) running over a GPRS or 3GSM network. To start using mobile IM, users need to log-in to the IM application in order to activate the service.
Mobile IM is available from some operators now, but it is not always possible to use IM services between different operators and different IM communities. Other issues affecting existing IM services include concerns over security and cost transparency for the end-user.
To this end, the GSM Association has been working with mobile operators to develop a true inter-network IM service. This initiative, called "Personal IM", is designed to attach the GSM principles of interoperability, ease-of-use, security, reliability and the calling-party-pays cost model to global IM services.
Many of the world's largest operators - including Aircel, Bharti, BSNL, China Mobile, Hutchison Essar, Idea, MTNL, Orange, Spice, Telefónica, TeliaSonera, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile), T-Mobile, Turkcell and Vodafone - have signed 32 letters of intent leading to interoperability agreements that will ensure IM services can be used across different networks and countries.
Further operators are expected to join the initiative. For more details on the initiative, announced in February 2006, please click here.
Please contact your operator to determine whether your network supports mobile IM services.
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Email
Wireless email is the ability to send and receive email over wireless devices. As 2.5G (GPRS) and 3GSM networks give users constant connectivity access to their email, wireless email services are expected to become increasingly popular.
There are a wide variety of handsets available today that support wireless 'push' email services. Push refers to technologies that allow a central system, for example the mobile phone network, to send or push information to an end-user without any action on their part or on the part of the mobile device. With push email, emails are sent directly to the mobile device as soon as the email server receives them rather than waiting for the user or email client to request the email.
Today's 'push' email devices range from mid-priced mobile phones through to smartphones and specific email devices such as the Blackberry. In order to use wireless email services, devices must have software capable of supporting such applications. Please contact your operator to determine whether your network supports email services.
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