What is the full form of SMS

What is the full form of SMS

SMS: Short Message Service

SMS stands for Short Message Service.

It is basically a standardized communication protocol that is used for the exchange of text messages between mobile devices. It is one of the most widely used data applications. One can send SMS by using a smartphone, any other mobile phone, or a computer system equipped with the web, etc. The maximum length that a text message can have is 160 alpha-numeric characters. 

History of SMS

Adding text messaging functionality to mobile devices began in the early 1980s. The first action plan of the CEPT Group GSM was approved in December 1982, requesting that “The services and facilities offered in the public switched telephone networks and public data networks. This plan included the exchange of text messages either directly between mobile stations, or transmitted via message handling systems in use at that time.

The SMS concept was developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. The GSM is optimized for telephony, since this was identified as its main application. The key idea for SMS was to use this telephone-optimized system, and to transport messages on the signalling paths needed to control the telephone traffic during periods when no signalling traffic existed. In this way, unused resources in the system could be used to transport messages at minimal cost. However, it was necessary to limit the length of the messages to 128 bytes (later improved to 160 seven-bit characters) so that the messages could fit into the existing signalling formats. Based on his personal observations and on analysis of the typical lengths of postcard and Telex messages, Hillebrand argued that 160 characters was sufficient for most brief communications.

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