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NowSMS Support Forums ⬆ NowSMS Support - SMS Issues ⬆ Archive through September 15, 2003 ⬆ |
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| Author | Message | |||
| chrisr |
I am interested in "sending only" SMS messages to users around the world, which in most non US countries is GSM. So as I understand it the nowSMS is a gateway that formats and sends SMS messages to a third party service provider as described in another email on this site. "So, to get started, you basically need to have an account with an SMS service provider ... either an operator directly (typically they only deal with high volume accounts), or an independent SMS service provider that acts as an aggregator." Would the nowSMS (on my server) integrate with the indepenent SMS Service provider over the internet? If I use a aggregator they take care of the interopability between carriers and charge me a fee for sending each message. I have a need to send bulk messages most likely in the 3000+ range to GSM phones. Is this a correct summary of the requirements? Who are some of the aggregators that work with nowSMS? Thanks | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support |
Chris, The toughest thing is getting started. There are so many different SMS service providers, so many different pricing plans ... different levels of quality of service ... with different areas of specialisation. In a nutshell, yes, you would be connecting to the provider over the internet (sometimes with a VPN for extra security). Providers that support one of the SMS specific protocols like SMPP or UCP/EMI are usually the most flexible for handling the various special types of binary SMS messages. If you use an HTTP based provider, then you have to configure URL templates to connect to their service. One of the nice things about NowSMS is that it's relatively easy to go in and change providers if you need to, without changing the rest of your system. You can also define multiple providers for handling different countries ... which can be quite useful to take advantage of providers that offer better service or pricing in particular countries. It seems that we have a lot of customers who have been using Clickatell at least initially. Here's a link to a thread that discusses their HTTP configuration parameters: http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/1/136.html#POST403 And I believe they are also now supporting SMPP connections as well, as referenced in this thread: http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/1/440.html Hope that helps! -bn | |||
| chrisr |
Thanks for the information. Where does one learn more about (SMPP or UCP/EMI or URL templates) and the positive and negatives about them so I can make an informed choice. At this point I have no idea which path to start Thanks | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support |
Hmm ... Well, I can point you toward the specifications for the protocols. I'm not sure that will help, but if you're interested, the SMPP specification can be found at http://www.smpp.org ... and the UCP/EMI specification can be found at http://www.cmg-wireless.com/wds/downloads/EMI_UCP_Specification_40.pdf ... But I'll try to explain a bit more. Basically, SMPP and UCP/EMI are two protocols that were developed for the purpose of connecting applications to SMS Centers over TCP/IP. SMPP was originally defined by Logica, and UCP/EMI was originally defined by CMG (now the two are one company). SMPP caught on as more of a standard. Logica started a group to further develop the protocol in cooperation with other companies. As a result, you started to see more SMPP implementations from other vendors. UCP/EMI is mostly just used by operators that have CMG SMSCs. It is pretty common in southern and central Europe, and there are a few independent providers in that region that have also implemented UCP/EMI. CIMD2 is the protocol for Nokia SMSCs. You see that mostly when connecting to operators that have Nokia SMSCs, I haven't really seen any independent providers that implement this protocol. When I talk about URL templates, essentially what I'm talking about here is providers that have you submit messages via the web (HTTP protocol). With them, basically each provider has deployed their own interface and set of parameters that you specify for sending messages. Some don't give you control over all options, or can have some language issues. Usually solutions that are based on HTTP are the cheapest. But they might not give you full control over the binary message format, which may or may not be an issue for your application(s). SMPP is good in that it is a protocol that was developed specifically for SMS, and it generally gives you the most control. It's good for different binary message types, different languages, etc. I'd suggest doing a web search on the term "SMS service provider" (with quotes around it), and investigate a few options. If you're US based, I've seen a number of US customers using the SMPP service provided by TSI (http://www.tsiconnections.com). If you're in the UK, I've seen a number of customers using MPP Global (http://www.mppglobal.com). I really hate to recommend anyone in particular ... in fact, I hesitant in naming some at the exclusion of others, as there are so many different providers ... each with their own set of strengths/weaknesses. -bn | |||
| chrisr |
Thanks for the info, it helps! | |||
