SMS Text Messaging is hugely popular, and new technology that increases cell phone bandwidth will make Multimedia Messages the new preferred communications method.

Sending SMS text messages, technically identified as Short Message System (SMS), but also referred to as “texting”, is a straightforward, effortless, and convenient way to keep in touch to and from smartphones.  In addition to being a exceptional means for people to communicate, SMS texting can be a valuable system for software programs to exchange simple messages, and even settings commands, between  mobile devices.  SMS does not require a direct connection between mobile phones; the communications infrastructure for the process is already in position, and it works across most cellular networks. One facet of SMS text messaging that makes it especially valuable for mobile software applications is that it relies on mobile fixed identity, the phone number. This facet provide a distinct benefit over other technologies that utilize IP addresses because a mobile phone IP address can vary depending on current network.

Short Message Service (SMS) is a communication service component of the GSM mobile communication system.  It utilizes standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between mobile devices. SMS text messaging is the most commonly used data application on earth, boasting about 2.4 billion active users, or three quarters of all cellular phone subscribers.

SMS text messaging as used on modern mobile phones was originally defined as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards in 1985  as a means of transferring messages of up to 160 characters, between GSM mobile handsets.  Since then service support has expanded to include other mobile technologies such as ANSI CDMA networks and Digital AMPS, as well as satellite and landline networks.  Most SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text messages, though the standard supports other kinds of broadcast messaging as well.  Computer to mobile SMS capabilities are also growing rapidly.

Global System for Mobile Communications was initially named Groupe Spécial Mobile.  It is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems on the planet. The GSM Association, the promoting industry organization of mobile phone network providers and manufacturers, estimates that about 80% of the world mobile market uses it.  GSM is utilized by over 3 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories.  Its pervasiveness  allows international roaming agreements between mobile phone network providers, providing subscribers the use of their mobile phones all over the world.  GSM has evolved from its predecessor technologies demonstrated by the fact that both signaling and speech channels are digital.  This means GSM is thought of as a second generation (2G) mobile phone system.  Additionally, this  facilitates the extensive deployment of data communication applications.

The ubiquity of GSM deployment has been a benefit for consumers that are given the ability to roam and switch carriers without having to replace their mobile devices, and also to network providers, who can select equipment from a variety of equipment suppliers. GSM pioneered affordable implementation of SMS, which is now supported on other mobile phone standards.

Recent versions of the standard work with the initial GSM system.  Release ’97 of the standard upgraded to packet data capabilities by means of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Release ’99 introduced higher speed data transmission through Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE).

General packet radio service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data service available to users of the 2G and 3G GSM. In 2G systems.  GPRS data transfer is typically billed per megabyte of datatransferred, while data transfer using traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, without consideration of whether or not the user actually is transmitting or if it is in an idle state. GPRS is a best-effort packet switched service, as opposed to circuit switching, that has guaranteed quality of service during the connection for non-mobile users.

2G cellular systems combined with GPRS are regularly referred to as 2.5G.  2.5G is a technology bridge between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate-speed data transfer, by using unused time division multiple access (TDMA) channels. Originally it was intended to extend GPRS to cover other standards, but these networks are converting to the GSM standard.   GPRS is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer releases.

GPRS was created as a GSM response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode packet switched cellular technologies.  Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) was a wide-area mobile data service which used unused bandwidth normally used by AMPS mobile phones.  The service was discontinued along with with the retirement of the parent AMPS service.
CDPD was developed in the early 1990’s, with anticipation it would be a future technology. However, it had competition from existing slower but less expensive Mobitex and DataTac systems.  CDPD never gained general acceptance before newer, faster standards such as GPRS earned general acceptance and became dominant.

For consumers CDPD had very limited appeal.  AT&T Wireless initially sold the technology in the United States under the brandname PocketNet, one of the very first consumer wireless web service products. Cingular Wireless later offered CDPD under the Wireless Internet brand (as opposed to Wireless Internet Express, Cingular Wireless GPRS/EDGE data). AT&T Wireless PocketNet was generally considered a failure.  But, CDPD was used  by some enterprise and government networks.  It was especially popular as a first-generation wireless data solution for telemetry devices (machine to machine communications) and for public safety mobile data terminals.

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) (also referred to as Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), or IMT Single Carrier (IMT-SC), and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) is a backward-compatible digital mobile device technology that delivers improved data transmission rates on top of standard GSM.  EDGE is referred to as a 3G radio technology.  EDGE delivers  more than three-fold boost in both the capacity and performance of GSM/GPRS networks by incorporating sophisticated systems of coding and transmitting data, that deliver higher bit-rates per radio channel.  EDGE delivers broadband performance and can be used for high bandwidth data applications such as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

A very interesting software application that uses the connectivity between the mobile device  and the internet to capture and archive MMS Multi-Media Messages, GPS location,  SMS messages, and Call Event Logs is PhoneBeagle Mobile Monitoring.  Follow this link if you are interested in    Mobile Monitoring Software that works with with BlackBerry  and  Android  Smartphones,.    Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for  Parental Monitoring and Employee Monitoring of Mobile Phones .