SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS)

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1 SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS) THE CREATION OF PERSONAL GLOBAL TEXT MESSAGING Friedhelm Hillebrand (Editor) Hillebrand & Partners, Germany Finn Trosby Telenor, Norway Kevin Holley Telefónica Europe, UK Ian Harris Research In Motion, Canada A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., Publication

3 SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS)

5 SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS) THE CREATION OF PERSONAL GLOBAL TEXT MESSAGING Friedhelm Hillebrand (Editor) Hillebrand & Partners, Germany Finn Trosby Telenor, Norway Kevin Holley Telefónica Europe, UK Ian Harris Research In Motion, Canada A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., Publication

6 This edition first published John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Registered office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book, please see our website at The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Harris, Ian, Short message service (SMS) : the creation of global personal text messaging / Friedhelm Hillebrand, editor ; Ian Harris, Kevin Holley, Finn Trosby. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN (cloth) 1. Text messages (Telephone systems) 2. Instant messaging. I. Hillebrand, Friedhelm. II. Holley, Kevin, III. Trosby, Finn. IV. Title. TK H dc British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN (H/B) Typeset in 10/12.5pt Times by Laserwords Private Limited, Chennai, India Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire

7 Contents Introduction xiii 1 Communication Networks in the Early 1980s and the Portfolio of GSM Services 1 F. Hillebrand 1.1 Station-to-station Morse Telegraphy, the Origin of All Modern Technical Text Communication Network-based Communication Services in the Early 1980s Telephony Telex, the Forefather of Modern Text Communication The Advent of Many Faster Transport Techniques for Text and Data Creation of New, Fully Standardised Text Communication Services Creation of Value-added Text Communication Services Based on Servers The Development of Private Mobile Radio Networks Internet, Web Browsing and as the Winners in Communication in Fixed Networks Services Portfolio of GSM Way of Working in GSM Standardisation Service Philosophy of GSM Developed from 1982 to GSM s Fixed-network-service Companions Reference Model Teleservices Bearer Services GSM Mobile Telephony and SMS the Most Successful Telecommunication Services 12 2 Who Invented SMS? 15 F. Hillebrand 2.1 Introduction Clarification of the Terms Invention and Innovation Invention 15

8 vi Contents Innovation Was SMS Invented during the ISDN Work? Was SMS Invented by Test Engineers, Students or in a Pizzeria Session? Was SMS Discovered or Invented by Test Engineers or Students? Was SMS Invented in a Copenhagen Pizzeria Session in 1982? A Clarifying Discussion within the GSM Community in Spring Timetables of SMS Genesis Concept Development and Standardisation of SMS Development of SMS in the Market 21 3 The Creation of the SMS Concept from Mid-1984 to Early F. Hillebrand 3.1 The Birth of the SMS Concept in the French and German Network Operators Introduction Documentary Evidence that Survived Roots of SMS in Enhanced Paging Integrated in a Multiservice Mobile Communication System A Surprising Proposal in the S900 Interim System Context The Mutation of an Enhanced Paging Service to a General Short Messaging Service in the Specification Process of the DF900 Trial Systems for GSM A Technical Discussion and Input to GSM#07 Plenary in November Memories of the Work on the SMS Concept in the Second Half of The Overall Expectations and Possibilities in the early 80s A Possible Concept for a General Short Message Service Feasibility of a Short Message Service Coding of Characters and Text Formatting Display and Generation of Short Messages Communication Directions First Step to a Realisation: The Proposal for Standardisation Submitted to GSM#07 Plenary in Oslo from 25 February to 1 March The Start of the SMS Standardisation The Proposed Structure and Classification for Standardisation The Finalisation of the Input Significance of the Results in the DF900 Cooperation in the Second Half of The Standardisation of the SMS Concept in the GSM Committee from February 1985 to April

9 Contents vii Agreement on GSM Service Scope and the SMS Service Concept in the First Half of Process First SMS Service Concept in CEPT GSM Elaboration of the SMS Service Requirements Scope of Work in WP1 from Mid-1985 to Early SMS Work Included in Recommendation GSM Teleservices Supported by a GSM PLMN A More Elaborate Service Concept and a First Technical Concept Other Service Aspects Work on SMS Network Aspects from Mid-1985 to April Conclusions The Acceleration of the GSM Project, Including SMS in The Decisions of GSM#13 in February 1987 on SMS The GSM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and its Influence on SMS The Beginning of IDEG/WP4 and DGMH 43 4 The Technical Design of SMS in DGMH from June 1987 to October F. Trosby 4.1 Background Some Personal Sentiments at the Start The Instructions that IDEG Were Given for Provision of SMS Overall Description of the Work in the Period from 1987 to 1990 and Work Items Dealt with General Network Architecture and Transport Mechanisms Service Elements Supplementary Services Short Message Length and Alphabet The SMS of September Some General Remarks on the Way that Services, Networks and Communication Protocols Were Described in the Late 1980s The Specifications Defining the Short Message Service Mid Network Architecture Service and Service Elements Protocol Architecture and Service Definition Principle Schemes of Short Message Transfer The Mobile-terminated Case The Mobile-originated Case Addressing Capabilities 62

10 viii Contents Maximum Length of Message Alphabet Available for User Information Major Design Issues General Inter-MSC Transfer of Short Messages by X.25 or Signalling Capabilities? Service Centre Inside or Outside the PLMN? What Interface to Choose for the SMS-SC SMS-GMSC/ SMS-IWMSC Connection? Fixed Interworking or Variable Interworking? Some Concluding Remarks Final Remarks on the Period of the First Three Years of DGMH Work on SMS in GSM Bodies Outside GSM GSM Map Operations for the Support of SMS Other Tasks of DGMH 73 5 The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from October 1990 to the End of K. Holley 5.1 Topics Discussed in this Chapter Technical Improvements to SMS Continuous Message Flow Multiple Service Centre Scenarios Delivery Reports SMS Character Sets SMS an Optional Feature? Storing SMS on the SIM Card Unacknowledged SMS Memory Capacity Available SMS Negative Time Zone Length of Binary SMS Sending to and Receiving from Non-Numeric Addresses SMS API Storage of SMS in the Phone Upgrading Network Capability Reduces SMS Length SMS to an External Terminal Specifying Service Centre Interconnect to the Cellular Network Replace Short Message Detecting Terminal Capabilities Nokia Cellular Data Card 86

11 Contents ix Improved Error Reporting Receiving SMS from External Systems Avoiding SMS Duplicates Expanding SMS Character Capabilities Using SMS to Alert to Waiting Voic Which Time Zone to Use for SMS Delaying SMS after Phone Power-On Manual Flow Control SIM Management by SMS Icons for Voic Alert Ensuring Proper Display Control via Control Characters Concatenated SMS SMS Divert SMS Message Indication More on SMS Alphabet Coding Interworking with SMS Between Networks Use of AT Commands for SMS SMS Compression More on New Alphabets More on International SMS Messaging Concluding Remarks on the SMS Period The Evolution of SMS Features and Specifications from the Beginning of 1997 to Mid I. Harris 6.1 SIM Toolkit Data Download and Secure Messaging SMS Compression Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) Voic Management Routers Language Tables Other Important Standards Work for SMS Reserved Code Points Port Numbers Support of SMS in GPRS and UMTS The End of an Era Further Reading Early Commercial Applications and Operational Aspects 111 I. Harris 7.1 Fixed-network Connection to the SMS-SC 112

12 x Contents 7.2 Network Operator Interworking, Roaming and Number Portability Third-party SMS-SCs Intelligent Terminal Connections to Mobile Phones SMS Keyboard Text Entry SMS to Fax and SMS to Two-way Real-time Messaging Applications Performance SMS Traffic Growth Billing The Content Provider Access (CPA) Model Deployed in Norway SMS in Global Market Development 125 F. Hillebrand 8.1 The Creation of a Large Base of Mobiles and the Global SMS Infrastructure First Use of SMS by Network Operators How SMS Was Discovered by Young People and Became a Part of the Youth Culture and Widely Accepted SMS Has Become the Leading Mobile Messaging Service and Will Stay in the Lead in the Foreseeable Future Global SMS Traffic and Revenues in Model 1: a Simple Calculation Model 2: Research by a Market Research Firm Model 3: Another Crude Extrapolation Conclusion Some Considerations about the Market Development A Forecast for Long-term Prospects for SMS Conclusions 131 F. Hillebrand 9.1 Factors that Were Critical for the Success of SMS Proposals for a Further Evolution of SMS: SMS Phase What Can be Learnt from SMS for Standardisation in Other Areas General Aspects A Proposal for Optimising MMS by a New, Simple, Ubiquitous MMS 133 Annex 1 Abbreviations Used in Several Parts of the Book 135 Annex 2 Sources for Quoted GSM Documents and Other Documents 139

13 Contents xi Annex 3 Meetings of IDEG/WP4/GSM4 and DGMH in the Period from May 1987 to September Annex 4 DGMH Attendance in the Period from May 1987 to September Annex 5 Meetings of GSM4/SMG 4 and DGMH in the Period from October 1990 to the End of Annex 6 DGMH Attendance in the Period from October 1990 to the End of Annex 7 Evolution of GSM Specification Annex 8 Literature 165 Annex 9 Brief Biographies of the Authors 167 Index 173

15 Introduction F. Hillebrand SMS has many applications globally, but personal text messaging, measured in terms of traffic and users, is by far the most common SMS application. We have therefore chosen a title that stresses this personal text phenomenon. Reasons for this Book SMS is an incredible global success. At the time of writing (mid-2009) it can be used by all 4 billion GSM customers. More than 50 short messages are generated per month per GSM user. The service has created a $100 billion turnover industry. This success has been enabled mainly by the comprehensive and robust standards that have been made mandatory for every network and for every mobile from the very beginning. The standardisation of SMS started in February 1985 within the framework of GSM standardisation. We will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of SMS in early There is an interest in understanding how this service was created, but no comprehensive description of the genesis of SMS is available. Hence, this book will provide a record of the genesis of SMS. The book is written by people who have been at the forefront of GSM/SMS standardisation work from the time the first ideas of an SMS service were created to the present day. Therefore this book can describe the genesis of SMS from the beginning to present day. A review of the present situation and of market forecasts shows that SMS has a promising long-term future. Improved Access to the Documents upon which this Book is Based The authors have attempted as far as possible to base the contents of this book on documentary evidence. The physical and electronic archives of ETSI contain many documents dating back to the early 1990s. However, all temporary documents of the first six GSM

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