MMS. Technologies, Usage and Business Models. Daniel Ralph BTexact Technologies, Ipswich, UK. Paul Graham eservglobal, Ipswich, UK

Transcription

1 MMS Technologies, Usage and Business Models Daniel Ralph BTexact Technologies, Ipswich, UK Paul Graham eservglobal, Ipswich, UK

2

3 MMS Technologies, Usage and Business Models

4

5 MMS Technologies, Usage and Business Models Daniel Ralph BTexact Technologies, Ipswich, UK Paul Graham eservglobal, Ipswich, UK

6 Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England Telephone (þ44) (for orders and customer service enquiries): cs-books@wiley.co.uk Visit our Home Page on or 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, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England, or ed to permreq@wiley.co.uk, or faxed to (þ44) 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. Other Wiley Editorial Offices John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA , USA Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, Boschstr. 12, D Weinheim, Germany John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, 33 Park Road, Milton, Queensland 4064, Australia John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, 2 Clementi Loop #02-01, Jin Xing Distripark, Singapore John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd, 22 Worcester Road, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada M9W 1L1 Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN Project management by Originator, Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk (typeset in 11/13pt Palatino) Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe, Chippenham, Wiltshire This book is printed on acid-free paper responsibly manufactured from sustainable forestry in which at least two trees are planted for each one used for paper production.

7 Contents About the Authors How This Book Is Organized Acknowledgements xiii xv xxi Part I Mobile Messaging Business Challenges 1 1 Multimedia Messaging Overview Introduction What is multimedia messaging? Vodafone Live! service Services on offer J-Phone Sha-Mail service Openwave Multimedia Messaging Service Centre MMSC for carriers MMSC for end-users Growing mobile data revenues Device availability Convergence Toward third generation Support technologies Location information Personalization Mobile commerce Unstructured Supplementary Service Data The challenges of multimedia messaging Usability New usage scenarios New business models 33 Multimedia Messaging Service Daniel Ralph and Paul Graham # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN:

8 vi CONTENTS The interoperability challenge Security and privacy 38 2 The Multimedia Messaging Value Chain Introduction Infrastructure equipment vendors Content providers Mobile device manufacturers Mobile network operators Revenue share business models Sponsorship business models Subscription business models Digital Rights Management (DRM) Concluding remarks 60 Part II The Technologies of Multimedia Messaging 61 3 A Standards-based Approach Introduction Overview of MMS specifications To receive a message To send a message GPP Release 5 architecture overview What is an MMSC? Basic functionality of an MMSC MMS addressing models Multimedia Messaging Service Environment MMSNA MMS relay/server MMS user databases MMS user agent MMS VAS applications MMS reference architecture MM4: Interworking of different MMSEs MM7: MMS relay/server MMS VAS applications Example of MMS interaction with 2G/3G voic boxes Open Mobile Alliance the WAP standard Architectural support for MMS MMS and WAP-PUSH Future developments MMS user agent (MM1) Interworking with legacy systems (MM3) Interconnection with different MMSEs (MM4) User database-related items (MM6) Value Added Service Provider-related items (MM7) Billing-related items (MM8) End-to-end service items 84

9 CONTENTS vii 4 Application Layer Introduction What is scalable vector graphics? What is MIME? What is XHTML mobile profile? What is SOAP? Messaging terminals Pogo nvoy e Nokia N-Gage Ericsson P Device and client requirements MM1: MMS relay/server and MMS user agent MMS user agent operations Device capability profile structure Terminal capability negotiation Digital Rights Management Provisioning Device provisioning Service provisioning Control provisioning Device presentation MMS and legacy handsets Dynamic MMS content adaptation Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language SMIL structure overview Application development Nokia MMS development environment overview Adobe GoLive content authoring Series 60 content authoring SDK for Symbian OS Using the Series 60 Content Authoring SDK for Symbian OS Sending and receiving an MM with the Series 60 MMS emulator Nokia MMS Java Libraries Installing Nokia MMS Java libraries Ericsson MMS development environment overview SonyEricsson MMS Composer version Audio conversion Application testing The Nokia EAIF emulator External application Creating and compiling MMS message files Sending MMS notifications Application deployment Content management Value Added Service Provider Technical specification of how VASP applications are delivered with MM7 136

10 viii CONTENTS Submitting a VAS MM Delivery request Cancel and replace of MM Delivery reporting to VASP Generic error handling Distribution list adminstration Implementation of MM7 abstract messages SOAP message format and encoding principles Binding to HTTP MM7 addressing considerations Status reporting Request and error status codes Mapping information elements to SOAP elements MM7_submit.REQ mapping MM7_submit.RES mapping Sample message submission MM7_deliver.REQ mapping MM7_deliver.RES Sample deliver request and response MMS video streaming Mobile video services Terminal support for video services Network support for video services Packet Streaming Service Video standards Video coding Open source video tools The challenge for mobile operators Concluding remarks Network Layer Introduction MMS network elements MMS relay/server Persistent network-based storage MMS user databases and Home Location Register (HLR) Billing system External servers MMSC Network interfaces MM3: MMS relay/server external servers MM4: interworking of different MMSEs MM5: MMS relay/server HLR MM6: MMS relay/server MMS user databases MM8: MMS relay/server billing system WAP gateway Wireless Transaction Protocol Segmentation and Reassembly 174

11 CONTENTS ix 5.6 Large-scale mail systems Persistent network-based storage Multimedia Message Box (MMBox) Storing and updating MMs in an MMBox Normal operation Abnormal operation Features Information elements in the MM1_mmbox_store.REQ Information elements in the MM1_mmbox_store.RES View the MMBox Normal operations Abnormal operations Features Information elements in the MM1_mmbox_view.REQ Information elements in the MM1_mmbox_view.RES Service records for a MMS relay/server that supports MMBoxes Access to MMboxes using legacy GSM handsets MMBox peer-to-peer sharing Mobile data billing systems and the MM8 interface Charging information Charging scenarios Record description MMS records for originator MMS relay/server MMS records for recipient MMS relay/server Prepaid subscribers OSA charging, accounting interfaces used in MM Introduction to Open Service Access Overview of Open Service Access Basic mechanisms in the Open Service Access Handling of end-user-related security End-user authorization to applications Application authorization to end-users End-user privacy Account management SCF Charging SCF Sequence diagrams Reservation/Payment in parts Immediate charge Inband MMS detection for charging Fraud Sample charging scenario MMS billing and accounting Advice of charge 225

12 x CONTENTS Changing models Support for reply-charging in MMS Internetwork interoperability using the MM4 interface The MM4 interface Resolving the recipient s MMSE IP address Reformatting sender and recipient addresses to Full Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) format DNS-ENUM recipient MS-ISDN address resolution Recipient MS-ISDN address resolution based on IMSI The importance of interoperability Technical obstacles Commercial obstacles Open source components for building an MMSC Network capacity and application limitations Concluding remarks 243 Part III Multimedia Messaging Services Today and Tomorrow Multimedia Messaging Services Today Introduction Orange in the UK Mobistar Belgium O 2 in the UK M1 of Singapore Tecnomen and France Telecom Dominicana in the Dominican Republic Persistent store provider in the UK ITN in the UK an example of a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) Hutchinson Whampoa s UK 3G service Australian mobile operators MMS roaming between Singapore, Australia and the Philippines MMS in Sweden TIM and the Walt Disney Internet Group in Italy Cellcom in Israel Sonofon in Denmark Telia Mobile in Finland StarHub Singapore Beijing Mobile in China Orange in Switzerland Plus GSM in Poland MMS used to enhance interactive TV 260

13 CONTENTS xi 6.2 Mobile personal communication Mobile dating Mobile marketing Diageo and Genie in SMS marketing deal Short-term opportunity: target MMS-curious consumers on the Web Mobile-centric campaigns hold greatest promise over the long term Mobile information services Mobile entertainment Interactive pick-a-path video Interactive music selection Collectable cards Celebration cards Adult services Comics, jokes and icons Horoscopes Quizzes and competitions MMS and the young person market Mobile business applications and services MMS law enforcement Concluding remarks Future Recommendations Introduction Mobile messaging evolution and migration Types of multimedia messaging Market barriers Instant Messaging Service MExE MExE classmark 1 (WAP environment) MExE classmark 2 (Personal Java environment) MExE classmark 3 (J2ME CLDC environment) MExE classmark 4 (CLI Compact Profile environment) Java 2 Micro Edition Personal Java and Embedded Java Device interoperability Digital Rights Management Differentiate content and control levels m-commerce Mobile payment options Web services GPP Personal Service Environment (PSE) GPP Generic User Profile Liberty Alliance Microsoft Passport Improved billing mechanisms 294

14 xii CONTENTS 7.12 Location-based services J-Phone: me a map Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service Broadcast Multimedia-Switching Centre MBMS data sources Concluding remarks 300 Table of Infrastructure, Content and Software Vendors 301 Glossary 317 Standards and Specifications 343 Websites 345 Industrial Fora, Regulatory Organizations and Other Relevant Initiatives 347 References 349 Index 353

15 About the Authors Daniel Ralph is an engineering manager at BTexact Technologies, where he is responsible for a number of projects in the mobile applications arena. He currently consults and project-manages application development, application integration and systems migration, and is also interested in the wider commercial, social and political implications associated with the impact of the knowledge society. Daniel received his masters degree in Telecommunications Engineering at University College London. He also holds a BSc(Hons) in Computer Science from the Open University. He is a member of the British Computer Society and is a chartered engineer. He has authored a number of journal papers and presented at conferences on the subject of delivering services via mobility portals and technologies of the mobile Internet. Paul Graham is an engineering manager at eservglobal, where he is responsible for a number of projects associated with the development of Intelligent Network Services and mobile applications. Paul received his master s degree in Telecommunications Technology at Aston University. He also holds a BEng in Electronics from Southampton University. He is a member of the IEE and has vast experience in the telecommunications industry, having served three years at BT s research facility at Martlesham Heath (near Ipswich), followed by five years working for G8 Labs/eServGlobal. Multimedia Messaging Service Daniel Ralph and Paul Graham # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN:

16 xiv ABOUT THE AUTHORS This includes periods working for Stratus, Ascend and Lucent Technologies in the USA and throughout Europe. His current interests include next-generation Internet services and mobile services. He specializes in billing systems and data services.

17 How This Book Is Organized We have tried to organize the chapters in this book in a modular fashion to accommodate the interests and backgrounds of as many readers as possible. We have also tried to keep a fairly informal style, while doing our best to introduce every single technical term and acronym (after having read through the first chapter, you will realize that there are quite a few). There is also a glossary of terms provided at the end of the book to save you from having to remember where each term was first introduced especially if you do not plan to read every chapter. In general, we have assumed a fairly minimal technological understanding. If you are a manager who reads technology articles in publications such as Computing or The Financial Times, you should have no problem following and will hopefully enjoy the many serviceoriented discussions we have included. On the other hand, if you are a developer who is already familiar with mobile communication technologies, Internet protocols or encryption, you might want to just skim through the first few pages of chapters where we briefly review some of the basics associated with these technologies. In general, we have tried to stay away from deep technological discussions the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Multimedia Messaging Service Daniel Ralph and Paul Graham # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN:

18 xvi HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED RFC (Request For Comments) provide sufficient technical detail on each of the technologies we cover, some of which are listed in the references at the end of this text. Instead, our goal is to give you a broad overview of the many business models, technologies and services of Multimedia Messaging Services (MMSs). In the process we try to show how technologies and standards impact the business models of players across the value chain, and how existing and new business models and usage scenarios also drive the development of new technologies and standards. Specifically, the book is organized in three parts. PART I MOBILE MESSAGING BUSINESS CHALLENGES Chapter 1 Multimedia Messaging Overview Here, we attempt to understand the MMS proposition. We take a look at some of the services and business models of different players across the value chain. In the process, we review the drivers behind MMS and explain how they differ from the Short Message Service (SMS) and the Enhanced Message Service (EMS). Hopefully, by the time you reach the end of this chapter, you will have realized that multimedia messaging is very different not just in technology terms but also in terms of services, usage scenarios, players and business models. Chapter 2 The Multimedia Messaging Value Chain In Chapter 2 we take a look at the many different categories of players found across the multimedia messaging value chain. We try to understand the context within which they operate, and how the threats and opportunities of multimedia messaging impact their business models. This includes a discussion of mobile operators, content providers, handset manufacturers and equipment providers.

19 HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED xvii PART II THE TECHNOLOGIES OF MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING Chapter 3 A Standards-based Approach Chapter 3 starts with an introduction to the major standards activities that underpin the implementation of MMS and follows on with an overview of the main MMS and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) standards. Rather than getting into the detailed specifics of each release of these standards, our discussion focuses on major features, such as video streaming, billing, content provision, interoperability, message delivery and storage. We also look at the roadmap associated with the future developments envisaged in MMS Release 6. Chapter 4 Application Layer In this chaper we begin by discussing the variety of terminal types supporting the MMS standard. This leads to the issues of content adaptation, device support requirements, presentation and lastly provisioning of services. An introduction to the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (often referred to as SMIL) enables an understanding of the capability of MMS that extends it far beyond the sending of static images. Then follows guidance on how to develop content for deployment on MMS devices. Content providers will be required to use a specific interface provided from the mobile operator s network; this will support billing, authentication and audit as a minimum and is an important area for the deployment of MMS. The implications for WAP gateway infrastructure are discussed, and the chapter concludes with an overview of MMS streaming, an enhancement to support video playback to MMS devices. Chapter 5 Network Layer In this chapter we detail the enabling network technologies behind MMS. It commences with an outline of each component, from the MMS server/relay, the database interactions, network interoper-

20 xviii HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED ability and operation with billing and accounting systems. The chapter covers billing systems and the methods in which MMS will rate and charge for usage, as it is felt this is a significant and important topic for operators and service providers. Having an understanding of the standards available will allow operators to develop novel methods in which to charge for the usage of the service and give a competitive edge. Example billing scenarios are covered, as well as ideas for realizing them. It also examines new concepts such as the MMBox, a standards-based method to enable persistent network storage of multimedia messages, and concepts such as reply charging, which provides a method to enable senders of multimedia messages to pay for replies to them, very important in the world of advertising and marketing. The chapter includes a discussion about developing the required software components, covering the concept of using open source software and its viability within the MMS environment. The chapter concludes with the topic of interoperability, important for message transfer between different networks and roaming. PART III MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING SERVICES TODAY AND TOMORROW Chapter 6 Multimedia Messaging Services Today Part III is where all the pieces come together. We begin by looking at MMSs available today. Our discussion covers both consumer services and business applications. Here, we review mobile portals as well as a number of specific services such as locationbased services, retailing and mobile entertainment. In each case we look at emerging usage scenarios and business opportunities and compare the approaches taken by different players. We conclude the book with future recommendations, tackling such issues as interoperability and evolution. Chapter 7 Future Recommendations Many of today s MMSs remain very limited when it comes to offering customers services that are directly relevant to their pref-

21 HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED xix erences, location or other context-based attributes (e.g., weather, travel plans, people you are with and so forth). In this chapter we introduce new solutions aimed at facilitating personalization and context awareness to mobile services. This includes a discussion of the 3GPP Personal Services Environment (PSE) and Generic User Profile (GUP), which aims to provide a single repository for all customers personal preferences. Similar industry efforts have been launched, including Microsoft Passport and Sun Liberty Alliance. FURTHER READINGS For those of you interested in further exploring the topics discussed in this text, we have included a list of references and websites at the end of the book. Finally, a summary of each chapter is provided along with a guide for how to read this book depending on your specific background and interests. As you will see, we have tried to keep the text modular to accommodate as broad a range of readers as possible. We hope you find this easy to navigate. Enjoy the book!

22

23 Acknowledgements One of the primary aims of this book is to share some of the learning experiences gained over the last few years from developing and integrating technologies required in the deployment of MMSs for mobile operators. Most of my experience in the arena of the mobile Internet has been gained at the application layer, developing and integrating applications and infrastructure for mobile operators, large corporates and banks. With my colleagues I have worked on projects including: WAP banking, Manx 3G Showcase, O2 Unified Messaging and many bespoke business applications. I would like, in particular, to thank Andy Pearson (BTexact) for his support and for giving me the time to work on this book while managing my engineering responsibilities and Ian Dufour (BTexact), without whose encouragement and support this project would not have been possible. I would like to thank my co-author, Paul Graham (eservglobal) for his invaluable input and experience in the areas of billing and networks. This has enabled a rounded perspective of the topic. The editorial team at Wiley have been fantastic. Special thanks to Sally Mortimore, my editor, for giving me the opportunity to have my work published. Thanks also to the other members of the team, including Birgit Gruber and the reviewers. I am indebted to Ian Harris (Chairman 3GPP/TSG T2) and Dario Betti (Ovum) for discussions on the opportunities and Multimedia Messaging Service Daniel Ralph and Paul Graham # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN:

24 xxii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS challenges presented by MMS and to my BT exact colleagues Julie Harmer, Xin Guo and Stephen Searby for their engineering support. Thanks also to Gwenael Le Bodic for his detailed technical analysis of the topic of MMS and the 3GPP specifications. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Sarah for putting up with my disappearing acts to complete another chapter. This book gives me the opportunity to thank her for her love and unfailing support. Daniel Ralph Ipswich, UK daniel.ralph@bt.com I would like to thank all those who have provided support over the years, including Mike Scott, Adrian Seal and Andrew Taylor. To my co-author Daniel, for providing the foundation for the book and for allowing us to continue our professional relationship, which has continued to be successful. I ve worked on many enoyable projects with KPN, Mobistar Belgium and BT, which have provided invaluable experience. Special thanks to Robert Edwards for offering continued superior technical advice and for reviewing the work. And finally thanks to Celine Hamel for her complete support and understanding during the project and throughout my career. Paul Graham eservglobal paul.graham@eservglobal.com

25 Part I Mobile Messaging Business Challenges

26

27 1 Multimedia Messaging Overview 1.1 INTRODUCTION Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is the evolution of basic text messaging services into a wide range of multimedia content and services delivered to a mobile device. It involves new and existing technologies, promises innovative services and is supported by proven business models. It is quite different from traditional Internet services as its integration with billing systems allows for per message billing and premium content services, all delivered without the need for additional subscriptions. With the improved capability of mobile devices, in terms of increased processing power and bandwidth, mobile operators are making the transition from supporting voice-only communication to embracing data-driven applications (or data services). The most notable of these data services is the Short Message Service (SMS); during 2002 globally in excess of 24 billion messages were sent in one month. This trend is set to continue with worldwide estimates of 360 billion SMS messages to be sent in 2003 ( This phenomenon has driven UK mobile operators data revenue up by over 10%. It is this strong growth (faced with declining voice revenues) that gave some operators in the European mobile industry unrealistic expectations of consumer and corporate spend, often Multimedia Messaging Service Daniel Ralph and Paul Graham # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd ISBN:

28 4 MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING OVERVIEW referred to as Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). The expectation of higher revenues from data services in turn led to the $116 billion spent on 3G (Third Generation) licenses across Europe by mobile operators. In Japan the NTT DoCoMo i-mode service was tremendously successful in engaging the consumer market and provided information, location, entertainment and gaming services to mobile devices with colour screens and always-on data connections. This led to over 37 million subscribers within three years and more recently attempts to recreate this business model outside Japan ( The Japanese operator J-Phone launched a photo-messaging service in 2000 and, while the image quality is of low resolution, they achieved over 7 million handset subscribers by 2002 ( media centre). In writing this book, our objective is to highlight the impact of MMS on the infrastructure and business models of mobile operators, service providers and content providers. The effect on business models is directly related to the usability and ease of configuration of the service, not forgetting the pricing and billing strategy adopted by the service provider, content provider and mobile operator. We follow this up with an overview of MMS technology components: application presentation to mobile terminals, interface definitions and network elements essential in developing and delivering MMS. Furthermore, the mobile operator infrastructure requires fundamental changes to mail and billing systems and the complexity of integrating high transaction services should not be underestimated. In this chapter we describe the fundamentals of the service offering behind MMS and examine the challenges facing the mobile industry in the growth of data services. This is supplemented by a detailed assessment of the challenges facing MMS deployments and associated revenue generation. 1.2 WHAT IS MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING? SMS, Enhanced Message Service (EMS) and MMS are nonproprietary, open standards for Person-to-Person (P2P) and Machine-to-Person (P2M) messaging over a signalling channel of a GSM (Global System for Mobile) network (in the case of SMS) or a

29 1.2 WHAT IS MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING? 5 packet-based mobile network (in the case of EMS and MMS). Unlike proprietary technologies, such as Nokia Smart Messaging or the Cybiko, they have been developed and maintained within recognized industry forums. When comparing functionality an evolutionary path can be seen by means of three standards:. SMS enables mobile phone users to send short, plain-text messages to other mobile phone users;. EMS enables mobile phone users to send longer text messages, plus simple graphics and sounds, to other mobile phone users;. MMS enables mobile phone users to send formatted text messages (theoretically of any length), plus graphics, photographic images, and audio and video content, to other mobile phone users and to users. The EMS and MMS are specifications being developed by the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) and the technical realizations of MMS are prepared by the Open Mobile Alliance (previously known as the WAP Forum). There may be two separate stages of evolution from SMS, with users being migrated first from SMS to EMS, and then from EMS to MMS (Svensson, 2001). The principal features are summarized in Figure 1.1. Because each standard provides clear additional features to its predecessor, mobile messaging can follow a simple transition from SMS, to EMS and finally to MMS. However, even though MMS is based on a very different set of technologies from the other two standards, the migration path between them will use many of the existing systems (e.g., SMSC [SMS Centre], WAP Gateway, Billing Systems and Home Location Register [HLR]). There are also factors relating to the timing of the standards and to industry politics, which may limit the significance of EMS in the overall development of mobile messaging. Significantly, Nokia have not committed to implement the EMS standard on its range of phones and this will severely impact the long-term availability of the service. So, while some migration through EMS will occur, as shown on p. 7, in the main the migration that will take place in mobile messaging over the next few years will likely be straight from SMS to MMS. With MMS, subscribers are able to compose and receive messages ranging from simple plain text messages, as found in SMS

30 6 MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING OVERVIEW SMS EMS MMS f Plain text, black only f Plain text, simple f Text, colour, graphics and sound graphics, images, audio and video f 160 characters max. f Upper limit on f K message message size size f SS7/MAP in-brand f SS7/MAP in-band f Utilizes IP-based signalling protocol signalling protocol standards and Internet content standards f Messages can be sent f Messages can be sent f Messages can be sent to mobile phone to mobile phone to mobile phone numbers numbers numbers and addresses f Supported by nearly f Low handset f Rapidly increasing all GSM phones in penetration handset penetration current use SMS ¼ Short Messaging Service; MMS ¼ Multimedia Message Service; SS7/MAP ¼ Signalling System 7/Mobile Application Part; GSM ¼ Global System for Mobile communication; IP ¼ Internet Protocol. Figure 1.1 SMS to MMS evolution Source: Vodafone website and EMS, to complex multimedia messages (similar to Shockwave Flash animations found on websites). A Multimedia Message (MM) can be structured as a slideshow, similar to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. Each slide is composed of elements such as text, audio, video or images and the period of time each element is displayed or played (within the slide) can be determined by the content developer. Support is available to send messages to distribution lists and manage the delivery and read reply reports. Messages can have different class types, such as advert, information or personal. The concept of message notification allows immediate or deferred retrieval of messages.