Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 1 of 6

Search HowStuffWorks and

Auto Stuff Science Stuff Health Stuff Entertainment Stuff People St
Computer Stuff Electronics Stuff Home Stuff Money Stuff Travel Stuff S

Main > Electronics > Telecommunications

Click here to go back to the normal view!

How SMS Works

by Jennifer Hord

Just when we're finally used to seeing everybody constantly talking

on their cell phones, it suddenly seems like no one is talking at all.
Instead, they're typing away on tiny numerical pads, using their cell
phones to send quick messages. SMS, or text messaging, has
replaced talking on the phone for a new "thumb generation" of
texters.

In this article, we'll find out how text messaging works, explore its
uses and learn why it sometimes takes a while for your text
message to get to its recipient.

What is SMS?
SMS stands for short message
service. Simply put, it is a method
SMS Attacks
Recently it has been suggested
of communication that sends text
that SMS messages could be
between cell phones, or from a PC
used to attack a cell phone
or handheld to a cell phone. The system. The basic idea is very
"short" part refers to the maximum simple. If a large number of
size of the text messages: 160 SMS messages were sent by
characters (letters, numbers or computers to phones in a small
symbols in the Latin alphabet). For geographical area (like a city),
other alphabets, such as Chinese, these messages would
the maximum SMS size is 70 overwhelm the control channels
characters. and make it impossible for the
cell phone system to set up
But how do SMS messages actually calls. Now that cell phone
get to your phone? If you have read providers know about the
How Cell Phones Work, you can possibility of this threat, they
actually see what is happening. can design systems to throttle
messages coming from the
SMSC onto the network.
Even if you are not talking on your
cell phone, your phone is constantly sending and receiving information. It is talking to its cell phone
tower over a pathway called a control channel. The reason for this chatter is so that the cell phone
system knows which cell your phone is in, and so that your phone can change cells as you move

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006
Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 2 of 6

around. Every so often, your phone and the tower will exchange a packet of data that lets both of
them know that everything is OK.

Your phone also uses the control channel for call setup. When someone tries to call you, the tower
sends your phone a message over the control channel that tells your phone to play its ring tone. The
tower also gives your phone a pair of voice channel frequencies to use for the call.

The control channel also provides the pathway for SMS messages. When a friend sends you an SMS
message, the message flows through the SMSC, then to the tower, and the tower sends the message
to your phone as a little packet of data on the control channel. In the same way, when you send a
message, your phone sends it to the tower on the control channel and it goes from the tower to the
SMSC and from there to its destination.

The actual data format for the message includes things like the length of the message, a time stamp,
the destination phone number, the format, etc. For a complete byte-by-byte breakdown of the
message format, see this page.

In the next section we'll learn about some of the uses and advantages of SMS.

Why 160 Characters?

SMS was designed to deliver short bursts of data such as
numerical pages. To avoid overloading the system with more than
the standard forward-and-response operation, the inventors of
SMS agreed on a 160-character maximum message size.

But the 160-character limit is not absolute. Length limitations may

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006
Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 3 of 6

vary depending on the network, phone model and wireless carrier.

Some phones don't allow you to keep typing once the 160-
character limit is reached. You must send your message before
continuing. However, some services will automatically break any
message you send into chunks of 160 characters or less. So, you
can type and send a long message, but it will be delivered as
several messages.

Why use SMS?

SMS has several advantages. It is more discreet than a phone
conversation, making it the ideal form for communicating when you
don't want to be overheard. It is often less time-consuming to send a
text message than to make a phone call or send an e-mail. SMS
doesn't require you to be at your computer like e-mail and instant
messaging (IM) do -- although some phones are equipped for
mobile e-mail and IM services. SMS is also a convenient way for
deaf and hearing-impaired people to communicate.

SMS is a store-and-forward service, meaning that when you send a

text message to a friend, the message does not go directly to your
friend's cell phone. The advantage of this method is that your
friend's cell phone doesn't have to be active or in range for you to
send a message. The message is stored in the SMSC (for days if
necessary) until your friend turns his cell phone on or moves into
range, at which point the message is delivered. The message will
remain stored on your friend's SIM card until he deletes it.

In addition to person-to-person messages, SMS can be used to

send a message to a large number of people at a time, either from a
list of contacts or to all the users within a particular area. This
service is called broadcasting and is used by companies to contact
groups of employees or by online services to distribute news and
other information to subscribers.

In a 2004 University of Plymouth study on the psychology of SMS users, researchers found that
mobile phone users were primarily either "texters" or "talkers" [ref]. Compared to the talkers, the
texters sent nearly double the number of SMS messages and made less than half as many voice calls
per month. The texters preferred SMS to voice calls for its convenience as well as for the ability to
review a message before sending it.

Companies have come up with many uses for the service beyond just your typical person-to-person
message. Because SMS doesn't overload the network as much as phone calls, it is frequently used
by TV shows to let viewers vote on a poll topic or for a contestant. As a promotional tool, wireless
carriers put up giant screens at concerts and other large-scale events to display text messages from
people in the audience.

You can use text messaging subscription services to get medication reminders sent to your phone,
along with weather alerts, news headlines or even novels broken into 160-character "chapters."
Internet search engines such as Yahoo! and Google have short messaging services that enable users
to get information such as driving directions, movie showtimes or local business listings just by texting
a query to the search engine's phone number. Social networking services such as Dodgeball use
SMS to alert people who live in big cities when their friends or crushes are nearby. The possibilities
for integrating SMS into your lifestyle seem endless.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006
Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 4 of 6

Naturally, SMS has limitations, and there are some people who feel it has outlived its usefulness. In
the next section, we'll look at the disadvantages of SMS and some of the alternatives out there.

SMS History
SMS was created during the late 1980s to work with a digital
technology called GSM (global system for mobile
communications), which is the basis for most modern cell phones.
The Norwegian engineers who invented it wanted a very simple
messaging system that worked when users' mobile phones were
turned off or out of signal range. Most sources agree that the first
SMS message was sent in the UK in 1992.

As SMS was born in Europe, it's not surprising that it took a little
longer to make its way to the United States. Even today, texting
enjoys much greater popularity in Europe, though its stateside
use is on the rise. A July 2005 study found that 37 percent of U.S.
mobile phone owners had sent or received at least one text
message in the previous month [ref].

SMS Criticism and Alternatives

Despite their popularity, short messaging services have recieved
some criticism. Here are a few of the disadvantages:
SMS in the News
Because of the impersonal
nature of SMS, it raises certain
z You have to pay for it. Most wireless plans charge for a certain questions of etiquette -- namely,
number of text messages a month. Some only charge for user- what kind of information is OK
originated messages, while others charge for incoming to send in a text instead of
messages as well. If you exceed your message allowance, delivering it in person?
you may be charged 10 cents per message, and those little Recently, several people have
charges can add up. sought legal action after they
were fired or notified of divorce
z Speedy message delivery is not guaranteed. During periods of proceedings via SMS.
high traffic, it might be minutes or even hours before a
message gets through. Broadcast text messages have
been used to rally political
activists in Beijing and to
z It's strictly for sending text messages. SMS does not support
mobilize young people for riots
sending pictures, video or music files.
in Belfast. Recently, a contest
pitted the efficiency of SMS
Alternative messaging services allow for more elaborate types of against Morse code (the Morse
messages. With EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), you can send coders won).
formatted text, sound effects, small pictures and icons. MMS
(Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to send animations, audio and video files in addition to
text. If your mobile phone is EMS- or MMS-enabled, you can use these standards just as you would
SMS. However, the cost per message will be higher.

Another alternative to using SMS is using an instant messaging program, such as AOL IM, on your
cell phone. This can be in the form of software that's pre-installed on your phone, or you can use
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) to access the Internet and sign into your IM account. WAP is a
protocol that gives you small, simplified versions of web pages that are easily navigable on your
mobile phone or PDA (check out How WAP Works for more information). You can use it to send
instant messages or actual e-mails from your phone.

A common complaint about SMS is its inefficient delivery structure -- when the message center is

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006
Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 5 of 6

backed up, messages take longer to reach their destination. To make message delivery faster,
networks are using more new next-generation technologies such as GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service).

To learn more about SMS and other forms of mobile communication, check out the links on the
following page.

Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles
z How Cell Phones Work
z How Cell-phone Viruses Work
z How Radio Works
z How Routers Work
z How WAP Works
z What does GSM mean in a cell phone?
z What is a packet?

More Great Links

z SMS Tutorial
z SMS Forum
z 160 Characters
z Textually.org
z Dodgeball

Sources

z Barkhuus, Louise and Anna Vallgarda. "Saying it All in 160 Characters: Four Classes of SMS
Conversations."
IT University of Copenhagen, April 2004.
http://www1.itu.dk/graphics/ITU-library/Internet/Forskning/Technical_Reports/ITU-TR-2004-45.pdf
z Burns, Enid. "Teens, College Students Are Most Active Cell Phone Users."
Click Z Network, August 29, 2005.
http://www.clickz.com/stats/sectors/wireless/article.php/3530886
z Clements, Tom. "SMS - Short But Sweet."
http://developers.sun.com/techtopics/mobility/midp/articles/sms
z Coll, Steve. "In the Gulf, Dissidence Goes Digital." Washington Post, March 29, 2005.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A8175-2005Mar28?language=printer
z Dybwad, Barb. "Morse Code Trumps SMS in Head-to-Head Speed Texting Combat." Engadget,
May 6, 2005.
http://engadget.com/entry/1234000463042528/
z Dybwad, Barb. "Only 25 Percent of Americans Using SMS." Engadget, March 21, 2005.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000560036891/
z Gupta, Puneet. "Short Message Service: What, How and Where?"
http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/channels/sms/features/sms.htm
z "Lecturer May Sue After SMS Sacking." Independent Online, September 13, 2005.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw1126585085708B215
z "Linked By Their Phones, Chinese Take to the Streets." Textually.org, April 25, 2005.
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/04/008069.htm
z Reid, Donna and Fraser Reid. "Insights into the Social and Psychological Effects of SMS Text
Messaging."
http://www.160characters.org/documents/SocialEffectsofTextMessaging.pdf

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006
Howstuffworks "How SMS Works" Page 6 of 6

z Trosby, Finn. "SMS, The Strange Duckling of GSM."

http://www.telenor.com/telektronnik/volumes/pdf/3.2004/Page_187-194.pdf

Home Store Newsletter Search Advertising Privacy Contact About Help

© 1998 - 2006 HowStuffWorks, Inc.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/sms.htm/printable 1/15/2006