Glossary of Terms

Alphanumeric Sender ID: A collection of alphanumeric characters (0-9, a-z, A-Z, _) which can be customised to fit users’ need and a good choice sending branded sms. The receiver of the message cannot reply to the message if an alphanumeric sender ID is used. It is limited to a maximum of 11 alphanumeric characters according to specifications.

API: refers to “Application Programming Interface”. It is available for connectivity to our SMS gateway via HTTP and SMPP modes.

Binary: Binary messages are used for messages that require special encoding to overcome the limitation of characters in single SMS. Binary messages are used for characters in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Slavic languages (e.g. Russian), ringtones, photographs, wap pushes.

Concatenated: Concatenated messages, also called multipart or segmented SMS or LongSMS, are used to overcome the limitation on the number of characters that can be sent in a single SMS (usually 160 characters for normal GSM text). Using this method, long messages are split into smaller parts by the sending device with user data headers (UDH) attached to each part and recombined at the receiver's handset. Long messages are often billed as equivalent to multiple SMS messages.

DLR: SMS-MT feature that provides delivery report for every sent message. It is sourced directly from the end-users handset.

Fixed Sender ID: Usually numeric sender id which is predetermined upfront and can`t be modified by client. It is in standard MSISDN format.

Flash SMS: The flash message service enables you to send a message that will appear on the recipient's mobile screen. This means that your recipient won't have to read the message in his mobile phone's inbox, though they have the option.

HTTP: refers to “Hypertext Transfer Protocol” and is a communication protocol for the transfer of information on the intranet and the World Wide Web.

LongCode: refers to long dedicated virtual numbers with international accessibility, similar to shortcodes. Long number (e.g. +44 7624 80055), is a reception mechanism used by businesses to receive SMS messages and voice calls. As well as being internationally available, long numbers enable businesses to have their own number, rather than short codes which are generally shared across a lot of brands. Long Numbers allows a wide range of industries to generate large amounts of mobile-originated SMS from the subscribers.

MSISDN: MSISDN is a number uniquely identifying a subscription in a GSM or UMTS mobile network.
Numeric Sender ID: Default sender type for SMS message in standard MSISDN form. The receiver can reply to messages sent with numeric sender id.

ShortCode: is a short number usually national code, to receive premium content requested by end-users. It is usually shared between content providers.

SMS: refers to “Short Message Service” and involves the delivery of text messages to mobile handsets. SMS is a general name for the technology that enables users to send and receive text messages via mobile phones.

SMS Aggregator: is a mobile telecom company with multiple agreements with operators to send and receive data into and out of the operator's SMSC, acting as an intermediary between companies (i.e. content and brand owners) that want to interact with end users (through their mobile phones) and the mobile operators.

SMS-MO: A mobile message routed from an end-user's mobile device and delivered to client or application.

SMS-MT: A mobile message routed from client or application and delivered to end-user.

SMSC: refers to “Short Message Service Centre” and is a network element in the mobile telephone network which delivers SMS messages.

SMPP: refers to “Short Message Peer to Peer Protocol”. SMPP is an open, industry standard protocol designed to provide a flexible data communications interface for the transfer of short message data between External Short Message Entities (ESME), Routing Entities (RE) and Message Centres.

SS7: Signalling System #7 (SS7) is a set of telephony signalling protocols which are used to set up most of the world's public switched telephone network telephone calls and SMS.

Wap Push: WAP Push has been incorporated into the specification to allow WAP content to be pushed to the mobile handset with minimum user intervention. A WAP Push is basically a specially encoded message which includes a link to a WAP address. WAP Push is specified on top of WDP; as such, it can be delivered over any WDP-supported bearer, such as GPRS or SMS.

XML: refers to “Xtensible Markup Language”. It is a World Wide Web Consortium recommendation, designed to transport and store data.