We have some existing Web forms that generate e-mails when they are submitted to the server. How can we have these text messages sent to cell phones as well?
We have some existing Web forms that generate e-mails when they are submitted to the server. How can we have these text messages sent to cell phones as well?
Most cell phones can receive Short Message Service (SMS) messages through their carrier’s gateway server. To have generated e-mails sent to cell phones, you would need to know the e-mail addresses of the intended recipients’ cell phones. This is usually a combination of the recipient’s 10-digit cell phone number and his carrier’s name (for example, 6175551234@messaging. sprintpcs.com). The e-mail then would be turned into an SMS message.
Sending generated e-mails to site visitors who enter their phone numbers is more complicated because you need to ask which carrier they’re using or be able to determine where to send the e-mail based only on the phone number information, which is further complicated by the new phone number portability rules. One solution is to build a local gateway using a dedicated cell phone connected to the server as a modem to deliver messages directly over SMS. E-mail-to-SMS gateway options include such free services as TeleFlip, open source SMS gateway software, such as Kannel, and commercial SMS management offerings from such companies as Clickatell. Sending messages that exceed the SMS size limit requires additional knowledge of the receiving phone’s capabilities for accepting e-mail.
