* Sending Short Message Service messages via e-mail is not as easy as it sounds
In the last newsletter, we began a discussion of Short Message Service and how SMS can be extremely useful once the SMS and e-mail worlds are converged to allow you to send e-mail to the text functions of most digital cell phones. But the problem, as also discussed, is that you typically have to know the cellular provider of the person to whom you’re sending the message via e-mail.
Also, if you believe that the recipient is say a Verizon customer, and you go to the Verizon Web site to send a message, but in fact, the user is with AT&T Wireless (or vice-versa), you don’t even get an error message telling you that the message can’t be sent. The SMS service is very much like a “datagram” in X.25. The message is sent as a part of the call set-up packet – and there is no acknowledgment. This SnP (Send ‘n Pray) technology works fine for most messages, but it certainly isn’t robust.
And we only see this issue as becoming more difficult with cellular portability. The number that you formerly used to mail to @vtext.com suddenly starts being @mobile.att.com if the user moves their cellular service from Verizon to AT&T.
Similarly, you have a huge issue with sending e-mail to international cellular numbers. Again, it’s possible, but it’s even more unlikely that you know the cellular carrier of the intended recipient. And sending internationally directly from your cell phone is coming but not yet widely available.
Is there help on the horizon? Maybe. We’re checking out some possible solutions, and we’ll let you know the results.
