Acronym for the GSM Short Message Service, or a way to fit 140 data bytes (160 7-bit characters) into a USSD packet atop a mongrel version of the the SS7 protocol in a mobile network.
Many people (especially the ’SMS should be free’ nuts) do not realize that since SMS uses signaling capacity, it can actually pre-empt calls on a standard GSM network (i.e., if there is too much SMS traffic in one location, calls will take longer to complete, decreasing revenue) and is generally a major capacity headache for operators1.
Resources:
| Date | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 4 | smsq | A Python script for sending and receiving messages using an E220. |
| Older | Gammu | A newer, perhaps more flexible fork |
| gnokii | A portable set of tools with some SMS functionality |
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1 In a way, it’s like having to ship bottles full of air – you have to do all of the logistics for relatively little benefit to whomever wants a drink. ↩