SMS gateway providers smooth the progress of the SMS interchange between mobile users and businesses, but they are mostly accountable for carrying out mission-critical messages, content delivery, SMS for enterprise and entertainment services that involve SMS, for example, Television voting. Considering SMS messaging presentation as well as the cost involved, level of all the messaging services, SMS gateway providers may sometimes be called aggregators.
The model of the aggregator is based on different agreements with the other mobile carriers in order to exchange 2way SMS interchange into as well as out of the operators SMS stage (also known as short message service centre). The aggregators are short of direct admission into the SS7 protocol (the SS7 protocol is the network at where the text messages are swapped over). These suppliers do not have any means of visibility nor do they have control over the delivery status of the message, therefore they are not able to offer positive delivery guarantees. The text messages are sent in the operator’s short messaging service centre, and not the subscriber’s phone.
This kind of service lets individuals that do not have a cellphone, or have no current access to one, but do have a computer and internet access, send text messages. A solution has been created in order to let the user respond to the SMS notification of email. Before, this was just a one-way communication system that allowed only the notification of an email by a SMS.
The option of SMSing to a landline phone and visa versa is now also available. It lets a user send an SMS from their cellphone to a landline number just as they would to another cellphone. Once the user sends the SMS to the landline number, the phone will ring normally and when answered an automated voice will read the SMS and the option of listening again, calling the number or responding to the text are available. Many operators like BT, Telefonica and Telecom Italia now have real fixed-wire text SMS services. These are based on the additional ETSI GSM SMS standards and they do allow fixed, fixed mobile and mobile fixed messaging.
When the messages are sent to a device that is unable to receive SMS’s, then what will normally happen is a text-to-speech gateway is engaged. The interpreted message is then saved in the subscriber’s voice mailbox. If not that, the system will place a call straight to the end-point and then the message will play.
SMS’s can also be sent from Skype to a cellphone. Skype is an instant messaging service used from a computer with internet access and some cellphone’s also have the ability to run Skype. There are different versions of Skype, but only from the 2.5 version and up, this is allowed. Skype has a feature that allows you to buy “airtime”; only it is called a SkypeOut account. Normally when computer users call from Skype to Skype it is free of charge.