Long SMS Text Messages and the 160 Character Limit
Ok, this post may be old news to many … but it’s a question that I get asked frequently … SMS text messages are limited to 160 characters, but on most GSM networks it is possible to send longer text messages. These messages go out as multiple physical SMS messages that are logically reassembled into a single long text message by the recipient handset. How does this work? What...
Read MoreSMPP Error Code Handling in NowSMS
The default SMPP error code handling behaviour for NowSMS with an SMPP connection is as follows: For most SMPP error codes, NowSMS will assume that the error is temporary, and retry message delivery with a delayed retry schedule. The exceptions to this are detailed below: The following error conditions cause NowSMS to record a message delivery failure and NOT retry sending: ESME_RINVDSTADDR...
Read MoreUSSD and NowSMS
From time to time we get asked questions about USSD support in NowSMS. The quick answer is that, yes, NowSMS can support USSD … assuming that you can connect to the USSD gateway using SMPP. SMPP extensions have been defined specifically for the support of USSD, so that you don’t have to use yet another protocol. However, before you get too excited … let me explain how USSD works...
Read MoreReceiving MMS Messages Over a GPRS Modem – MMSINQ and MMSCDATA Directories
If you’re configuring NowSMS to send and/or receive MMS messages using a GSM/GPRS (or EDGE/UMTS/WCDMA) modem, the initial setup can be a little confusing. It’s confusing because NowSMS is like a swiss-army knife of SMS and MMS messaging functionality. We’ve tried to make NowSMS easy-to-use for accomplishing basic messaging tasks … but a big part of the appeal of NowSMS is...
Read MoreReceiving MMS Messages with a PHP Script: HTTP File Upload Post
Note: The PHP script referenced in this section can be downloaded at the following link: https://nowsms.com/download/php2waymms.zip NowSMS is a popular tool for enabling rapid development of interactive SMS applications and services. Within the NowSMS product, we refer to this as 2-way SMS. Through the 2-way SMS facility, when NowSMS receives an SMS message, it can be configured to dispatch...
Read MoreMMS Virus Blocking
Various public reports have discussed the potential for viruses to be spread via MMS. To date, most of the identified viruses have targeted Nokia Series 60 (and potentially other Symbian) phones. NowSMS v5.51b – March 2005 In March 2005, NowSMS v5.51b was released, which included a configuration option intended to help prevent the spread of viruses via MMS when NowSMS is used as the MMSC. The...
Read MoreProvisioning SMS and MMSC User Accounts via HTTP
For NowSMS v5.51 and later, an HTTP-based interface has been added to allow for account provisioning by external applications. This interface is enabled when the web-based administration interface is enabled by checking “Enable Web Account Administration” on the “Web” page of the NowSMS configuration dialog. This interface is accessed via the NowSMS web interface port,...
Read MoreNowSMS as a WAP Push Proxy Gateway
NowSMS v5.50 and later support the WAP Push Access Protocol (PAP) to provide the ability to generate more specialised types of WAP Push messages. PAP is the standard defined by the Open Mobile Alliance for how applications can interface to a Push Proxy Gateway for sending WAP Push messages. With support for PAP, NowSMS can be used as a push proxy for other vendor’s MMSCs. It also becomes...
Read MoreDelivering MMS Notifications with WAP Push over IP
The delivery of an MMS message to a mobile device is initially triggered by an MMS Notification message sent from the MMSC to the mobile device. This MMS Notification message contains header information about the MMS message, as well as an HTTP URL link (usually a dynamic link generated by the MMSC itself) that the device can use to retrieve the content of the MMS message. The MMS Notification...
Read MoreUsing NowSMS as an MMSC in CDMA or CDMA2000 Environments
Delivering MMSC functionality in an CDMA or CDMA2000 environment can be challenging because the original WAP specifications for CDMA have technical requirements that require additional SMSC functionality. (Technical note: CDMA2000 is different from WCDMA. CDMA2000 is an evolutionary upgrade path from CDMA. By contrast, WCDMA is an evolutionary upgrade from GSM/GPRS. CDMA2000 builds upon...
Read MoreNowSMS NextGen for Linux
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