Advanced Messaging

[kiran2710]

Introduction

Advanced messaging technologies will provide advanced capabilities beyond those provided by SMS. In fact, many believe that messaging is the single most important application to exploit the capabilities of 3G (and beyond) networks.

EMS

Enhanced Messaging Services (EMS) – an enhanced version of Short Messaging Service (SMS) is comprised of several text messages that are clustered together. EMS provides capabilities for more rich messaging features such as sending/receiving ring tones and other melodies/sounds, pictures and animations, and modified (formatted) text. Furthermore, all of these could be sent/received as one integrated message for display on an EMS compliant mobile device. EMS is designed to work with any network that already offers SMS using the same store-and-forward infrastructure as SMS. One of the operational issues of EMS is how to bill. Many operators will likely charge for the combined message rather than charge for each individual message comprising the EMS.

EMS is intended to be an evolutionary step towards MMS. However, some believe that EMS will be surpassed as MMS is deployed as an overlay service to SMS.

MMS

Designed for 3G (and beyond) networks, Multi-media Messaging Services (MMS) provides a technical solution of even richer media including text, sounds, images and video to MMS capable handsets. While EMS will perpetuate the rather proprietary architectures and interfaces, MMS will instead be the first mobile messaging service to utilize open Internet standards for messaging. Unlike EMS, which utilizes existing SMS capable terminals, MMS will require new mobile devices. Messaging evolution toward MMS is tightly coupled with and dependent on supporting technologies such as Java, Mobile Station Application Execution Environment
(MexE), and Bluetooth. Other supporting technologies include location based service systems and advanced billing systems.

A key component of MMS is what is referred to as the MMS relay function, which is the conversion of a phone number to an IP address. Unlike with SMS, MMS bearers (such as
GPRS) have an IP address associated with the phone. The MMS relay function allows the sender of a MMS message to address it to the phone number, while the system converts to an IP address for routing to the Multi-media Messaging Service Center (MMSC) and end-user. It is important to note that SMS is "not going away any time soon". In addition to the fact that MMS capable phones must be provided to the end-users, SMS will be used as an alert mechanism - to tell customers that they have some MMS content waiting for them at the MMSC.

Over time, MMS will also need to integrate with unified messaging and communications systems.

Other Messaging Technologies

There are other aspects of advanced messaging, including mobile instant messaging and inter-carrier messaging. Messaging will most certainly evolve to take many forms within mobile communications. One thing is certain to not change - that mobile messaging will remain a value-added service.