Why SMPP is Used by SMSCs

SMPP is arguably one of the most well known bulk SMS protocols currently in use. How does it fit in with the three other major protocols and why is it favoured by aggregators?

SMSC Protocols

The European Telecommunication Standards Institute has approved four protocols to be used by and between SMSCs. They are:

• UCP/EMI, which was developed by LogicaCMG, now part of Acision
• CIMD2, created by Nokia
• OIS by SEMA

and

• SMPP, which was originally created by Aldiscon, then in the possession of Logica which had acquired Aldiscon. SMPP was then handed to the SMS Forum which disbanded and handed the protocol to Acision (formerly part of Logica).

SMPP Flexibility

We all know SMPP is one of the more powerful protocols in use today. It is capable of sending batches of messages in rapid succession, provides message response in either synchronous or asynchronous mode and is pretty much free to use.

SMPP Implementation

One of the major benefits of using SMPP is the fact that, when connected to the SMS gateway, your messages don’t have to be translated into the correct protocol which, when it comes down to thousands of messages, could save a bunch of time.

When SMPP is used, translation only happens once the SMS gateway has passed the messages to the SMSC, and then only when there’s two or more dissimilar SMSCs are employed.

And lest we forget, SMPP is language independent, which means that it can be used in conjunction with any programming language to achieve virtually every messaging aim.

SMPP Features

So let’s look at some of the features of SMPP to see why this protocol is liked so much by network operators as well as companies around the globe. While these features might, in themselves, not be totally unique to the SMPP protocol, they do become more appealing when combined with the other benefits mentioned above.

SMPP allows you to:

• Send normal 7-bit text messages
• Send 8-bit and 16-bit messages
• Transmit flash messages
• Send ringtones and logos
• Send converted VCard and VCal data
• Use customised sender IDs
• Enable two-way messaging

Who Uses SMPP?

As this isn’t the space (for obvious reasons) to name specific companies who make use of SMPP, one can assume that companies who have voluminous contact databases and native software environments could most probably rely on this protocol API to take care of their messaging requirements.

Companies most likely to use SMPP include:

• Financial institutions
• Social Networks
• Chain stores
• National & International companies and organisations
• Educational Institutions
• Etc.

Naturally one can assume that SMPP is not only used to get in touch with customers, but also with employees. Imagine the savings when SMS is used instead of voice calls to communicate real time information for whatever possible purposes…

To find out more about this power protocol, or to start messaging, follow the link to the SMPP page.

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