SMS = Short Message Service

SMS is a technology for passing short messages (mostly text) from one device to another. It is supported on a variety of mobile network systems, including GSM, UMTS, CDMA and iDEN. Most recently support has also started to appear on fixed networks.

In Asterisk SMS is supported in several ways:

• Asterisk cmd Sms is a mechanism of exchanging SMS using ETSI ES 201 912, which is a protocol for encoding SMS on landlines. This is only supported on a few selected carriers though.

• chan_mobile can send SMS via the connected mobile phone.

• FastSMS is an Asterisk command that exchanges SMS through a commercial gateway providing worldwide support for SMS.

• ZIM-SMS is an Asterisk application which allows to send SMS from a dialplan as well as voicemail notifications based on information available in voicemail.conf. The application communicates with ZIM-SMS using XML-POST and is distributed under GPL as a sourcecode with detailed instructions. Please note, that you will need an account with ZIM to use their service. During the initial, test phase, only Canadian destinations will be covered.

See Also

• Kannel provides an SMS & WAP gateway
• FrontlineSMS is a standlone cross-platform Desktop app written in Java which can be used by NGOs on a laptop with a mobile phone to act as a messaging hub with auto-responders, group forwarding & even a J2ME surveying client.
• SMSTools is a command-line SMS sender/receiver which can integrate with other applications...runs on Linux (or Windows via Cygwin). THis is used as the basis of Sahana's Messaging Module

(Commercial) SMS services

• Database Systems Corp. offers text messaging solutions that can be initiated via VoiceXML. Clients can send text messages from their own computer systems or can submit XML messages to DSC's hosted SMS call center.
• txt2day provides unlimited free SMS text messaging from their website.
• ForeverSMS is a free service that allows one to send sms messages for free directly from the website. ForeverSMS has an autodetect feature that will automatically detect the recipient's carrier, as the sender often does not know what carrier the recipient uses. ForeverSMS also has an iGoogle gadget to send SMS that allows sending text messages directly from iGoogle, without having to leave the homepage.