Who sends sms messages

As one of the most commonly used messaging technologies in the world, learn what SMS is and how it can help your business.
Risa Takenaka

SMS is the most used text messaging service in the world. Businesses use SMS for marketing, service fulfillment, and customer service, among other things.
Most people get text messages every day, so you’re probably familiar with SMS from an end user perspective. But receiving an SMS message doesn’t reveal exactly how the technology works.
So just what is SMS? How does it work? And why might you choose SMS over another messaging service?

How SMS works

SMS primarily transmits information through a standard cellular connection. In most cases, SMS messages don’t require an internet connection to send, which is one reason why SMS messages are only capable of transmitting text.

When you send an SMS message, the message gets transmitted from the sending device to the nearest cell tower. That cell tower passes the message to an SMS center (SMSC). Then the SMSC forwards the SMS message to a cell tower near the receiving device. Lastly, that tower sends the message to the recipient’s device.

All this can be achieved using the same cellular infrastructure that cell phones use for phone calls. That’s why no internet connection is required, so long as you have cell service.

Also, using this established cellular network is why SMS messages are compatible with so many devices. The technology required for this connection is relatively simple and can be built into just about any device.

However, SMS messages can easily bog down this traditional network, since it’s designed for voice communication. That’s why most carriers have limits on how many SMS messages you can send at a time. Without send limits, SMS centers can get backed up, which causes delays in SMS message transmission.

When you send a text message, it first goes to a nearby cellular tower over a pathway called the control channel, and then into an SMS center (SMSC). The SMSC resends that message to the tower closest to the recipient, and then it goes to their phone. SMS also sends data associated with the message, including the length of the message, format, time stamp, and destination.

Of the 109 text messages I sent yesterday, for example, 15 of them were SMS messages sent to people who have phones on other carriers, 70 were sent through iMessage, and the rest were sent via OTT applications.