But, what is this Short Message Service? As defined in GSM digital mobile phone standard, SMS is nothing but a short message comprising upto a maximum of 160 characters (words, numbers or alphanumeric combination) which can be sent as text. Unlike paging, the sender of a message can receive a return message notifying him whether the message has been delivered or not. Globally accepted wireless service, SMS is one hi-tech service which comes more or less at a throw away price of Rs. 1.50 per message in India, and an equivalent of 5-6 US cents in Europe.

    A distinguishing feature of the SMS is that it guarantees delivery of the message by the network. In addition, an SMS compatible handset can receive or send a short message irrespective of whether a voice or a data call is in progress, since SMS follows a signal path while voice and data travel through a dedicated radio channel.

    SMS facility can be availed by any one who has a mobile phone that supports SMS and is also a subscriber of a mobile telephone network that supports SMS. These messages can be sent and received in all major languages of the world. Very soon, SMS facility will be available in Hindi also. Some mobile network operators provide automatic access to SMS while others charge a monthly subscription. Normally an SMS platform can handle about 20 messages per second which is considered good enough to handle traffic on a normal day. But, looking at its extraordinary popularity, operators are installing upgraded systems which can handle upto 40 messages per second.

    SMS appeared on the wireless scene for the first time in 1991 in Europe, and was included in the GSM standard from the very outset. However, very soon, SMS was incorporated in many other mobile phone network standards, including Nordic MobileTelephone (NMT) system being used in Eastern Europe and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, being extensively used in Latin America, USA, South Korea, Australia and India. Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) and Personal Handy System of Japan, along with other systems like Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Global Star are also networked with it.

    Initially started for free, it soon became a paid service and an additional source of revenue for the operators. Emerging as the real triumph for the consumer, SMS soon caught on like wild fire with young and not-too-young alike. According to the data compiled and released by the GSM Association (UK), the mobile phone users in Europe and Asia exchange over 30 billion short messages every month, averaging about one billion messages per day. At a cost of five to 20 US cents per message, depending upon the operator and subscription plan, it translates into an average revenue of roughly 1.50 to 4.4 billion US$ per month for cellular operators. In effect, revenue from SMS is contributing as much as 10 per cent of the total revenue of cellular operators in developed markets.

    It is, therefore, not surprising that European basic telephone operators are toying with the idea of introducing SMS on landlines, for offsetting revenue losses because of the declining demand of fixed telephones. This will enable the fixed line telephone users also to send and receive short text messages on their home telephones. In fact, an Italian telecom company claims to have already introduced fixed as well as cordless phones capable of receiving and sending SMS.

    Individuals apart, SMS has proved to be a boon to the crime branch of police force as well, both in India and abroad. In January, 2002, Delhi Police launched its SMS to provide some basic public utility enquiry services, namely, status of passport verification, recovery status of stolen vehicles and fire arms; verification of ownership while buying second-hand cars. The system is connected to a data bank which sends software generated responses automatically. The data bank has a list of registration numbers of over 38 lakh vehicles registered in the city, a list of nearly 19 lakh Delhi telephones, as well as ISD and STD codes of all important inland and overseas destinations running into several lakhs.

    The Amsterdam police in Holland has, however, found a unique use of SMS. It is being used as the mythical parakeet which can repeat a thousand times what it sees or what it is asked to speak in a short and crisp syllable, with a shrill decibel. For example, the moment a user reports the theft of his mobile phone, the Amsterdam police starts bombarding the stolen handset with one short message: "This is a stolen handset; buying or selling this is a crime." Repeated every three minutes, through a computer system designed specially for the purpose, it is irritating enough to make the theft of mobile phones an unattractive loot.

    But, what an irony! SMS has proved to be a boon to the criminals as well, and has sent intelligence agencies in a tizzy. The underworld dons throughout the world are using SMS with impunity for coordinating their nefarious activities by sending coded messages. Unlike the calls made on a mobile phone, these messages can neither be monitored nor their origin traced, at least till such time a suitable software is developed to keep a tab on these messages. Such a software has not been developed as yet. With the available technology, these messages can, at best, be jammed. But, this is no solution.

    With continuous advances in technology, SMS is now no more just a person-to-person communication service. An Indian company has recently introduced a system through which an organisation, instead of sending individual messages, can send short messages, of common interest, in bulk to all. For example, if a flight is delayed, the airline can take recourse to SMS for sending a common message to all passengers through its corporate site. Even a person not having a cell phone of his own, can use SMS for sending a common message to all his colleagues by getting on to the corporate site, from a cyber café.

    It is really unbelievable that such a versatile service with universal appeal is an accidental success that has taken nearly every one in the mobile industry by surprise. However, soon enough, SMS may recede into the mobile folklore with the arrival of MMS (multimedia messaging service), yet another soon-going-to-be craze for the young and upwardly mobile. Having no patience for typing cryptic messages on an unflattering screen of a tiny cellphone, MMS is going to be the new generation’s next big craze.

    MMS, in simple terms, will enable a user to send not only messages but also his/her video clip (photograph) while talking, anywhere in the world, through a mobile phone which has a digital camera attached to it, at the cost of an SMS. It is this ridiculously low cost which is going to hit the cellular phone operators the hardest. But so far as the users are concerned, they are going to have the last laugh. Users in India will, however, have to wait for quite some time for availing themselves of the MMS fantasy.