Web Service to Replace SMS

leontius

Hi,

I have an idea for a service to replace SMS (Short Messaging Service) with a "SMS over IP" structure. Basically a mobile Java / J2ME application connects to a central server with persistent socket. Using the established socket, the server can send data to the phone. Therefore, people can send "SMS" (actually only ordinary text data) to the server (using their own connections), and the server can route the message to another account which is already connected to the server.

This is very similar to existing IM concept, but with IM there are too many data to send - people logging in/out, etc., and data cannot be retained / saved if the current user is not connected to the server at the moment (hence "Instant" Messaging).

It has a great potential if SMSes are more expensive compared to GPRS connection (which is common, I think). I might want to develop this, but the server cost must be high, as there are very many persistent connections at one moment (which needs an MMORPG class server).

What do you have to say about this? Or rather, do you know a similar / identical service already on air?

tidruG

I think there are already a few sites which you can use to send someone an SMS to from the internet. Your idea, however, is to use IP to transmit information from cell-phone to cell-phone. This idea I have not heard before, but it would really only come in handy when GPRS is very very much cheaper than SMS, and this is certainly not true where I live.

Also, the problem with your idea is that in order to send or even to receive messages, the user will have to connect to the server. Instead of SMS, you could try to provide an Instant Messaging service between 2 cellphones through such a website/server.

AftershockVibe

MSN messenger already does something close. It stores any message sent to you when you're offline and delivers it when you sign in.

Liu

It's called installing AIM, or another messenging client on your phone.

Java though? Yuck.

leontius

In my country, 1 sms costs rp350 while gprs costs rp3 per kb. Ims are different because it provides data about presence, which requires more bandwidth, but it is true that the system can readily become an im. Online free sms senders are limited to certain countries...

hunnyhiteshseth

There are many such sites & applications that provide this facility. See getjar.com , you will find many such applications.

Also, in my phone(a motorola L7), the phone gives me option on how i want to route my sms -- by service-provider or through gprs

jeremyp

Aless

Oooo, I wish there was something like this in the UK!

zahir

if we had to pay for using msn.wat wud u do??

zaira

your ideas is somewhat feasible. Voice-over IP is rampant today as means of cheaper communication between international call using your own service provider. I wish thisidea will be put into reality to reduce more the commincation cost between countries