Beep, beep... SMS barrier broken!

SMS Gateway

Business Automation Limited (Bal) has developed three types of applications for Short Message Service (SMS) to terminate bulk messages, a senior official of the company said.

"We have developed SMS gateway, push-and-pull and web-based SMS applications," Business Automation's Executive Director Jahidul Hasan Mitul told The Daily Star last week.

He said SMS gateway is an ideal application for corporate houses, as it enables users to send bulk SMS to their target wireless audience. It could be used for company disclosure or disseminate information quickly among its clients or workers, Mitul elaborated.

He added push-and-pull -- the second application -- helps cell phone users to gather information just from sending an SMS to a specific gateway number, where ready information is stored in a server.

GrameenPhone (GP), the leading cellphone operator, has launched different value-added services in push-and-pull mode from where subscribers can pull down various information including local and foreign news, sports updates and currency rates just by sending an SMS.

The web-based application, the third in line, is a solution to send SMS from websites, if the application is configured on a website.

"What the prospective gateway client has to do is use a SIM (Subscribers Identification Module) with a GSM modem and instal the software to send SMS," Mitul added.

Corporate clients or content providers, in case of terminating bulk SMS, could reach an agreement with cellphone providers to have a special discount rate as the system is there in many countries, he added.

Mitul said there is a tremendous potential for SMS applications as text message is becoming increasingly popular in the country and most cellphone operators have introduced such facilities. Currently, there are over 1.5 million cellphone users in the country.

"First, we developed solutions for GSM (global system of mobile communications) operators based on the GSM modem but we have the technology that works out for CDMA (code division multiple access) operators. There are three GSM operators and one CDMA operator in the country."

The SMS market would grow faster if there were inter-operator SMS connectivity, Mitul said adding that the cellphone users currently can send text messages to mobile phones run by the same operator.

GP, which has inter-operator agreement with 166 operators globally, is able to send and receive SMS to and from those operators abroad but GP users are to be able to send SMS to CityCell, AKTEL or Sheba subscribers at home.

Telecom Malaysia International Bangladesh (TMIB), the service provider of AKTEL, plans to improve on its short message service centre (SMSC) by year-end, an official said.

Officials at Sheba Telecom said they would consider expanding the SMSC or reaching an agreement with other operators to facilitate its users to send and receive SMS from other phones.