SMS BootCamp! A Crash Course for the UoN Day 1 Eric Magutu Kenya Education Network Nathan Eagle, PhD [email_address] Massachusetts Institute of Technology April 2007 SCI, Univ of Nairobi, Kenya

The Goal for this Course: Build Your Own SMS Application! Develop your own SMS sending application Connect your phone to a PC to act as a SMSC Configure a SMS gateway Receive, store and process SMSs Send back responses

Build Your Own SMS Application!

Develop your own SMS sending application

Connect your phone to a PC to act as a SMSC

Configure a SMS gateway

Receive, store and process SMSs

Send back responses

Some SMS Definitions Short Message Service (SMS) is a telecommunications protocol that allows the sending of "short" (160 characters or less) text messages. SMS Gateways exist to connect mobile SMS services with instant message (IM) services, the world wide web, desktop computers, and even landline telephones (through speech synthesis).

Short Message Service (SMS)

is a telecommunications protocol that allows the sending of "short" (160 characters or less) text messages.

SMS Gateways

exist to connect mobile SMS services with instant message (IM) services, the world wide web, desktop computers, and even landline telephones (through speech synthesis).

Reverse SMS billing /premium SMS service user of the recipient phone rather than the message sender is charged for the cost of the SMS message received

Reverse SMS billing /premium SMS service

user of the recipient phone rather than the message sender is charged for the cost of the SMS message received

The short message peer-to-peer protocol (SMPP ) is a telcom protocol for exchanging SMS messages between SMS peer entities such as short message service centres. A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) is a network element in the mobile telephone network which delivers SMS messages

The short message peer-to-peer protocol (SMPP )

is a telcom protocol for exchanging SMS messages between SMS peer entities such as short message service centres.

A Short Message Service Center (SMSC)

is a network element in the mobile telephone network which delivers SMS messages

How to send an SMS? Gateways Software that runs on your computer and interfaces with your phone Service Providers Interface via http posts Check out Clickatell.com Ethiopian services? SMTP (email) phonenumber @safaricomsms.com

Gateways

Software that runs on your computer and interfaces with your phone

Service Providers

Interface via http posts

Check out Clickatell.com

Ethiopian services?

SMTP (email)

phonenumber @safaricomsms.com

Some Examples of SMS Gateways NowSMS Easy to get up and running quickly Industrial-Grade Not free / annoying text messages Message limitations Kannel Linux-based Open source Questionable scalability WinSMS, Ozeki, Intellipool, Gnokii, etc

NowSMS

Easy to get up and running quickly

Industrial-Grade

Not free / annoying text messages

Message limitations

Kannel

Linux-based

Open source

Questionable scalability

WinSMS, Ozeki, Intellipool, Gnokii, etc

Phone to PC Interface Using the Phone as a Windows Modem Connecting Installing Testing PC to Phone Connections USB Bluetooth Infrared

Using the Phone as a Windows Modem

Connecting

Installing

Testing

PC to Phone Connections

USB

Bluetooth

Infrared

Examples of SMS Apps Person-to-Person Text Messaging Normal way you use SMS Chat application allows a group of people to exchange SMS text messages interactively Provision of Information content providers make use of SMS text messages to send information such as news, weather report and financial data to their subscribers.

Person-to-Person Text Messaging

Normal way you use SMS

Chat application

allows a group of people to exchange SMS text messages interactively

Provision of Information

content providers make use of SMS text messages to send information such as news, weather report and financial data to their subscribers.

Downloading SMS messages can carry binary data and so SMS can be used as the transport medium of wireless downloads. Eg ringtones, wallpapers, pictures URLs of a file to automatically download. (Cellulant) Alerts and Notifications Email, Fax and Voice Message Notifications E-commerce and Credit Card Transaction Alerts Stock Market Alerts

Downloading

SMS messages can carry binary data and so SMS can be used as the transport medium of wireless downloads. Eg ringtones, wallpapers, pictures

URLs of a file to automatically download. (Cellulant)

Alerts and Notifications

Email, Fax and Voice Message Notifications

E-commerce and Credit Card Transaction Alerts

Stock Market Alerts

Remote System Monitoring Two-way Interactive Text Messaging Applications For example, search engines are two-way interactive text messaging applications SMS Marketing After signing up, the user will receive SMS text messages about the latest discounts and products of a company.

Remote System Monitoring

Two-way Interactive Text Messaging Applications

For example, search engines are two-way interactive text messaging applications

SMS Marketing

After signing up, the user will receive SMS text messages about the latest discounts and products of a company.

SMS Messaging Integration It allows the ability to push relevant information to your customers or site users. Dodgeball Social software to organize friends…

SMS Messaging Integration

It allows the ability to push relevant information to your customers or site users.

Dodgeball

Social software to organize friends…

SMS BloodBank App Tracking levels of blood at local hospitals Sending data via SMS / Web gateway Alerts Sambaza payment incentives…

Tracking levels of blood at local hospitals

Sending data via SMS / Web gateway

Alerts

Sambaza payment incentives…

Code Interface Clickatell (Python) phone = &quot;+16178889999&quot; uname= &quot;Hey Nathan!&quot; params = urllib.urlencode({'api_id': 5156, 'user': 'eprom', 'password':'eafrica2007','to':'1'+phone, 'text':uname + ' This is the message we’re sending from SMS BootCamp!'}) f = urllib.urlopen(&quot;http://api.clickatell.com/http/sendmsg &quot;, params) Clickatell (Http posts) http://212.49.82.113/clickatell?to=2547XX&text=this+is+a+message <form action=&quot;http://212.49.82.113/clickatell&quot; method=&quot;get&quot;> To:<input type=&quot;Text&quot; name=&quot;to&quot;><br><br> Message:<input type=&quot;text&quot; name=&quot;text&quot;> <br><br><input type=&quot;submit&quot; value=&quot;send&quot;> </form>

Clickatell (Python)

phone = &quot;+16178889999&quot;

uname= &quot;Hey Nathan!&quot;

params = urllib.urlencode({'api_id': 5156, 'user': 'eprom', 'password':'eafrica2007','to':'1'+phone, 'text':uname + ' This is the message we’re sending from SMS BootCamp!'})

f = urllib.urlopen(&quot;http://api.clickatell.com/http/sendmsg &quot;, params)

Clickatell (Http posts)

http://212.49.82.113/clickatell?to=2547XX&text=this+is+a+message

<form action=&quot;http://212.49.82.113/clickatell&quot; method=&quot;get&quot;>

To:<input type=&quot;Text&quot; name=&quot;to&quot;><br><br>

Message:<input type=&quot;text&quot; name=&quot;text&quot;>

<br><br><input type=&quot;submit&quot; value=&quot;send&quot;>

</form>

Code Interface Cellulant (Php) <?php ?> echo “This is what you said: &quot;.$_GET['msg'];

Cellulant (Php)

<?php

?>

echo “This is what you said: &quot;.$_GET['msg'];

Day 1 Exercises Develop your own SMS sending application Connect your phone to a PC to act as a SMSC Configure a SMS gateway Receive, store and process SMSs Send back responses

Develop your own SMS sending application

Connect your phone to a PC to act as a SMSC

Configure a SMS gateway

Receive, store and process SMSs

Send back responses