[asterisk-users] improved SMS?

[Anselm Martin Hoffmeister]

Am Donnerstag, den 12.07.2007, 16:57 -0700 schrieb Russ McBride:
> 
> Newbie question(s):
> 
>  From what I can determine it sounds like the SMS messaging isn't as  
> robust as it could be (?).  I'm wondering if there's active work on  
> that right now or if it's more of an issue about PSTN carrier that  
> one would be using who would be responsible for passing the messages  
> into the PLMN.
> 
> Background-- I'm looking into the possibility of setting up an  
> emergency messaging system here at the University that would send out  
> voice, SMS, and emails.  Any input relevant to that goal would  
> probably be appreciated.

Hi Russ,

my personal experience with short messages is that the system sometimes
chews on them for minutes, sometimes several hours, even inside one
mobile network, from cell phone to cell phone. This surely screws using
it as a primary tier emergency system, but as a backup after e-mail and
automated phone-out that could be OK. Sending from web-interfaces or via
Uwhatever-that-protocol-is-called will not improve the overall
performance.

Considering all options to send out SMs:
- Asterisk, SMS() app to a landline SMS gateway
- Web interface with script/wget
- Uwhatever-modem-dialup
the second seems the easiest to use to me, and in my experience the
first tends to choke on some messages, be it 1 in 100 - still not 100%
perfect. The web interface method surely is by far cheaper than the
other two, at least here in Germany, where #1 will be charged as a
call-to-cellphone, first minute, about 17 cent, and #3 if available for
the network you want to use will be similar.

With the web interface approach you also get rid of the problem of
number portability: The #3 approach will only deliver the message if you
connect to the provider that the number currently is contracted to,
while #2 will not care about that (#1 should also work).

You see I tend to prefer the web-based thing.

If you intend to send emergeny SMs, please try and find a trustworthy
supplier. In the European price scale the cheapest readily found
providers will charge about 3 cent per message, but if you go for the 10
cent providers you will find higher reliability (without routing
messages to Germany through a Romanian mobile network to save money).
Those messages directly inserted into the destination network are sold
as "provider messages" here, opposed to "cheapest" or "economy" or
whatever euphemism for crap they invent.

Do not mistake me though: For "fun" messages they use to be good enough.
If you talk about emergency, a few cent probably will not make a huge
difference though, and time might be an issue.

BR
Anselm