SMS (text message) Delivery Methods |
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Sending SMS is relatively easy and it can be done in a few ways, some of which are hardware based and some of which are internet based.
Typically speaking, hardware methods of SMS delivery tend to be more reliable as they do not rely on an internet connection but SMS delivery services and carrier enterprise systems can be incredibly reliable methods of delivery.
Most carriers support an email-to-SMS system as a free, public service and PageGate supports the ability to send SMTP/Email messages . We try to keep an up to date listing of known carrier domains on our support site.
However, due to the nature of email delivery, this method can be somewhat unreliable and delayed. While this is a viable method of SMS delivery, we don't recommend using it as the primary method.
For more information, see the Carrier Public Gateways section of the documentation.
On the hardware side of things, there are cellular modems and gateways. These devices have an interface PageGate can use to send and receive SMS just like a cell phone does.
Cellular modems are easier to use with physical systems as they connect by USB and/or RS-232.
Cellular gateways are easier to use in virtual environments as they can be reached via TCP by Telnet or SSH.
For more information, including make and model recommendations, have a look at the Using Cellular Hardware section of the documentation.
•General SMS delivery services SMS delivery services are companies that provide a messaging API for you to deliver traffic through and you typically license your SMS services through them, though not every SMS delivery service is intended for use in every environment.
For a list of known SMS delivery services, have a look at the Message Aggregators section of our integration page.
General messaging services are designed to be accessible to anyone and are incredibly easy to register and configure for the end user, though they are typically intended for lower volume environments. These services include Amazon Web Services SNS, Twilio, MessageBird and similar.
Some companies provide SMS services as an integrated part of a telephony or VOIP solution and PageGate can easily trigger messages through their API. These services include API Daze, Teli and similar.
High volume messaging services are designed for implementations that will need to send 100,000+ messages per month. Contracts are negotiated with the high volume service and PageGate uses their API to trigger messages. These services include Bandwidth, Teli, Infobip and similar.
For more information, have a look at the General SMS Delivery Services section of the documentation.
•Public Safety delivery services Some SMS delivery services are designed to work with public safety dispatching to provide mapping, geopositional and other key data to first responders. These services include Active911, I Am Responding, CodeMessaging and similar.
For more information, have a look at the Public Safety Delivery Services section of the documentation.
•Medical Industry delivery services Some SMS delivery services are designed to work with hospitals, clinics and other medical services to provide HIPAA compliant secure messaging. These services include TigerConnect, QliqSOFT, Voalte and similar.
For more information, have a look at the Medical Industry Delivery Services section of the documentation.
The major North American carriers each have their own respective enterprise messaging platforms. Verizon has EMAG (Enterprise Messaging Access Gateway), AT&T has FirstNet, Sprint has EMG (Enterprise Messaging Gateway), and so on.
Note for Public Safety: Verizon offers free access to dispatch related public safety organizations if you ONLY message Verizon phones through EMAG. Enabling inter-carrier operability requires a paid contract.
PageGate supports the protocols necessary to use these platforms to send your SMS.
For more information, see the Carrier Enterprise Systems section of the documentation. |