Setting up a SMS Gateway, SMS centers | Nokia WAP and SMS gateway

Chapter 5. Setting up a SMS Gateway

This chapter is a more detailed guide on how to set up Kannel as an SMS gateway.

Required components

To set up an SMS gateway, you need, in addition to a machine running Kannel, access to (an operator’s) SMS center, or possibly to multiple ones. The list of supported SMS centers and their conﬁguration variables is below.

If you do not have such access, you can still use Kannel as an SMS gateway via phone-as-SMSC feature, by using a GSM phone as a virtual SMS center.

In addition to an SMS center (real or virtual), you need some server to handle any SMS requests received. This server then has simple or more complex cgi-bins, programs or scripts to serve HTTP requests generated by Kannel in response to received SMS messages. These services can also initiate SMS push via Kannel smsbox HTTP sendsms interface.

SMS gateway conﬁguration

To set up a SMS Kannel, you have to edit the ’core’ group in the conﬁguration ﬁle, and deﬁne an ’smsbox’ group plus one or more ’sms-service’ groups, plus possibly one or more ’sendsms-user’ groups.

For the ’core’ group, you must set the following variable: smsbox-port. In addition, you may be interested to set unified-prefix, white-listand/or black-listvariables. See above for details of these variables.

A sample conﬁguration ﬁle smskannel.conf is supplied with the standard distribution. You may want to take a look at that when setting up an SMS Kannel.

SMS centers

To set up the SMS center at Kannel, you have to add a ’smsc’ group into conﬁguration ﬁle. This group must include all the data needed to connect that SMS center. You may also want to deﬁne an ID (identiﬁcation) name for the SMSC, for logging and routing purposes.

SMSC ID is an abstract name for the connection. It can be anything you like, but you should avoid any special characters. You do not need to use ID, but rely on SMS center IP address and other information. However, if you use the ID, you do not need to re-deﬁne sms-services nor routing systems if the IP of the SMS Center is changed, for example.

Common ’smsc’ group variables are deﬁned in the following table. The ﬁrst two (group and smsc) are mandatory, but rest can be used if needed.

Table 5-1. SMSC Group Variables

Variable

Value

Description

WAP and SMS gateway specifications

Nokia has long been a pivotal player in the telecommunications industry, and its contributions to mobile communication technology are numerous. Among these contributions, the Nokia WAP and SMS Gateway stand out as essential elements in enabling mobile internet access and messaging services in the early days of wireless communication.

The Nokia WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) gateway was introduced to facilitate mobile access to the internet and to allow users to interact with web services through their mobile devices. Built on a client-server architecture, the WAP gateway acted as a bridge between the mobile network and the internet, translating traditional web content into a format that mobile devices could effectively render. This conversion was crucial, given the limitations of early mobile devices regarding screen size, processing power, and network bandwidth.

One of the main features of the Nokia WAP gateway was its ability to provide users with real-time access to information such as weather updates, news, and stock prices. By using a lightweight markup language called WML (Wireless Markup Language), the gateway allowed developers to create mobile-friendly websites that could be accessed via WAP-enabled devices. This marked a significant step toward the mobile internet we know today, creating a new realm of possibilities for developers and users alike.

Another critical aspect of Nokia's offering was the SMS (Short Message Service) gateway. The SMS gateway provided a robust platform for sending and receiving text messages across various mobile networks. It enabled seamless communication between devices, regardless of the underlying technology. This feature made SMS a popular choice for both personal communication and business applications, such as marketing campaigns and customer service notifications.

The Nokia SMS gateway utilized established protocols, such as SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer), to ensure reliable message delivery and efficient interaction between SMS applications and mobile networks. Its characteristics included scalability, allowing service providers to handle large volumes of messages, and flexibility to integrate with existing applications and systems.

In summary, the Nokia WAP and SMS gateway played a vital role in the evolution of mobile communication. With features that enabled mobile internet access and streamlined messaging capabilities, these technologies laid the groundwork for the mobile-centric world we live in today. Their legacy continues to influence mobile application development and the broader telecommunications landscape. As the industry progresses, the innovations introduced by Nokia serve as a reminder of the foundational technologies that paved the way for modern mobile experiences.

Nokia WAP and SMS gateway Setting up a SMS Gateway, Required components, SMS gateway conﬁguration

Models: WAP and SMS gateway