Editing SMS (section)

== Developmental history ==
SMS technology originated from [[radio telegraphy]] in radio memo [[pager]]s that used standardized phone protocols. These were defined in 1986 as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications ([[GSM]]) series of standards.<ref name="GSM 28/85">GSM Doc 28/85 "Services and Facilities to be provided in the GSM System" rev2, June 1985</ref> The first SMS message was sent on 3 December 1992, when [[Neil Papworth]], a test engineer for [[Sema Group]], sent "Merry Christmas" to the Orbitel 901 phone of colleague Richard Jarvis.<ref name="First SMS" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Kleinman |first=Zoe |title='Merry Christmas': 30 years of the text message |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-63825894 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203112737/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-63825894 |archive-date=2022-12-03 |access-date=2022-12-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Vintage Mobiles |url=http://www.gsmhistory.com/vintage-mobiles/#orbitel_901_1992 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126051916/http://www.gsmhistory.com/vintage-mobiles/#orbitel_901_1992 |archive-date=2016-01-26 |access-date=2022-12-03 |work=History of GSM |at=Orbitel 901 – the first GSM mobile and the first to receive a commercial SMS text message (1992)}}</ref>

=== Initial concept ===
[[File:Telephone-keypad.svg|thumb|[[E.161]], a common mobile keypad alphabet layout]]
Adding text messaging functionality to mobile devices began in the early 1980s. The first action plan of the CEPT Group [[GSM]] was approved in December 1982, requesting that "The services and facilities offered in the public switched telephone networks and public data networks&nbsp;... should be available in the mobile system."<ref>see GSM document 02/82, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> This plan included the exchange of text messages either directly between mobile stations, or transmitted via message handling systems in use at that time.<ref>These Message Handling Systems had been standardized in the ITU, see specifications X.400 series</ref>

The SMS concept was developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by [[Friedhelm Hillebrand]] and [[Bernard Ghillebaert]].<ref>See the book Hillebrand, Trosby, Holley, Harris: SMS the creation of Personal Global Text Messaging, Wiley 2010</ref> The GSM is optimized for telephony, since this was identified as its main application. The key idea for SMS was to use this telephone-optimized system, and to transport messages on the [[Signalling System No. 7|signalling paths]] needed to control the telephone traffic during periods when no signalling traffic existed. In this way, unused resources in the system could be used to transport messages at minimal cost. However, it was necessary to limit the length of the messages to 128 bytes (later improved to 160 seven-bit characters) so that the messages could fit into the existing signalling formats. Based on his personal observations and on analysis of the typical lengths of [[postcard]] and [[Telex]] messages, Hillebrand argued that 160 characters was sufficient for most brief communications.<ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com">{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/05/invented-text-messaging.html|title=Technology|access-date=June 14, 2015|date=May 3, 2009|archive-date=September 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930082324/https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/05/invented-text-messaging.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

SMS could be implemented in every mobile station by updating its software. Hence, a large base of SMS-capable terminals and networks existed when people began to use SMS.<ref>See GSM document 28/85rev.June 2, 85 and GSM WP1 document 66/86, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> A new network element required was a specialized short message service centre, and enhancements were required to the radio capacity and network transport infrastructure to accommodate growing SMS traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ETSI |first=TC-SMG |title=Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Technical realization of the Short Message Service (SMS) |url=https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gts/03/0340/05.02.00_60/gsmts_0340v050200p.pdf |website=etsi.org |access-date=2023-12-12 |archive-date=2023-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212070051/https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gts/03/0340/05.02.00_60/gsmts_0340v050200p.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Early development ===
The technical development of SMS was a multinational collaboration supporting the framework of standards bodies.  Through these organizations the technology was made freely available to the whole world.<ref>See also [[Friedhelm Hillebrand]] "GSM and UMTS, the creation of Global Mobile Communication", Wiley 2002, chapters 10 and 16, {{ISBN|0-470-84322-5}}</ref>

The first proposal which initiated the development of SMS was made by a contribution of Germany and France in the GSM group meeting in February 1985 in Oslo.<ref>GSM document 19/85, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> This proposal was further elaborated in GSM subgroup WP1 Services (Chairman Martine Alvernhe, France Telecom) based on a contribution from Germany. There were also initial discussions in the subgroup WP3 network aspects chaired by Jan Audestad (Telenor). The result was approved by the main GSM group in a June 1985 document which was distributed to industry.<ref>GSM document 28/85r2, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> The input documents on SMS had been prepared by Friedhelm Hillebrand of [[Deutsche Telekom]], with contributions from Bernard Ghillebaert of [[France Télécom]]. The definition that Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert brought into GSM called for the provision of a message transmission service of alphanumeric messages to mobile users "with acknowledgement capabilities". The last three words transformed SMS into something much more useful than the electronic paging services used at the time that some in GSM might have had in mind.<ref>{{cite web|title=So who really did create SMS?|url=http://www.gsmhistory.com/sms/|publisher=Stephen Temple|access-date=April 6, 2013|date=February 24, 2013|archive-date=May 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511181922/http://www.gsmhistory.com/sms/|url-status=live}}</ref>

SMS was considered in the main GSM group as a possible service for the new digital cellular system. In GSM document "''Services and Facilities to be provided in the GSM System,''"<ref name="GSM 28/85"/> both mobile-originated and mobile-terminated short messages appear on the table of GSM teleservices.<ref name="GSM 28/85"/>

The discussions on the GSM services were concluded in the recommendation GSM 02.03 "''TeleServices supported by a GSM [[Public land mobile network|PLMN]].''"<ref name="GSM 02.03">{{cite web |url=https://portal.3gpp.org/desktopmodules/Specifications/SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=29 |title=Teleservices Supported by a GSM Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) |id=GSM TS 02.03}}</ref> Here a rudimentary description of the three services was given:

# Short message mobile-terminated (SMS-MT)/ Point-to-Point: the ability of a network to transmit a Short Message to a mobile phone. The message can be sent by phone or by a software application.
# Short message mobile-originated (SMS-MO)/ Point-to-Point: the ability of a network to transmit a Short Message sent by a mobile phone. The message can be sent to a phone or to a software application.
# Short message [[Cell Broadcast|cell broadcast]].<ref name="GSM 02.03"/>

WP4 created a Drafting Group Message Handling (DGMH), which was responsible for the specification of SMS. Finn Trosby of Telenor chaired the draft group through its first three years, in which the design of SMS was established. DGMH had five to eight participants, and Finn Trosby mentions as major contributors Kevin Holley, Eija Altonen, Didier Luizard and Alan Cox. The first action plan<ref>Document GSM IDEG 79/87r3, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> mentions for the first time the Technical Specification 03.40 "Technical Realisation of the Short Message Service". Responsible editor was Finn Trosby. The first and very rudimentary draft of the technical specification was completed in November 1987.<ref>GSM 03.40, WP4 document 152/87, available on the GSM-SMG Archive DVD-ROM</ref> However, drafts useful for the manufacturers followed at a later stage in the period. A comprehensive description of the work in this period is given in.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Finn Trosby |url=http://www.telenor.com/telektronikk/volumes/pdf/3.2004/Page_187-194.pdf |title=SMS the strange duckling of GSM |journal=Telektronikk |volume=3 |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925185855/http://,www.telenor.com/telektronikk/volumes/pdf/3.2004/Page_187-194.pdf |archive-date=September 25, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Early implementations ===
The first SMS message<ref name="First SMS">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2538083.stm |title=Hppy bthdy txt! |date=3 December 2002 |website=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120045138/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2538083.stm |archive-date=2007-01-20 |url-status=live}}</ref> was sent over the [[Vodafone]] GSM network in the United Kingdom on 3 December 1992, from [[Neil Papworth]] of [[Sema Group]] (now [[Airwide Solutions|Mavenir Systems]]) using a personal computer to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone using an Orbitel 901 handset. The text of the message was "Merry Christmas."<ref name="Neil Papworth">{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/uk-hails-10th-birthday-of-sms/articleshow/30216466.cms |title=UK hails 10th birthday of SMS |date=4 December 2002 |website=The Times of India}}</ref>

The first commercial deployment of a [[short message service center]] (SMSC) was by [[Aldiscon]] part of [[Logica]] (now part of [[CGI Inc.|CGI]]) with Telia (now [[TeliaSonera]]) in Sweden in 1993,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.logica.com/history%2Band%2Bkey%2Bmilestones/350233679 |title=First commercial deployment of Text Messaging (SMS) |access-date=May 24, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316145401/http://www.logica.com/history%2Band%2Bkey%2Bmilestones/350233679 |archive-date=March 16, 2008 }}</ref> followed by Fleet Call (now [[Nextel]])<ref>{{cite web |author=US Department of Homeland Security |title=Cellular Technologies |url=https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/3260%20TOD%20CELLULAR%20PHONE%20TECHNOLOGIES.pdf |publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524003007/https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/3260%20TOD%20CELLULAR%20PHONE%20TECHNOLOGIES.pdf |archive-date=May 24, 2012 }}</ref> in the US, Telenor in Norway<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our history in Norway|at=1993|url=https://www.telenor.com/about/who-we-are/history/our-history-in-norway/|quote=Telenor leads in establishing GSM (2G) – the SMS service was a part of this platform|access-date=3 December 2022|website=Telenor Group|archive-date=3 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203214126/https://www.telenor.com/about/who-we-are/history/our-history-in-norway/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and BT Cellnet (now O2 UK).<ref>{{cite news |title=BT unveils new mobile brand |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1522609.stm |newspaper=BBC News Online |date=September 3, 2001 |access-date=November 13, 2021 |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409180842/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1522609.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first commercially sold SMS service was offered to consumers, as a person-to-person text messaging service by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa) in Finland in 1993.  Most early GSM mobile phone handsets did not support the ability to send SMS text messages, and [[Nokia]] was the only handset manufacturer whose total GSM phone line in 1993 supported user-sending of SMS text messages. According to [[Matti Makkonen]], an engineer at Nokia at the time, the [[Nokia 2010]],<!--Not 2110--> which was released in January 1994, was the first mobile phone to support composing SMSes easily.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nael |first=Merili |title=Suri tekstisõnumite looja Matti Makkonen |language=et |trans-title=Creator of text messages Matti Makkonen died |work=Err.ee |publisher=[[Eesti Rahvusringhääling]] |date=June 30, 2015 |url=https://www.err.ee/537689/suri-tekstisonumite-looja-matti-makkonen |access-date=July 27, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055510/http://uudised.err.ee/v/majandus/7155b340-33ce-40d3-8a26-0f8644be4a24 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Growth and adoption ===
Initial growth was slow, with customers in 1995 sending on average only 0.4 messages per GSM customer per month.<ref name="gsmworld">{{cite press release |url=http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2001/press_releases_4.shtml |title=More Than 200 Billion GSM Text Messages Forecast for Full Year 2001 |publisher=GSM Association |date=12 February 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020215194430/http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2001/press_releases_4.shtml |archive-date=February 15, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Initially, networks in the UK only allowed customers to send messages to other users on the same [[Mobile network operator|network]], limiting the usefulness of the service. This restriction was lifted in 1999.<ref name="First SMS" /> Over time, this issue was eliminated by switch billing instead of billing at the SMSC and by new features within SMSCs to allow blocking of foreign mobile users sending messages through it. By the end of 2000, the average number of messages reached 35 per user per month,<ref name="gsmworld" /> and on Christmas Day 2006, over 205 million messages were sent in the UK alone.<ref name="2b">{{Cite news |last=Crystal |first=David |title=2b or not 2b? |work=Guardian Unlimited |access-date=July 8, 2008 |date=July 5, 2008 |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/referenceandlanguages/story/0,,2289259,00.html |location=London, UK |archive-date=July 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708044626/http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/referenceandlanguages/story/0,,2289259,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> SMS had become a social phenomenon in Finland among teens and youngsters by 1999.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Silberman |first=Steve |title=Just Say Nokia |url=https://www.wired.com/1999/09/nokia/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> SMS traffic across Europe reached 4 billion messages as of January 2000.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 June 2002 |title=Towards the Full Roll-Out of Third Generation Mobile Communications |website=[[European Union]] Law |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2002:0301:FIN:EN:PDF }}</ref>

It had become extremely popular in the [[Philippines]] by 2001 and the country was dubbed the "texting capital of the world",<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Philippine text messaging phenomenon {{!}} Philstar.com |url=https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/business-life/2001/05/15/85823/philippine-text-messaging-phenomenon |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.philstar.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Celdran |first=David |date=January 2002 |title=The Philippines: SMS and Citizenship |journal=Development Dialogue |volume=1 |number=1 |pages=91–103 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233756388 }}</ref> partly helped by large numbers of free text messages offered by the mobile operators in monthly subscriptions.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |title=Je ne texte rien |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2004/07/08/je-ne-texte-rien |access-date=2024-08-04 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> SMS adoption was limited to parts of Europe and Asia during these earlier years,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-04-23 |title=Europe, Asia embrace GR8 way to stay in touch |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4787668 |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> with U.S. adoption being low partly due to incompatible networks and cheap voice calls relative to other countries.<ref name=":2" /> ''[[The Economist]]'' wrote in 2003, as noted by an analyst:<ref>{{Cite news |title=No text please, we're American |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2003/04/03/no-text-please-were-american |access-date=2024-08-04 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

{{Quote box
| quote = The short answer is that, in America, talk is cheap. Because local calls on [[landline|land lines]] are usually free, [[mobile network operator|wireless operators]] have to offer big “bundles” of minutes—up to 5,000 minutes per month—as part of their monthly pricing plans to persuade subscribers to use mobile phones instead. [[Text messaging|Texting]] first took off in other parts of the world among cost-conscious teenagers who found that it was cheaper to text than to call [..]  Free local calls also make [[Dial-up Internet access|logging on]] to the internet, for hours at a time, and using PC-to-PC “[[instant messaging]]” (IM) the preferred mode of electronic chat among American teenagers.}}

This is also backed by the fact that as of 2003, American internet users were spending on average five times more time online than Europeans,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-06-30 |title=Will instant messaging be the new texting? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3031796.stm |access-date=2024-08-05 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and many poorer countries in Europe and other regions around the world had significantly lower rates of internet access compared to the United States at the time (see [[digital divide]]), hence making SMS more accessible.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kapitsa |first=L. |date=12 December 2007 |title=Member-countries of the UNECE region are among the forerunners and today's leaders in the level of Internet development... |website=[[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe]] |format=DOC |url=https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/pp/electronictools/Mini-conference%20presentations/PRESENTATION%20-%20mini-conference2.doc }}</ref>