SMS vs. SMTP for Emergency and Mass Notification of Text Messages

By Richard Quattrocchi
Text messaging to cellular device?s can play an important role in mass, emergency and enterprise notification but it is important for businesses to understand the limits, costs, uses and risks of text messaging.

If a broadcast requires several hundred text messages be sent at one time, the you should consider using ?true? SMS messages as part of the notification system strategy. When transmitting to smaller groups, it is feasible to utilize no cost email (SMT) messaging to cellular devices.

SMTP of SMS?

The two ways to send a text message to a cell phone are:

1. Native SMS over the cellular network, addressed to the cellular device?s phone number. This is sometimes called ?True? SMS. True SMS messages require a message plan with a carrier or aggregator and typically have charges applied to each message.
2. The alternative is use email using the SMTP protocol. Email is addressed to the cellular device?s email address. For example, to send a text message to a T-Mobile cell phone user, use the address format: 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net. Emailing messages to cell phones is free. However, messages sent in bulk will often get blocked by carrier SPAM filters. Sending more than a few hundred messages at a time via email is not a good idea and not recommended for mass notification.

SMS Costs

For enterprise users using bulk SMS the best approach is to use a Short Code provided by an SMS aggregator. Message aggregators charge upwards to ten cents a message and there is a monthly cost for the Short Code. Bulk plans are available with rates as a penny per message. International costs also are higher for texting. Broadcasters should be aware that their costs to send messages are not the only costs involved with SMS. When using the native SMS protocol for text messages, the wireless network operators (charge cell phone subscribers to receive text messages as well.? If you are texting employees and your company picks up cell phone usage costs for employees, you are paying to send and receive the messages. Be sure to take those costs into account when budgeting.

Risks

Cellular text messages are typically limited to 160 characters and use very little bandwidth compared to a voice telephone call. These characteristics make text messages more likely to get through during stressful events, but enterprises need to understand that text messages can be unreliable and should not solely depend upon them during emergencies. A study published by UCLA indicated that the message delivery failure ratio is as high as 5.1% during normal operation conditions and can spike to levels greater than 30% during so-called ?Flash Crowd? events.

There is no guarantee a text message will be delivered to a cellular device in either the SMS or SMTP delivery scenario. Therefore, when developing a messaging strategy it is important to take a multi-media approach to notification and consider voice, email, IM and secure messaging systems. When considering campus communications the use of Public Address systems, internal phone extensions, scrolling closed circuit TV feeds, social networks and RSS feeds should also be considered.

Mutare has several notification technologies enterprises can use to support communications for enterprise, emergency and mass notification including Enterprise Notification System, Text Notification System and Vital Link Secure Two-Way Communication System. Visit www.mutare.com for more details.

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Director of Marketing for Mutare Software and industry expert in unified messaging and business process automation.

Source: http://unifysimplify.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/sms-vs-smtp-for-emergency-and-mass-notification-of-text-messages/

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