Abstract:

This publication provides the reader an excellent overview of the current state of mobile messaging from a business perspective including challenges, opportunities and trends such as message volume and revenue. Coverage includes MMS challenges for mobile operators such as content adaptation, bulk messaging, handset configuration, and WAP push. Emerging market opportunities including mobile marketing and unified messaging (UM) are also evaluated. Select vendors and service providers in the space are classified by category including Equipment Vendor Providers, Independent Solution Vendors (ISV), Systems Integrators and Consultants with reference examples for each category. Some content based applications are referenced including SMS, MMS, and IVR based applications and content.

This publication also provides the reader with an understanding of both basic and more advanced technical details of mobile messaging functionality. Coverage includes basic messaging architecture, protocols, addressing, routing, message flows, billing, and functionality including Short Message Service (SMS), Enhanced Message Service (EMS), and Multimedia Message Service (MMS). More advanced topics are also addressed including SMS spoofing, Digital Rights Management (DRM), Unified Messaging (UM), and MMS interoperability. The publication also compares and contrasts SMS vs. MMS vs. e-mail are MMS vs. Instant Messaging (IM).

Key Questions Answered

• Business aspects of messaging
• Uses and benefits of SMS including everyday application usage
• MMS business challenges
• Companies offering VAS solution
• Existing VAS applications and billing integration
• Emerging applications such as mobile marketing and unified messaging
• Selection criteria for MMS selection in network
• Content based applications and integration
• Comparison between SMS, MMS, and e-mail
• Comparison between MMS and IM
• Technical overview of SMS including:
  • Architecture
  • Protocols
  • Billing
  • Addressing, routing and message flows in GSM and CDMA networks
  • Message security
  • SMSC failure conditions
  • SMS spoofing
• Technical overview of MMS including:
  • MMS reference architecture
  • Application Layer: MIME, xhtml, and SOAP
  • Interface evaluation: MM1, MM4, MM7, and MM8
  • MMS Gateway evaluation
  • Selection criteria for MMSC
  • MMS interoperability

Target Audience

• Mobile VAS Equipment Vendors, Independent Solution Providers, System Integrators and related professional services companies
• Personnel responsible for mobile messaging, Value-added Services (VAS), Sales and Marketing and personnel responsible for growth of ARPU
• Providers of VAS applications such as televoting and mass calling events
• Technical target audience comprises system architects, technical consultants, and industry analysts

Table of Contents

Value-added Service- Introduction 5
Target Audience 6
SMS 7
SMS-Business Growth 8
SMS-Benefits 14
SMS-Applications of SMS on daily basis 16
SMS-Technical Overview 17
SMS-Detailed Description 22
Address Translation in SMSC 25
SMSC Failure 26
SMS Protocols and protocol architecture 27
Source and Destination Addressing 35
Security for SMSC as ESME connection with SMSC 38
Leased Line. 38
Secure Transport Layer 38
VPN connectivity. 38
Secure Tunnel 39
SMS-Call Flows in both GSM and IS-41 41
SMS Spoofing and Flooding 45
SMS Billing 46
Post Paid Billing. 46
Pre Paid Billing. 47
Enhanced Messaging Service 48
Multimedia Messaging System 50
Comparison between MMS, E-mail and SMS 52
MMS-Business Challenge 53
MMS-Technical Overview 55
Interaction functionality. 55
Client side responsiveness. 55
Local resource interaction. 56
MMS Addressing. 56
MMS Components. 57
MMS User Agent. 57
MMS Server 57
Application layer 61
MIME. 61
MIME Header Fields. 61
MIME-Version. 61
Content-Type. 61
Content-Transfer-Encoding. 61
XHTML MOBILE PROFILE. 62
The XHTML Mobile Profile 1.2 Document Type 63
SOAP. 63
SOAP overall process. 64
Client side. 64
Server side. 64
Client side. 65
MMS Reference Architecture 66
MM1 Mobile - IMAP (M-IMAP) 67
MM4 Stage 3 Inter-carrier Interworking. 68
MM7 MMS Relay Server 69
MM8 MMS Charging. 70
MMS Gateway 71
Comparison between MMS and Instant Messenger Services 73
Digital Rights Management 75
Basic Pull Model 75
Push of DRM Content 75
Selection Criteria for MMSC 76
MMS Interoperability issues 77
MMS challenges for Operators 78
Mobile Marketing 79
Unified Messaging Service 81
Unified Messaging Service-Business Challenge 84
Unified Messaging Service-Technical Overview 85
Companies in Messaging space 88
Some Content based applications 89
Summary 90
References 91
Acronyms 92

* This report has been published by CTR research partner Mind Commerce.