Modern Day SMS: Short Code SMS and Bulk SMS

The mobile telecom industry has changed the way the world communicates. The revolution that it had initiated in the 1940s, reached new heights with the invention of the Short Messaging Service some 17 years ago. Since then Short Messaging Service, an easy and effective text based communication, has continually evolved over the years with changing times and demands.
It was not late before the marketing industry woke up to the potential of SMS to feel the pulse of the viewer or customer. However since mobile connections have numbers 10 digits long and are usually hard to remember short code SMS was started. Short code SMS is a messaging service which involves a much shorter 5 or 6-digit code. These special numbersare specifically used to receive SMS and MMS messages only.
There are two types of short codes that are generally used – messaging and dialing. Short code SMS employs an automated service which requires the customer to type a particular word or prefix, so that the automated operator can respond accordingly.
These short codes can be obtained from network operators also known as short code providers. The subscribers of these short code providers send their data to the operators which are then stored along with their full details. Short code providers have increased the use of SMS and MMS to a massive degree by providing short codes to advertising agencies, TV/media houses, radio stations and marketing companies who use the codes extensively in order to measure the popularity of a TV show, product or service among the masses. The process gives them instant feedback.
This brings us to another aspect of modern day SMS messages. While short code SMS has made the process of getting customer response very easy, there are times when advertisers have to reach out to the customer to spread the word about their services as part of their direct marketing strategy. SMS messages are definitely the most convenient way to do so. However, to do this one has to send bulk SMS, another form of the Short Messaging Service that enables the user to send SMS messages in a series of short messages. There are Bulk SMS Gateways allowing users to send bulk SMS at a faster and cheaper rate. The bulk SMS system is maintained by bulk SMS software like Internet Payment eXchange (IPX). Apart from advertisers and TV/media houses equity traders, banks as well as Govt. Services such as Police, Railways etc. rely heavily on sending bulk SMS to convey important information.