[thelist] php -> sms

Paul Bennett paul at teltest.com
Mon Sep 15 14:16:33 CDT 2003


Simon Willison wrote:

> This is probably the internet world's best kept secret: you can send 
> SMS messages to almost all American cell phones by emailing a magic 
> address (a different one for each network provider). Adrian Holovaty 
> explains how here:
>
> http://www.holovaty.com/blog/archive/2003/08/31/0004 

thanks for the tip but:
- There are 2 major cellphone network providers in New Zealand
- They both offer email->sms services
- for a price
- if you sign up
- there is no guarantee that the email alias used for the message will
not change (this has already happened once in the last few months)
- it is (way) slower than mobile to mobile sms

I can see a couple of problems with the method Adrian is using:
(1) It is (in my experience) slower than a straight mobile to mobile sms
message
(2) There is NO guarantee that the providers will continue the service,
keep the email address consistent, or provide the service for free
In this instance someone may well be able to receive sms messages (a
basic benefit of almost any cellphone account) but not have signed up
for the extra cost of having the email->sms system, thus Adrian's system
fails (at least here in New Zealand it does)

For a business system, this just isn't an option. I don't want our
customer to have to front an additional cost to receive sms, as they
will be a heavy user with this system as it is. I don't want to have to
go and recode the system everytime he changes networks or the email
alias changes. That is a little unprofessional.

What I consider a more robust solution (and undocumented as noone can
seem to be bothered breaking the black hole of silence that surrounds
connecting to any cellular network)  is getting a connection from the
webserver to a cellphone via a COM port and using that cellphone as a
node in the mobile network to send messages.

I have a connection to a cellphone, but am having difficulty getting any
type of script / software to send the messages.


-- 
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	Paul Bennett						
	Internet Developer				
	Teltest Electronic Design		
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Email: paul at teltest.com				
Phone: 64 4 237 4557					
Web: http://www.teltest.com		
Wap: http://wap.teltest.com			





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