Short message gets longer [GSM]

The short message service (SMS) is one of GSM's best kept secrets. The basic idea is straightforward: by 'stealing' slots in the GSM signalling channel the SMS allows mobile phones, together with PCs and laptops connected to GSM phones, to exchange text messages of up to 160 characters. One of the constraints on the wider use of the SMS is the limit of 160 characters on the length of the message. Vodafone announced a valuable enhancement of the SMS service when the company released details of ETSI (European Telecommunications Standardisation Institute) acceptance of a Vodafone-developed SMS compression algorithm, capable of increasing the SMS message length by around 50%. The new compression algorithm could boost the international acceptance of GSM.