Using SMS to deliver location-based services

Significant competition in the telecommunications sector is forcing mobile network operators continually to seek new and innovative ways to differentiate and increase profits. Highly personalized mobile services, leveraging location information, offers a key to such profits. The paper discusses the issues in the traditional Web-based approach for location-based services. Primary issues in this approach are the cost of the service and ease of use. A new approach using SMS to deliver location-based services is proposed that addresses these issues. SMS has gained huge popularity as a medium for mobile data communication in recent times. The utilization of SMS to deliver location-based services may enable service providers to obtain rapid return on investment and leverage existing networks. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the SMS approach.