SMS Development Community Growing
July 29, 2003 It used to be an arduous task to integrate applications with an SMS gateway, and the inherent constraints were many. The lack of mature programming interfaces, prohibitively high connectivity costs, poor network coverage, high message cost and no support network to speak of were all deterrents to the wireless application developer. SMS gateway integration was painful at the very least, leading to only a small number of robust applications being developed, and developers opting for unreliable sim-based solutions. Since 2001, however, SMS enabler Clickatell has opened the floodgates for SMS applications by providing simplified, reliable integration. Clickatell now has over 3,500 active developers connecting to its SMS gateway in order to SMS-enable their applications from all corners of the globe, and this figure is growing daily. Applications range from enabling existing software and communication systems to send SMS messages, to new, innovative solutions utilising SMS as exclusive communication medium. One such new application is MobiSMS (created by Mobi Wireless), a Java midlet which allows cellphone users to significantly reduce the cost of sending SMS from their mobile phones. In most countries there is an end-user cost savings on SMS messages of up to 60%. “The Clickatell SMS Gateway interfaces allowed us to develop MobiSMS within a record time frame. The ease and simplicity of integration makes the Clickatell gateway the ideal platform for the development of innovative mobile messaging applications such as mobiSMS,” comments Patrick Vine, Technical Director at Mobi Wireless. (More info: http://mobisms.mobiwireless.com). Clickatell’s developer community represents a multitude of industry sectors (finance, healthcare, IT, communications, marketing, Internet, etc) and integrators providing specific mobility solutions to international airlines, ISP’s, banks, content providers, consumer brands, and marketing agencies, a true testament that the need for SMS is not industry-specific. Many applications created by the ‘Kids in the Garage’ have also seen the light. By integrating with Clickatell, young developers are able to use generic skills to develop and deploy their applications real-time. These include add-ins and plug-ins for existing applications, new SMS products, and a host of customised solutions. One of the reasons that Clickatell has attracted the number of SMS developers that it has, is the fact that its technology is so accessible. Applications can be integrated into Clickatell’s gateway through a number of protocols (HTTP, e-mail, FTP, XML, Com API, etc) within a matter of minutes. Clickatell also boasts the fastest turnaround for SMPP connectivity, for those clients wishing to connect in the native SMSC language. Clickatell expects a healthy growth in SMS application and services internationally as the positive trend around mobile messaging continues. According to Pieter de Villers, Clickatell Managing Director, “the next killer application is most likely to come from one of several thousand imaginative developers ‘out there.’ It is with this in mind that Clickatell has developed the most advanced, lowest barrier to entry and best serviced SMS application developer environment in the world. Just ask our users!”
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