What is an SMS?
There are now numerous ways to send messages via your cell phone or smartphone. SMS is probably the most classic way of communicating.
This is an SMS – definition
An SMS is a text message that you can send from your cell phone or smartphone. The abbreviation "SMS" stands for "Short Message System", which translates as "short message service". You do not need an internet connection to send an SMS, as the short messages are sent via the mobile network. An SMS is usually limited to 160 characters.
The words “simsen” or “texten” have become established in German language for sending SMS. In southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland they also say “SMSing”.
What is an MMS?
In addition to SMS, there is also MMS. The abbreviation "MMS" stands for "Multimedia Messaging Service". It is a further development of the classic SMS as it enables multimedia messages to be sent from your cell phone. For example, if you send a photo, video or audio file from your cell phone, it is an MMS.
The development of SMS
The idea for SMS originated in the mid-1980s. The Finn Matti Makkonen is said to have first talked about his idea of a short message service in 1984, which not only... Language, but can also transmit text messages. At that time, an expansion of a Europe-wide mobile network standard was already being planned. At the beginning of the 1990s, the first attempts were made to create a mobile network Europe to establish and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GMS) became the standard.
It was found that transmitting voice-only over GSM required far less network capacity claimed more than expected, which is why the remaining reserves were used for sending text messages could become. This is how the SMS came about. By the way, it was the Deutsche Bundespost that set the length of 160 characters per SMS. Since it was found that in most cases postcards and telegrams contained less than 160 characters.
Of course, there are sometimes understandable reasons for sending an SMS without your own...
The first SMS was sent in 1992 by British engineer Neil Papworth from a PC to a colleague's cell phone with the message "Merry Christmas." However, it took a few more years, until the mid-90s, before the general public could communicate via SMS.
Popularity of SMS.
The SMS is now over 30 years old, but its best years are already behind it. She reached her climax in Germany in 2012, in which a total of 59 billion short messages were sent. Since then they have been Pay declining, which can be primarily attributed to the increasing popularity of other communication channels since then. Today, text messages are mostly sent over the Internet via apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Co. - so there are no costs per message.
Sending SMS - costs
Over the course of the late 90s and early 2000s, SMS became increasingly popular as a means of communication. At the beginning, a single SMS could cost 0.39 pfennigs. After the introduction of the euro, the average price of an SMS was 19 cents. Cheap providers later also enabled prices of just €0.05 or €0.06 per message,
Today, sending SMS is included in most mobile phone contracts and there are rarely charges for individual messages. However, this varies from provider to provider. If you don't have a contract, there is also a difference whether an SMS is sent in the same network or outside of it. For example, if you have a SIM card from Vodafone and the person you are writing to is from Telekom, the cost could be between €0.09 and up to €0.20 per message.
