| Short message service (SMS) is a wildly popular | | | | are sent to a Short Message Service Center |
| feature available on most digital mobile phones. | | | | (SMSC), and then relayed to the intended |
| SMS allows users to send short messages to | | | | recipient. If the messages do not reach the |
| other cell phones. These short messages are | | | | recipient upon the first attempt, then the SMSC |
| called text messages. SMS was invented by a | | | | will try again. It is important to understand that |
| Finnish civil servant named Matti Makkonen. Many | | | | SMS delivery is not guaranteed. Many messages |
| people understand what SMS is, but few | | | | cannot be delivered, but the delivery is called |
| understand how it actually works. | | | | "best effort." The amount of attempts to send a |
| In SMS, messages are sent with a | | | | text message varies with the company. |
| "store-and-forward" mechanism. The messages | | | | |