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The Importance of SMPP for Sending Bulk SMS Messages
It’s possible you never considered what goes on behind the scenes, technology-wise, when you send out a batch of bulk SMS messages to your customers and prospects.
And honestly, you shouldn’t.
When complicated systems work as they should, the technology behind them should be invisible. This allows you to complete your SMS tasks quickly, and carry on with your day.
But when it comes to picking an SMS Gateway Provider, you need to be up to speed on the basics. Because how your messages are sent, and with what protocol, makes a big difference to the delivery rates of those messages.
SMPP Vs. SMTP for Sending MMS Messages
SMPP stands for “short message peer-to-peer”.
All you need to know is that this is the gold standard protocol used to send SMS messages.
When bulk SMS messages are sent through SMPP, messages are relayed to the mobile carriers (Bell, Virgin, At&T, Verizon, and so on), and then relayed through their networks to your customers’ phones.
The same technology is used when you pick up your phone and send a text to a friend.
Cool.
However, what you probably didn’t know is that texts can also be sent through SMTP. SMTP stands for ‘Simple Mail Transfer Protocol”, and it’s the standard protocol for sending email.
For example, you can send a text message to your friend with your email client, as long as you know their service provider.
For example, if your friend is with AT&T, and her phone number is 456-567-8999, sending an email to…
4565678999@txt.att.net
… will see your message show up on her phone as a text message.
Maybe.
Because the biggest problem with using SMTP for text delivery is getting your message to your customer’s phone successfully and reliably.
And you won`t know if you have, because it’s almost impossible to know for sure.
So how do you know whether the SMS Gateway service you are investigating is using SMTP or SMPP
Well, they will tell you. You may have to dig to find it, but they will tell you. However, unless you understand the ramifications of using an inferior delivery method, it probably won`t mean anything to you.
Another way to tell is by the cost of the service.
Watch Out for Cheap/Free Services
Sending emails, as you know, costs almost nothing. Sending bulk SMS messages with SMPP is a different story. Essentially, it costs money to access the mobile carrier network, and there`s a set charge for each and every single text sent over it.
In other words, if you are checking out a cheap SMS gateway that offers outrageously cheap fees for the service, it’s because they are using SMTP, and not SMPP.
I learned this lesson a long time ago – free isn’t necessarily free, and you always get what you pay for!
Free is valueless if the service is substandard, and you cannot be sure your customers are getting your messages.
Speaking frankly, if you’re going to consider SMS marketing for your business, you shouldn’t be cutting corners to the extent that you compromise your ability to communicate effectively.
Hopefully this article has emphasized theiImportance of SMPP for Sending Bulk SMS Messages.
Local Text Marketers uses the SMPP protocol exclusively.
Why Not Try Our Service for Sending Bulk Messages?
Local Text Marketers offers a “no credit card required” free trial so you can out our service to the test and see if it works for your business!
May we invite you to evaluate our service today?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the comparison between SMPP and SMTP for sending bulk SMS. I know various gateways and providers who use SMPP but I don’t know if anyone uses SMTP for sending SMS as it is a protocol for sending emails. Can you please clear my doubts on this as early as possible?
Thank you!
Hi Shefali,
Yes, some companies use SMTP, or they use a combination of SMPP or SMTP. I prefer not to call them out by name. You have to read the fine print to find out, but often, the price is a dead giveaway. It costs money to send SMS over carrier networks, so any gateway that provides really cheap service is likely to be using it (unless they are monetizing their customers in additional ways).