How to connect your SMS gateway to the mobile network

To connect your SMS gateway to the mobile network you have various options. You can connect wirelessly the same way as mobile phones connect. You can connect to the SMSC of a mobile network operator over the Internet using the SMPP, UCP or CIMD2 protocol or you can use an on-line http sms service. In either case it is a good practice to use multiple connections to the mobile network for fault tolerance, load balancing, least cost routing and backup routing purposes. A common practice is to setup an IP sms connection (e.g. SMPP client connection) for everyday high performance messaging. After this connection is working, it is a good idea to setup a wireless link as backup. You can setup a wireless link using an SMS modem pool. These to connections will make sure your system operates even if the primary SMS service fails.

How to connect your SMS gateway to the mobile network wirelessly

To connect your SMS gateway to the mobile network wirelessly, the most simple method is to setup your Android mobil with your PC. For professional setups you can send sms using a GSM modem, or a send sms using a GSM modem pool.

android mobile connection
Figure 1 - Android mobile connection

In either case you need SIM cards purchased from a local mobile network operator, and the phone numbers you can use as SMS Sender ID will be the phone numbers assigned to the SIM cards by the network operator. The advantage to using a wireless connection is that it is easy to setup, and often you can send and receive SMS messages free of charge over wireless links. (In fact many SMS service providers run a business of purchasing SMS modem pools with SIM cards and they sell the SMS messages and phone numbers to their clients over the Internet by providing an HTTP sms service.)

sms modem pool connection
Figure 2 - SMS modem pool connection

How to connect your SMS gateway to a mobile network operator

To send large volumes of SMS messages, a direct connection to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) of a mobile network operator, or to a high capacity on-line SMS service is a good option. Mobile network operators and top SMS providers offer SMPP client connection or other heavy-duty SMS protocols, such as the UCP sms protocol, the CIMD2 sms protocol or the HTTP, the HTTPS and the OZX sms protocol. In most cases you can connect to these providers through a secure SSL link. You may check out the how to create a secure smpp client connection guide on getting more information about this connection option.

direct connection to the smsc over smpp
Figure 3 - Direct connection to the SMSC over SMPP

How to connect your SMS gateway to an HTTP SMS service provider

The third option to connect your system to the mobile network is to connect to an HTTP SMS service provider. Although the HTTP protocol is not the most efficient option to send and receive SMS messages, because it puts a large data overhead on each SMS, and it does not support SMS delivery reports and inbound SMS messages properly, it is still used by many businesses. The primary reason for this is that an HTTP SMS connection can be setup very effortlessly.

connection through an http sms provider
Figure 4 - Connection through an HTTP sms provider

To connect your system to an HTTP SMS service, you need to sign up to the service on their website, and you need to enter the account details they provide into Ozeki SMS Gateway. A list of supported SMS service providers can be found in our On-line SMS service poviders page. You will find step by step instructions for each provider on how to connect to their service.


Instructions

The following pages give you detailed instructions on how to setup a particular mobile network connection type. The most popular way to connect is to use the SMPP client connection method. Beginners often use their Android mobile phone to create their first connection, since it is always available and very easy to setup and use.

send sms using smpp
SMPP Mobile Network Connection
This guide gives you information about how to setup an SMPP SMS client connection. SMPP stands for Short Message Peer to Peer protocol and is a very popular choice among SMS service providers. The Ozeki system offers an excellent, high performance implementation of this great protocol.
Lear more about how to send SMS using SMPP
send sms using ucp
UCP/EMI SMS Client Connection
By following the guide on this page, you will get a brief introduction to UCP/EMI SMS client connection. The Universal Computer Protocol and its extension, External Machine Interface is a great choice to connect to short message service centers for mobile phones.
Lear more about how to send SMS using UCP/EMI
send sms using cimd2
CIMD2 SMS Client Connection
Learn about how you can set up a CIMD2 SMS client connection in Ozeki SMS Gateway. The Computer Interface Message Distribution protocol was introduced by Nokia. The CIMD2 interface transfers messages between applications and the Nokia Short Message Service Center.
Lear more about how to send SMS using CIMD2
ozx connection
OZX connection
This guide is about OZX client connection setup. It defines what an OZX connection is, what does OZX stand for and how you can use an OZX client connection to connect your Ozeki SMS gateway system directly to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) of a mobile network operator over the Internet.
Lear more about how to connect to an OZX service
send sms using http
HTTP SMS Client Connection
You can get useful information about how you can set up a HTTP SMS client connection in Ozeki SMS Gateway by following the guide here. By using this solution, you will be able to communicate with web applications by using the HTTP protocol.
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rest sms client
REST SMS client
This tutorial explains how to use the sms rest api in Ozeki SMS Gateway. It will start with defining the term of what an sms rest api is and will move on to show you how to use it to access SMS services. We understand you will use these steps to construct a solution to serve important business users and business applications, so we take care to provide you with instructions that will help you create a high quality solution.
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send sms using android mobile
Android SMS Client Connection
This guide gives you information about how you can set up an Android SMS client connection in Ozeki SMS Gateway. By downloading the Android SMPP Gateway to your smart phone, you can use it as an SMPP server, and connect to that smart phone with an SMPP client connection in SMS Gateway.
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send sms using sms modem
GSM Modem Link
The following guide is about to demonstrate how you can connect your GSM modem to your PC and configure it with Ozeki SMS Gateway. The high speed, professional cellular modem works well with Ozeki SMS Gateway.
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send sms using sms modem pool
GSM Modem pool Link
The following guide is about to demonstrate how you can connect your GSM modem pool to your PC and configure it with Ozeki SMS Gateway. The high speed, professional cellular modem pools works well with Ozeki SMS Gateway.
Learn more about how to send SMS using an SMS modem pool
sms service providers
On-line SMS Service Providers
Ozeki supports native connection to several on-line SMS service providers. Click here for a list of connections you can setup easily. The listed providers offer APIs that allow you to use their service from Ozeki 10 SMS Gateway.
Supported SMS service provider list
test sms sending
How to test SMS sending in Ozeki SMS Gateway
This guide will show you how you can test text message (SMS) sending through Ozeki SMS Gateway. The tutorial below contains all the necessary steps in order for you to set up this solution efficiently. You will learn how to set up a Tester connenection inside Ozeki sms gateway and send a test message. A Tester connection is a great tool to help you ensure that your SMS messages are being sent.
Learn more about how to test SMS sending in Ozeki SMS Gateway
load balancing
How to setup sms load balancing
Setting up sms load balancing is not a hard task, but a helping hand is always useful. Load balancing prevents application downtime, increases performance and helps in detecting failures in the early stages. Our load balancer swiftly distributes traffic across different paths in order to reach perfect client experience. This guide is meant to be our way of helping while showing you Ozeki SMS Gateway.
Learn more about how to setup sms load balancing