Hi everyone! I’m MaxSim, Cable & Wireless’ SIM Card enabled by the 5G fastest mobile network in Seychelles, and welcome back to this month’s new blog issue. We cover little bytes of everything-tech. Are you excited for this month’s Byte? 

If there is anything specific you would like for us to discuss, feel free to send over some suggestions on our Facebook & Instagram pages!  

So here is this month’s byte! 

How does text messaging work?

Most people think that when they type up a text message it goes from their phone and straight to the recipient’s. But it’s not as straightforward as that. In fact, the message takes a couple of detours before it hits the other person’s inbox.

But first, what is an SMS? 

Short Message Service or SMS for short is the service that allows text to travel from one person’s phone to another. These messages are limited to 160 characters (including spaces!) and if your message exceeds 160 characters, your message will be delivered in blocks of 160 characters.

How do we send and receive SMS?

After the message is typed and sent, it is transmitted as binary code using a particular frequency of radio waves to a control channel. The control channel is the medium that lets your phone communicate with the cell phone tower to allow your phone to send and receive data, calls and SMS messages. 

If the person you are texting has their phone on, the SMS will travel through the control channel and sent to the person’s phone. If they have their phone off, the message will be stored in the Short Message Service Centre (SMSC) until the message can be sent. The SMSC receives the message and sends it to the appropriate tower closest to the location of the cell phone and then to the destination. 

And that is how SMS travels!