Introduction to SMPP protocol


What is SMPP? SMPP is an acronym for "Short Message Peer-to-Peer." This is a protocol for communicating with an SMSC over the internet in order to send and receive SMS messages. Message handling and delivery is performed by an entity known as an SMSC or SMS Center. An SMSC can be an SMS provider or an aggregator service.

The SMPP protocol is mostly used to send very large numbers of SMS messages in a short amount of time. Its main use is to link SMS providers or a business to a provider. If your company sends or receives more than 5000 SMS messages per month, SMPP is probably the most cost-effective solution.

The SMPP protocol is usually chosen since it is fast, reliable, and covers the entire range of SMS functionality.

Security (TLS & IP address allowed list)

TLS is now supported by most SMPP client libraries and SMPP providers like SMS Connexion.

Transport Layer Security, or TLS, is a security protocol that is used to protect many well-known and widely used internet protocols, like HTTP (which is used to browse the web), SMTP (which is used to send emails), IMAP (which is used to receive emails), and many others.

The SMPP server from SMPP Connexion offers security through TLS and an IP allowed list that makes sure only known IP addresses can connect to the SMSC.

Specification

SMPP is a protocol that has been standardised. There are a few different versions of the SMPP protocol, but the most popular one is version 3.4.

The standard has been changed three times:

  • Version 3.3: which is the first widely utilized version.
  • Version 3.4: this is the version of SMPP that is the most used. It added the ability to add custom data to SMPP packages using TLVs (Tag Length Values).
  • Version 5.0: adds more options for advanced throttle control. This version isn't used very often.

Here you can find the full version of the SMPP 3.4 specification.

As an SMS gateway & SMPP provider, SMS Connexion facilitates the exchange of SMS messages over the internet. Using an SMPP client, you can send SMS via our SMPP server. First, create an SMPP account (also called system_id) and customize it with custom settings: transliteration, emoji removal, delivery report callback URL, SPAM filter, text replacement, and more.

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