SMS Text messaging

  • Hi

    Has anybody used SQL Server 2000 to send text messages to mobile phones.  We have groups of students we would like to able to text to perhaps say a class has been cancelled or something similar.  We currently do this with email (using Access VBA and Microsoft Exchange) but feel that text would be a better option.

    Has anybody done anything like this - and is able to explain the procedure?

    Thanks

    Paul

  • You need to know the domain name for the phone and then you can just send an email to <A href="mailtohoneno@abc.com">Phoneno@abc.com e.g. if you have cingular as your service provider and your phone no. is 1111111111, you can send a mail to 1111111111@cingular.com

     

  • Hi

    Thanks for the reply. 

    If I understand you correctly, this means that when a student is registered we would not only have to ask for a mobile phone number, but a domain (email address) for the phone provider.  Is this correct, or is there another way around this?

    Paul

  • Hello,

    I have had very good experience with and pricing from http://www.clickatell.com/. They have an SMS gateway, which can be used from HTTP, SMTP, FTP, XML, ... I normally use it from ASP, for which I built a small library of functions to send anything to any mobile phone by SMS. This even works with old Nokia 5110 here in Europe

    One thing you could do is get a test subscription there, and create a script that does an HTTP post of your SMS content, from the SQL Server, eg in a DTS package, or using VBscript in a package or so. You could surely also build a PRC that formats a message and sends it out using XMLHTTP com.

    Maybe the whole thing at Clickatell could be used, in the sense that they also offer services for group management and so on ... Depends on your needs, but I have they idea that for SMS thingies with Clickatell, I am opnly limited by my imagination

    Good luck!

    No

  • Hi and thanks

    I'll look into this.  We are looking into using Exchange for at least part of the process, maybe your suggestion will complete the job.

    Thanks again

    Paul

  • Hi Paul,

    You can use SQL mail to do so, if you are allowed to have Exchange Client on SQL server Production box.

    Other ways are:

    1) you can send email with smtp port opened on SQl server box.

    2) you can use CDOsys dll from windows 2000 to send emails.

    Thanks

    Raman

  • Thanks, Raman

    This is very helpful.  I'll pass it on to our systems people to have a look at.

    Paul

  • Following up from what hendrix mentioned above, I believe this would be your most scalable solution.  I to have had quite a lot of experience with this but have used a different provider http://www.itagg.com.  However i think this is only really proven for UK and Europe, where about are you from?.  They provide some very powerful API's and even supply a limited location look up service.

    ll

  • Thanks for the tip.  We are in the UK.

    A possibility we are exploring is installing a Wavecom Modem kit and SMS text messaging software.  From what I have been told, this will prevent the need to involve a third party.  We are still looking into the ramifications.

    Many thanks

    Paul

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