Protocols

Supported Protocols Systems that provide over-the-air broadcast services for electronic messages require that messages be submitted to them encoded in wireline protocols. A protocol is something (roughly speaking) like a language. In data processing terms, a protocol is a wrapper, an envelope that contains metadata about the message. Some wireline protocol wrappers include login information (e.g., username and password) required to authenticate the submitter to the broadcast service provider. Protocols supported for PageMate message dispatch are listed below. Click on any protocol name for more information about the protocol and its implementation in PageMate.

Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) is the international text messaging wireline protocol that kick-started the paging industry. On September 1, 1988, TAP was named and adopted as a standard by the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA). TAP provides support for submitting one-way text messages to paging service providers in a protocol wrapper that includes address, checksum and optional password information. TAP was quickly adopted by paging service providers eager to move beyond numeric "beepers" for messaging to mobile personnel. TAP service providers initially supported submitting messages via TAP using data modems on the switched telephone network. A few, most notably SkyTel in the United States, later supported TAP over IP on the public Internet. TAP is supported in both PageMate Classic and PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server.

Page Entry Terminal Protocol Page Entry Terminal (PET) protocol is the protocol from which TAP was derived. It is, for all practical purposes, equivalent to TAP without password support. PET incorporates checksums to ensure error-free delivery of messages from a customer computer to the paging service provider, together with positive confirmation of receipt and verification by the paging service. As the original standards that gave birth to an industry, both PET and TAP are still widely used where they are most appropriate and efficient, principally with customer-owned (on-site) one-way text paging systems operating over RS232 serial line connections to paging system encoders and transmitters. PET is supported in both PageMate Classic and PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server.

Simple Network Paging Protocol Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) began life as a POP2-style e-mail messaging protocol, later adapted and renamed SNPP by Allen Gwinn at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After being rejected as a one-way protocol, the specification for SNPP was revised to include support for two-way messaging, and submitted as an RFC (Request For Comments) in October 1995. As a two-way protocol, early implementations of SNPP suffered from the disadvantage of requiring the submitter to poll the paging service provider to look for replies and responses to messages. Recently, many paging service providers have begun supporting SNPP, WCTP and other protocols for wireline submission of messages to gateways for broadcast delivery via SMS (Short Message Service) to cell phones and similar mobile devices. See SMS for more information.

Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) is a protocol developed at Aldiscon in Ireland to provide a means of exchanging

SMS messages among and between servers at SMSCs (Short Message Service Centres). SMPP was designed and

intended for use in transferring messages in bulk between servers, server-to-server (peer-to-peer). It was not designed or

intended for use as a wireline protocol in client-to-server (customer-to-provider) applications, but some service providers

now accept messages submitted over the Internet via SMPP for broadcast delivery via SMS.

PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server, acting as an ESME (External Short Message Entity), can be used to submit messages to any SMS service provider that supports SMPP as a wireline submission protocol via TCP/IP sockets over the public Internet.

Telocator Network Paging Protocol Telocator Network Paging Protocol (TNPP) is a protocol designed for use as a component of the infrastructure operated by paging service providers. TNPP is not designed or intended to be used by customers to submit messages to commercial paging services. It is not an end user protocol, but sites that operate certain customer-owned paging systems may have a need to support TNPP in conjunction with their on-site paging systems. On-site paging systems are completely self-contained systems that include encoders, transmitters and pagers, all owned and operated by the customer, providing in-plant capabilities to broadcast messages within a limited geographic area. PageMate has always supported operation with on-site paging systems. Both PageMate Classic and PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server provide support for submitting messages to on-site paging systems via TNPP.

Short Message Service Short Message Service (SMS, also known as GSM/SMS) is a broadcast (over-the-air) protocol component of GSM (Global System for Mobile Telecommunications), based on the Universal Computer Protocol of the European Radio Message System. Most paging service providers support SNPP, SMPP, WCTP and other protocols for wireline submission of messages for over-the-air broadcast delivery via SMS to cell phones and similar portable devices. PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server provides support for both one-way and two-way messaging via SNPP, SMPP, WCTP and others. If a mobile message recipient replies to an SMS message, the reply may be delivered by the SMS broadcast service provider either to the originating wireline system (e.g., PageMate) or to an e-mail address provided with the original wireline submission. Support for replies and responses depends both on characteristics of the original submission protocol and on business policies of the paging service provider.

Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol (WCTP) is a protocol designed from the ground up to satisfy requirements for alphanumeric messaging between wireline systems and two-way capable wireless devices. WCTP is the technological successor to TAP in the sense that it supports two-way functionality for devices and applications similar to those that use TAP for one-way wireless messaging. Submission of messages via WCTP is accomplished over the Internet using TCP/IP sockets communication. WCTP also provides immediate asynchronous notification of replies and responses related to an original message, delivered by the broadcast service provider either to the originating wireline system or to any arbitrary e-mail address, known in PageMate terms as a reply-to address. PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server provides support for WCTP.

Short Message Gateway Protocol Short Message Gateway Protocol (SMGP) is a proprietary protocol of China Telecom. SMGP is a wireline protocol used to submit short messages for SMS broadcast delivery to GSM/SMS mobile devices served by China Telecom in Asia. PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server provides support for SMGP via socket connections on the public Internet to SMS gateways operated by China Telecom.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the original and most widely used IP-based text messaging protocol of all time. SMTP, the protocol used to implement electronic mail, is the original "killer app" without which the Internet might not exist at all. While electronic mail is not generally considered to be a wireless messaging protocol, many wireless services can serve electronic mail messages to their wireless devices. Electronic mail is a store-and-forward technology that lacks the immediacy and guarantee of delivery provided by other wireless messaging protocols. Nevertheless, it is an important secondary means for message delivery, and can serve as a primary means when other wireless services are unavailable. Both PageMate Classic and PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Servers, together with the optional PageMate Electronic Mail Connector, provide support for SMTP.

Orange Text Messaging Protocol OUCH is a proprietary protocol of Orange Telecom, a division of HWL Telecommunications, a Hutchinson company. Orange operates in Israel, Kenya and parts of Europe. Other Hutchinson Telecommunications companies operate in India, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. OUCH is a gateway protocol for SMS messaging to cell phones, PDAs and similar mobile devices. PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server provides support for submitting messages to Orange Telecom via OUCH. As far as we know, OUCH is not an acronym for any words in any language, and Orange Telecom's OUCH protocol is unrelated to OUCH as used by NASDAQ in the options market.

Semafoon Communications Protocol Semafoon Communications Protocol (SMFC) and BelgaCOM (BCOM) are protocols that are used by PTTs in The Nethelands. SMFC is a protocol implemented by the Dutch PTT in Holland. BCOM is a similar protocol implemented by BELGACOM in Belgium. Both PageMate Classic and PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Servers provide support for submitting messages via SMFC and BCOM as wireline protocols via the switched telephone network.

Glenayre Computer Protocol Glenayre Computer Protocol (GCP) is a simple ASCII protocol used to submit one-way text messages to pagers via paging systems manufactured by Glenayre Technologies, Inc. PageMate provides support for Page Out functionality and optional Login Verification under GCP. PageMate support for GCP requires a PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server connected to the paging system via either a direct serial link or local area network supporting TCP/IP stream sockets.

MOTOTRBO Text Messaging Protocol MOTOTRBO™ Text Messaging Protocol (MTMP) is a proprietary protocol created by Motorola, Inc. for text messaging in MOTOTRBO digital radio environments. MOTOTRBO is a professional two-way radio system that supports both mobile (in-vehicle) and portable (hand-held) radios transmitting both voice and data using TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) digital technology over 12.5 kHz narrowband-compliant frequencies. MOTOTRBO radios are commonly used in plant automation, emergency response, and similar municipal and industrial dispatch environments. PageMate Automated Messenger (PAM) Server supports message dispatch to MOTOTRBO radios.