Chat
SMS Chat - what is it?
Whereas mobile-to-mobile chat is the most common usage of SMS messages, SMS chat applications normally require an application or server that receives and sends text messages from and to mobile phones.
When using a chat application, the user normally sends a text message to a short code (i.e. five-digit number available on one or more mobile networks). This message is delivered by mpulse to a server or application. At this stage, the application either takes a specific action, normally depending on the text contained within the message, or it displays it on a screen where an operator can reply to it. In any case, the sender will receive a reply based on the content of his initial text message.
Operator-based chat services enable operators to view and to reply to incoming messages, and usually to view the senders complete message history, i.e. previous messages or dialogs. Multi-user chat services create an (automatic) link between two or more users, based on various parameters like the user's age, sex and location. When requesting new contacts or when subscribing to the service, the user has to provide his personal data and sometimes a search pattern in the message he sends to the system.
Chat services can be either Premium (i.e. invoiced at a higher rate than standard SMS messages) or priced at the normal cost of an SMS message. If they are Premium-priced, the service provider will earn a percentage of the price the user is payingfor each message.
Examples
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Operator-based chat applications:
- A user sends a message to a short code
- mcharge transfers the message to a server
- The server displays the message and message history in a secure interface
- An operators sends a reply to the user
- mcharge delivers the message to the mobile operator/user
- The user receives the message, and can continue the conversation by sending a new text message
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Multi-user chat applications
- A user sends a message to a short code containing his age/sex/location and a search/match-making pattern (i.e. that he is looking for a person of a specific age, sex, and/or living in a particular location)
- mcharge delivers the message to a server
- The server takes care of the match-making process, i.e. searches for another user corresponding to search criteria, and sends a nickname or code to the sender that he can use for contacting the second user
- mcharge delivers the message to the mobile operator/user
- The user receives the message, and can send another message to his newly obtained contact by using the contact's nickname or code at the beginning of a message
