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{{for|the similarly named candy|M&M's}}
{{About|Multimedia Messaging Service|the similarly named candy|M&M's|other uses|MMS (disambiguation)}}
{{About|Multimedia Messaging Service|other uses|MMS (disambiguation){{!}}MMS}}


'''Multimedia Messaging Service''' ('''MMS''') is a standard way to send messages that include [[multimedia]] content to and from [[mobile phone]]s over a [[cellular network]].{{cn|date=February 2016}} Users and providers may refer to such a message as a '''PXT''', a '''picture message''' or an "MMS".<ref>
'''Multimedia Messaging Service''' ('''MMS''') is a standard way to send messages that include [[multimedia]] content to and from [[mobile phone]]s over a [[cellular network]]. Users and providers may refer to such a message as a '''PXT''', a '''picture message''', or a '''multimedia message'''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://vodafone.intelliresponse.com/index.jsp?id=1576&question=How+to+send+a+PXT&requestType=NormalRequest&source=100 | title = How to send a PXT | year = 2015 | publisher = Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited | access-date = 2016-02-02 | quote = PXT is a really easy way to send a picture, sound, video, animation or text to another phone or email address. They're also known as MMS, picture messages or multimedia messages. [...] If you're used to sending TXT messages, sending a PXT is pretty similar.}}
</ref> The MMS standard extends the core SMS ([[Short Message Service]]) capability, allowing the exchange of [[text messages]] greater than 160 characters in length. Unlike text-only SMS, MMS can deliver a variety of media, including up to forty seconds of video, one image, a [[slide show]] of multiple images, or audio.
For example:
{{cite web
| url = http://vodafone.intelliresponse.com/index.jsp?id=1576&question=How+to+send+a+PXT&requestType=NormalRequest&source=100
| title = How to send a PXT
| year = 2015
| publisher = Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited
| access-date = 2016-02-02
| quote = PXT is a really easy way to send a picture, sound, video, animation or text to another phone or email address. They're also known as MMS, picture messages or multimedia messages. [...] If you're used to sending TXT messages, sending a PXT is pretty similar.
}}
</ref>


⚫
The most common use involves sending photographs from [[Camera phone|camera-equipped handsets]].{{cn|date=February 2016}} Media companies have utilized MMS on a commercial basis as a method of delivering news and entertainment content, and retailers have deployed it as a tool for delivering scannable coupon-codes, product images, videos, and other information.
The MMS system extends the core SMS ([[Short Message Service]]) capability that allows the exchange of text messages ("TXT msgs") only up to 160 characters in length.


⚫
The [[3GPP]] and [[Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]] groups fostered the development of the MMS standard, which is now continued by the [[Open Mobile Alliance]] (OMA).
⚫
The most popular use involves sending photographs from [[Camera phone|camera-equipped handsets]].{{cn|date=February 2016}} Media companies use MMS on a commercial basis as a method of delivering news and entertainment content, and retailers deploy it as a tool for delivering scannable coupon-codes, product images, videos and other information. Unlike text-only SMS, commercial MMS can deliver a variety of media, including up to forty seconds of video, one image, multiple images (via [[slide show]]) or audio, plus unlimited characters.

⚫
The [[3GPP]] and [[Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]] groups fostered the development of the SMS standard; the [[Open Mobile Alliance]] (OMA) continues that work.


== History ==
== History ==
{{Refimprove section|date=February 2016}}
Multimedia messaging services were first developed as a captive technology which enabled service providers to "collect a fee every time anyone snaps a photo."<ref>{{cite web| last=Parks| first=Bob|date=October 2000| url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.10/kahn.html| title = Wired Magazine, The Big Picture - Philippe Kahn| accessdate = 2006-04-20}}</ref>
Multimedia messaging services were first developed {{when|date=February 2016}} as a captive technology which enabled service providers to "collect a fee every time anyone snaps a photo."<ref>{{cite web| last=Parks| first=Bob| date=October 2000| url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.10/kahn.html| title = Wired Magazine, The Big Picture - Philippe Kahn| accessdate = 2006-04-20}}</ref>


Early MMS deployments were plagued by technical issues and frequent consumer disappointments, but in recent years, MMS deployment by major technology companies have solved many of the early challenges through handset detection, content optimization, increased throughput, etc.
Early MMS deployments were plagued by technical issues and frequent consumer disappointments.{{cn|date=February 2016}} In recent years, MMS deployment by major technology companies have solved many of the early challenges through handset detection, content optimization, and increased throughput.


China was one of the early markets to make MMS a major commercial success, partly as the penetration rate of personal computers was modest but MMS-capable camera phones spread rapidly. The chairman and CEO of China Mobile said at the GSM Association Mobile Asia Congress in 2009 that MMS in China was now a mature service on par with SMS text messaging.
China was one of the early markets to make MMS a major commercial success, partly as the penetration rate of personal computers was modest but MMS-capable camera phones spread rapidly.{{cn|date=February 2016}} The chairman and CEO of China Mobile said at the GSM Association Mobile Asia Congress in 2009 that MMS in China was now a mature service on par with SMS text messaging.


Europe's most advanced MMS market has been Norway and in 2008 the Norwegian MMS usage level passed 84% of all mobile phone subscribers. Norwegian mobile subscribers sent on average one MMS per week.
Europe's most advanced MMS market has been Norway, and in 2008 the Norwegian MMS usage level passed 84% of all mobile phone subscribers. Norwegian mobile subscribers sent on average one MMS per week.{{cn|date=February 2016}}


Between 2010 and 2013, MMS traffic in the U.S. increased by 70% from 57 billion to 96 billion messages sent. <ref>http://www.ctia.org/resource-library/press-releases/archive/ctia-annual-survey-2013</ref>
Between 2010 and 2013, MMS traffic in the U.S. increased by 70% from 57 billion to 96 billion messages sent.<ref>http://www.ctia.org/resource-library/press-releases/archive/ctia-annual-survey-2013</ref> This is due in part to the wide adoption of [[smartphone]]s.
One of the main reason behind increase in MMS traffic is decrease of usage of proprietary mobile operating systems, as they had different implementations for encoding and MMS message handling.{{Dubious|date = August 2015|reason = MMS is a well-defined and established standard, first defined in 2001, and is part of the same set of standards that all GSM devices must comply with. They are very strict and prescriptive about how the data stream comprising an MMS is prepared; what datatypes are permissible, the maximum size of the message, the terminal to network interfaces, the transport mechanisms etc. There's little flexibility in the standard. Pictures have to be a JPEG of a limited size; audio must be in a specific codec, bitrate and max length; Text frames are limited to 5000 ASCII characters, video must be in a particular codec and max bitrate and length. Multiple objects of different types can be combined in a single message as long as it doesn't exceed 600KB in size. These are the rules that every implementation of MMS must follow. The definition documents explain the protocols and standards in fine detail, and tell the developers of phone OSs (smart or otherwise) exactly what their software needs to spit out of the antenna, down to the binary level. How the standards are implemented on the device is down to the manufacturers and will vary by platform and architecture, sure. But if you have a desire to build a device that works with a global standard, accessed by millions of other devices that work with that standard, AND you have a document that tells you precisely what your output needs to be, there's no way you'd deviate from that! You wouldn't design a 2-pin mains plug for a product and make the pins thicker, or longer, and then call it your own implementation of a 2-pin plug because you think it's better that way, because it would never fit in an electrical outlet! The principal is the same. If you stray from the definition, say by allowing a bigger maximum image size, then straight away you're risking failure because you're sending a message and you've got no idea if any devices will be able to read it. You WANT other devices to read your message so why would you deliberately risk failure by choosing to break compatibility?! Also, if a device is found to not be standards compliant during testing, it doesn't get approval to be allowed to connect to the network, and can't be sold. Plus, the network knows what an MMS should look like. If it doesn't like the format, or it exceeds the data size limit, it'll just be rejected. And... 'most smartphones now run android' is just plain wrong. about 51% do. That's just over half. 'Just over half' is not the same as 'most.' This isn't a personal attack - I just think your data is seriously flawed and based on too many assumptions. I can guarantee you, if I were to send an MMS now from my Lumia or my iPhone, to my Nokia 6820 which is eleven years old, it would display without any issue. Some phones don't support all the object types, early phones couldn't play video from an MMS, but the phone knows how to handle unsupported data types elegantly, it just shows a message to that effect.}}{{Citation needed|date = August 2015}} As most smartphones now run Android, MMS encoding and implementation has been generalized, hence usage of MMS has increased substantially.{{Citation Needed|date=October 2014}}


== Technical description ==
== Technical description ==
MMS messages are delivered in a totally different way from SMS. The first step is for the sending device to encode the multimedia content in a fashion similar to sending a [[MIME]] message (MIME content formats are defined in the MMS Message Encapsulation specification). The message is then forwarded to the [[Mobile network operator|carrier's]] MMS [[store and forward]] server, known as the '''MMSC''' (Multimedia Messaging Service Centre). If the receiver is on a carrier different from the sender, then the MMSC acts as a relay, and forwards the message to the MMSC of the recipient's carrier using the Internet.<ref>[http://mbuni.org/userguide.shtml#Section_.1.1.1 "Overview of MMS"], mbuni</ref>
MMS messages are delivered in a different way from SMS. The first step is for the sending device to encode the multimedia content in a fashion similar to sending a [[MIME]] message (MIME content formats are defined in the MMS Message Encapsulation specification). The message is then forwarded to the [[Mobile network operator|carrier's]] MMS [[store and forward]] server, known as the '''MMSC''' (Multimedia Messaging Service Centre). If the receiver is on a carrier different from the sender, then the MMSC acts as a relay, and forwards the message to the MMSC of the recipient's carrier using the internet.<ref>[http://mbuni.org/userguide.shtml#Section_.1.1.1 "Overview of MMS"], mbuni</ref>


Once the recipient's MMSC has received a message, it first determines whether the receiver's handset is "MMS capable", that it supports the standards for receiving MMS. If so, the content is extracted and sent to a temporary storage server with an [[HTTP]] front-end. An SMS "control message"(ping) containing the [[URL]] of the content is then sent to the recipient's handset to trigger the receiver's [[Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]] browser to open and receive the content from the embedded URL. Several other messages are exchanged to indicate status of the delivery attempt.<ref>[http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/mms_notifications_and_content/Sending.htm "Sending MMS Notifications and Content"], now.sms</ref> Before delivering content, some MMSCs also include a conversion service that will attempt to modify the multimedia content into a format suitable for the receiver. This is known as "content adaptation".
Once the recipient's MMSC has received a message, it first determines whether the receiver's handset is "MMS capable", that it supports the standards for receiving MMS. If so, the content is extracted and sent to a temporary storage server with an [[HTTP]] front-end. An SMS "control message" containing the [[URL]] of the content is then sent to the recipient's handset to trigger the receiver's [[Wireless Application Protocol|WAP]] browser to open and receive the content from the embedded URL. Several other messages are exchanged to indicate status of the delivery attempt.<ref>[http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/mms_notifications_and_content/Sending.htm "Sending MMS Notifications and Content"], now.sms</ref> Before delivering content, some MMSCs also include a conversion service that will attempt to modify the multimedia content into a format suitable for the receiver. This is known as "content adaptation".


If the receiver's handset is not MMS capable, the message is usually delivered to a Web based service from where the content can be viewed from a normal Internet browser. The URL for the content is usually sent to the receiver's phone in a normal text message. This behaviour is usually known as the "legacy experience" since content can still be received by a phone number, even if the phone itself does not support MMS.
If the receiver's handset is not MMS capable, the message is usually delivered to a web-based service from where the content can be viewed from a normal internet browser. The URL for the content is usually sent to the receiver's phone in a normal text message. This behaviour is usually known as a "legacy experience" since content can still be received by a phone number, even if the phone itself does not support MMS.


The method for determining whether a handset is MMS capable is not specified by the standards. A database is usually maintained by the operator, and in it each [[MSISDN|mobile phone number]] is marked as being associated with a legacy handset or not. This method is unreliable, however, because customers can change their handset at will, and many of these databases are not updated dynamically.
The method for determining whether a handset is MMS capable is not specified by the standards. A database is usually maintained by the operator, and in it each [[MSISDN|mobile phone number]] is marked as being associated with a legacy handset or not. This method is unreliable, however, because customers can independently change their handsets, and many of these databases are not updated dynamically.


MMS does not utilize one's own operator maintained data plan to distribute multimedia content. Operator maintained data plans are only used when message included links (if any) are explicitly clicked.
MMS does not utilize operator-maintained "data" plans to distribute multimedia content, which are only used if the operator clicks links inside the message.


E-mail and Web-based gateways to the MMS (and SMS) system are common. On the reception side, the content servers can typically receive service requests both from WAP and normal [[HTTP]] browsers, so delivery via the Web is simple. For sending from external sources to handsets, most carriers allow [[MIME]] encoded message to be sent to the receiver's phone number with a special domain. An example of this would be ''[email protected]'', where PTN is the '''p'''ublic '''t'''elephone '''n'''umber. Typically the special domain name is carrier specific.
[[E-mail]] and web-based gateways to the MMS system are common. On the reception side, the content servers can typically receive service requests both from WAP and normal HTTP browsers, so delivery via the web is simple. For sending from external sources to handsets, most carriers allow a [[MIME]] encoded message to be sent to the receiver's phone number using a special e-mail address combining the recipient's public phone number and a special domain name, which is typically carrier-specific.


== Challenges ==
== Challenges ==

Revision as of 03:47, 2 February 2016

This article is about Multimedia Messaging Service. For the similarly named candy, see M&M's. For other uses, see MMS (disambiguation).

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones over a cellular network. Users and providers may refer to such a message as a PXT, a picture message, or a multimedia message.[1] The MMS standard extends the core SMS (Short Message Service) capability, allowing the exchange of text messages greater than 160 characters in length. Unlike text-only SMS, MMS can deliver a variety of media, including up to forty seconds of video, one image, a slide show of multiple images, or audio.

The most common use involves sending photographs from camera-equipped handsets.[citation needed] Media companies have utilized MMS on a commercial basis as a method of delivering news and entertainment content, and retailers have deployed it as a tool for delivering scannable coupon-codes, product images, videos, and other information.

The 3GPP and WAP groups fostered the development of the MMS standard, which is now continued by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).

History

Multimedia messaging services were first developed [when?] as a captive technology which enabled service providers to "collect a fee every time anyone snaps a photo."[2]

Early MMS deployments were plagued by technical issues and frequent consumer disappointments.[citation needed] In recent years, MMS deployment by major technology companies have solved many of the early challenges through handset detection, content optimization, and increased throughput.

China was one of the early markets to make MMS a major commercial success, partly as the penetration rate of personal computers was modest but MMS-capable camera phones spread rapidly.[citation needed] The chairman and CEO of China Mobile said at the GSM Association Mobile Asia Congress in 2009 that MMS in China was now a mature service on par with SMS text messaging.

Europe's most advanced MMS market has been Norway, and in 2008 the Norwegian MMS usage level passed 84% of all mobile phone subscribers. Norwegian mobile subscribers sent on average one MMS per week.[citation needed]

Between 2010 and 2013, MMS traffic in the U.S. increased by 70% from 57 billion to 96 billion messages sent.[3] This is due in part to the wide adoption of smartphones.

Technical description

MMS messages are delivered in a different way from SMS. The first step is for the sending device to encode the multimedia content in a fashion similar to sending a MIME message (MIME content formats are defined in the MMS Message Encapsulation specification). The message is then forwarded to the carrier's MMS store and forward server, known as the MMSC (Multimedia Messaging Service Centre). If the receiver is on a carrier different from the sender, then the MMSC acts as a relay, and forwards the message to the MMSC of the recipient's carrier using the internet.[4]

Once the recipient's MMSC has received a message, it first determines whether the receiver's handset is "MMS capable", that it supports the standards for receiving MMS. If so, the content is extracted and sent to a temporary storage server with an HTTP front-end. An SMS "control message" containing the URL of the content is then sent to the recipient's handset to trigger the receiver's WAP browser to open and receive the content from the embedded URL. Several other messages are exchanged to indicate status of the delivery attempt.[5] Before delivering content, some MMSCs also include a conversion service that will attempt to modify the multimedia content into a format suitable for the receiver. This is known as "content adaptation".

If the receiver's handset is not MMS capable, the message is usually delivered to a web-based service from where the content can be viewed from a normal internet browser. The URL for the content is usually sent to the receiver's phone in a normal text message. This behaviour is usually known as a "legacy experience" since content can still be received by a phone number, even if the phone itself does not support MMS.

The method for determining whether a handset is MMS capable is not specified by the standards. A database is usually maintained by the operator, and in it each mobile phone number is marked as being associated with a legacy handset or not. This method is unreliable, however, because customers can independently change their handsets, and many of these databases are not updated dynamically.

MMS does not utilize operator-maintained "data" plans to distribute multimedia content, which are only used if the operator clicks links inside the message.

E-mail and web-based gateways to the MMS system are common. On the reception side, the content servers can typically receive service requests both from WAP and normal HTTP browsers, so delivery via the web is simple. For sending from external sources to handsets, most carriers allow a MIME encoded message to be sent to the receiver's phone number using a special e-mail address combining the recipient's public phone number and a special domain name, which is typically carrier-specific.

Challenges

There are some interesting challenges with MMS that do not exist with SMS:

Handset configuration can cause problems sending and receiving MMS messages.
  • Content adaptation:[6] Multimedia content created by one brand of MMS phone may not be entirely compatible with the capabilities of the recipient's MMS phone. In the MMS architecture, the recipient MMSC is responsible for providing for content adaptation (e.g., image resizing, audio codec transcoding, etc.), if this feature is enabled by the mobile network operator. When content adaptation is supported by a network operator, its MMS subscribers enjoy compatibility with a larger network of MMS users than would otherwise be available.
  • Distribution lists: Current MMS specifications do not include distribution lists nor methods by which large numbers of recipients can be conveniently addressed, particularly by content providers, called Value-added service providers (VASPs) in 3GPP. Since most SMSC vendors have adopted FTP as an ad-hoc method by which large distribution lists are transferred to the SMSC prior to being used in a bulk-messaging SMS submission, it is expected that MMSC vendors will also adopt FTP.
  • Bulk messaging: The flow of peer-to-peer MMS messaging involves several over-the-air transactions that become inefficient when MMS is used to send messages to large numbers of subscribers, as is typically the case for VASPs. For example, when one MMS message is submitted to a very large number of recipients, it is possible to receive a delivery report and read-reply report for each and every recipient. Future MMS specification work is likely to optimize and reduce the transactional overhead for the bulk-messaging case.
  • Handset Configuration: Unlike SMS, MMS requires a number of handset parameters to be set. Poor handset configuration is often blamed as the first point of failure for many users. Service settings are sometimes preconfigured on the handset, but mobile operators are now looking at new device management technologies as a means of delivering the necessary settings for data services (MMS, WAP, etc.) via over-the-air programming (OTA).
  • WAP Push: Few mobile network operators offer direct connectivity to their MMSCs for content providers.[citation needed] This has resulted in many content providers using WAP push as the only method available to deliver 'rich content' to mobile handsets. WAP push enables 'rich content' to be delivered to a handset by specifying the URL (via binary SMS) of a pre-compiled MMS, hosted on a content provider's Web server. A consequence is that the receiver who pays WAP per kb or minute (as opposed to a flat monthly fee) pays for receiving the MMS, as opposed to only paying for sending one, and also paying a different rate.

Although the standard does not specify a maximum size for a message, 300 kB is the current recommended [by whom?] size used by networks [which?] due to some limitations on the WAP gateway side.

Interfaces

Main article: MMS Architecture
MMSC Reference Architecture
  • MM1: the 3GPP interface between MMS User Agent and MMS Center (MMSC, the combination of the MMS Relay & Server)
  • MM2: the 3GPP interface between MMS Relay and MMS Server
  • MM3: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and external servers
  • MM4: the 3GPP interface between different MMSCs
  • MM5: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and HLR
  • MM6: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and user databases
  • MM7: the 3GPP interface between MMS VAS applications and MMSC
  • MM8: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and the billing systems
  • MM9: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and an online charging system
  • MM10: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and a message service control function
  • MM11: the 3GPP interface between MMSC and an external transcoder

See also

References

  1. ^ "How to send a PXT". Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited. 2015. Retrieved 2016-02-02. PXT is a really easy way to send a picture, sound, video, animation or text to another phone or email address. They're also known as MMS, picture messages or multimedia messages. [...] If you're used to sending TXT messages, sending a PXT is pretty similar.
  2. ^ Parks, Bob (October 2000). "Wired Magazine, The Big Picture - Philippe Kahn". Retrieved 2006-04-20.
  3. ^ http://www.ctia.org/resource-library/press-releases/archive/ctia-annual-survey-2013
  4. ^ "Overview of MMS", mbuni
  5. ^ "Sending MMS Notifications and Content", now.sms
  6. ^ Coulombe, Stéphane; Guido Grassel (July 2004). "Multimedia Adaptation for the Multimedia Messaging Service". IEEE Communications Magazine. 42 (7): 120–126. doi:10.1109/MCOM.2004.1316543.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MMS.


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