Send SMS

[deepaks85]

Dear All,

Is there any php script or any procedure so that I can send sms to any mobile in india?

How can I do that?

Please help me........

Thanks
Deepak

[xerc]

Well, first you have to identify how you are going to send the SMS and from where. There are three basic options.

1) Email-to-SMS. Most mobile providers allow you to send an e-mail to a phone number, which then forwards it as an SMS. So for instance [e-mail]. The problem with this method is that not all wireless providers allow this (particularly for prepay SIMs). Moreover, if you find most of your recipients can receive via this method, you still have the pain of figuring out the e-mail to use. But, if you have a static and limited set of recipients, and their mobile providers provide an e-mail-to-sms option, then this is by far the easiest. You'll just use the regular mail() function in PHP to send them an SMS. I should note there are some free SMS services out there (you send an e-mail with the number in the subject and text in the message), but unless you want yourself and your recipients to get SMS spam, I'd avoid these.

2) SMS Gateway. Most of the time, however, you have to set up an account with a wireless SMS gateway provider, such as Clickatell or BulkSMS. (Just Google them.) These gateways give you an HTTP API or other API with which to interface; once you set up an account. Some even have PHP classes they provide as a sort of 'software' you can use in your application. Obviously you have to pay per message, but hey, SMS isn't free, so you should be expecting to pay somewhere and somehow. The cost is generally pretty cheap, and often there are plans with no recurring fees -- just pay as you use. The API is going to vary from provider to provider, but before paying and opening an account, be sure you can interface. For instance you may need to have a static public IP address if using the HTTP API. So how you interface in PHP will depend upon the provider and what software, API, etc. they provide. Some allow telnet, others require URL post, etc. etc., but I've found these all extremely easy to implement using PHP. Not much more difficult that mail(), but you'll have to read their documentation. You should also check that the gateway provider can successfully send an SMS to a number of wireless providers in your country. Some can't at all, while others will say they can SMS to a country, but the reality is they can only SMS to one wireless provider out of like 5. So again a little research needed.

3) GSM Modem. I don't really recommend this method unless you are doing something quasi enterprise level, have the time to manage the infrastructure, as well as the patience to interface a lot of hardware and software. But basically, you can slap a wireless GSM modem (MultiTech, Wavecom, etc.) onto your computer or server -- and of course you'll need an activated SIM card with SMS capability. You'll then need a way to interface/communicate with the modem. If you have the patience to learn AT commands and communicate with a COM port, more power too you. Otherwise, you'll need to purchase some form of middleware like NowSMS or ActiveSMS (http://www.intellisoftware.co.uk/products/activesms/) These run as mini-servers or services on your machine and do nothing but process outgoing and incoming SMS messages from the GSM modem. How you then interface with these SMS servers/services will depend upon the program you purchase. Some all command line (exec()), others support an HTTP API, and others still will accept e-mail. Again, do a little research before purchasing. The nice thing about this method is you have complete control. I find messages go out a lot faster than through a gateway. Moreover, you have instant two-way (send and receive) capability on your machine. The downside is that you should remember it takes a modem about 8-12 seconds to send an SMS message, so if you need 'broadcast' capability, go with a gateway. Otherwise you'll have to buy multiple modems per machine.

[xerc]

I forgot to add. While I reference GSM modems in option three, you could in fact use CDMA or other, but most software to interface with the modems only support GSM. I'm not an expert, but I've read that the AT command set for GSM is pretty standard, so a GSM modem is a GSM modem. The AT command set for CDMA, however, is not terribly standard, so it is difficult for software developers to account for all the AT differences between hardware and network. That being said, if you are rolling your own program to interface with the modem, then you could certainly go CDMA. Also, a modem is basically the mobile phone without the interface (screen and key pads). You therefore could in theory connect some mobile phones directly to a computer and SMS that way. I know a lot of Nokia phones come with software to do just that. I don't know if the software is open enough to send command lines through PHP and/or the performance of phone sets vs. modems. But in theory...........

Finally, just to give you a sense, modems cost around $300 USD a pop.

[coffear]

touchring some SMS gateways allow 2 way SMS messages. Clickatell for example have this facility (of course it costs)

[vigsacet]

hi xerc i am subscribed to Clickatell all the things are working perfectly..
but i want automatic sms send option if the date&time so and so..
now i am developing my website in yii And Php please reply me([e-mail]) if u have any ideas..

thanks

[peoplesinnovati]

you need to buy sms gateway api from any of the service providers... just google it you will get list of service provides who offer international sms, per sms cost vary from country to country.

[robertanderson]

Ozeki NG SMS Gateway can be also used to send and receive SMS messages. It provides PHP API as well. But it just one of the several development options provided the software. It isn't needed to build any unique application, Ozeki NG SMS Gateway provides complete 2-way SMS/MMS communication solution.