Sending SMS from a web site in any language using non-latin characters is not an easy task. GSM supports letters of the latin alphabet which allows users to send text messages up to 160 characters (alpha and numeric) in length. Foreign languages such as Arabic and Chinese requires the use of non-latin characters.
Unicode is a character encoding standard adopted for use in any application requiring non-latin characters. Today it is a requirement for XML, Java, ECMAScript (JavaScript), LDAP, CORBA 3.0, WML and other to implement ISO/IEC 10646. It is platform, program and language independent and required to send 16-bit messages (unicode) to mobile phones. The use of unicode in the development of applications that will service a broader user market opened new doors for mobile data users.
Enabling the sending of unicode text from a web site at no additional cost allows users that were previously not able to send text due to the latin character limitation, now to do so. Various user friendly applications are available in this specific market segment. These applications range in functionality but some some of the better applications available are java applications which are based on the user's keyboard language settings. For example: if your keyboard is set to Greek, it will send the text in Greek - the same with Arabic, Russian and all languages requiring non-latin character set.
As with most websms solutions the procedure is very easy. Users register online, verify their registration after which they are allowed to log on and send sms. With multi-lingual sms they are presented with the standard English text format or the option to send Unicode. If the user select unicode, they have the option to change their keyboard setting or send unicode using Hex. Keyboard settings allows the user to type a normal message up to 70 characters, click on "Send message" and off it goes arriving in the recipient's mobile phone inbox in the language it was sent.
Java based multi-lingual applications used in conjunction with web sites are also platform independent which implies that the user is not bound to any specific operating system as was the case in earlier application development.
It is a great development in the mobile telecommunications industry that will break down previous barriers that existed due to the latin character limitations.
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