Companies often make use of Bulk SMS to send anything from alerts, notifications and promotional material to their clients. It is a fast and cheap way to communicate. Yet, it differs a little from sending a single text message through a SMS gateway.
You might think: so what, I can send a text invitation to my birthday party to at least ten people at once, why do I need anything special or different for sending messages in bulk?
Sending a bunch of messages from your phone doesn't truly compare to how companies use Bulk SMS messaging. They send hundreds, sometimes thousands, of messages to their customers in a single go. This can be a lot to handle from a mobile phone - that is why companies choose to make use of a Bulk SMS Gateway.
A Bulk SMS Gateway allows you to send an unlimited number of text messages from a computer to the cell phones of your clientele. When you sign up with a gateway provider, they usually provide you with the gateway software as well as training on how to use it.
According to sms-wiki.org, the provider will allow the company to access the SMSC (SMS center) directly via an internet connection in exchange for a monthly fee. You will get a password and a username, along with the IP address and port number of the SMSC. For the Internet connection to be established, there are standard protocols that are used, such as SMPP or UCP/EMI protocols.
To send out Bulk SMS messages, you can create the messages on Microsoft Excel datasheets. These Excel files can contain an unlimited number of different SMS messages. Usually these bulk SMS gateways only support CSV formats, therefore the excel document must be saved as a .csv file. As soon as you are ready to send the messages to your clientele, you can simply import the composed list into the bulk SMS gateway. From there you choose all the numbers you wish to send the messages to. And that's the long and short of it!
Depending on Bulk SMS gateway, you can also easily configure the settings. For example you can make use of the gateway's build-in message composer, add contacts, automate message sending and save previously written messages for further use.
Thalia Brussow is a copywriter for Integrat Mobile Aggregation Services - a leading WASP aggregator that delivers state of the art mobile integration, mobile billing and Bulk SMS services in Africa. 
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