What is Unicode SMS? The term “Unicode SMS” refers to text messages sent and received containing characters not included in the default GSM character set. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications (originally “Groupe Spécial Mobile”), and the GSM character set is a collection of the 128 letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9) and symbols (i.e. @, ?, !, &, etc.) most commonly used in mobile communications. Because GSM was developed in Europe and uses 7-bit binary code, it has its limitations. For example the 128-character limit does not have the capacity to include characters from the Cyrillic alphabet or the Chinese, Arabic and Thai languages, among many others. There are a number of different ways in which programmers have tried to overcome …show more content…
You will then see a character list that has a very useful search function. Search or scroll through the list until you find the character you need, right-click on the character to “Copy Character Info” and paste it into the text message. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Unicode SMS Text Messaging? There is one major advantage to Unicode SMS text messaging, but unfortunately two potential disadvantages. The major advantage is that if your business operates a text messaging service, and a substantial proportion of your contacts speak Chinese, Arabic, Thai, (etc.), you can connect with them in their native language. This can give you a significant commercial advantage over other businesses in your sector, and help to develop relationships with potential customers. One potential disadvantage of Unicode SMS text messaging is that the recipients of your messages must have mobile devices capable of translating the Unicode character codes into readable characters (otherwise they will appear as “□□□□□”). Another is that the more Unicode characters you use, the less space you have available to convey your …show more content…
If you can overcome these issues, the advantage of Unicode SMS text messaging far outweighs its potential disadvantages. Why is the Unicode charset needed for text messaging? The GSM charset includes a limited number of Latin, Greek and special symbols. In contrast, the Unicode charset includes thousands of writing systems, symbols and punctuation marks used by different languages. Unicode makes it possible to send text messages in any of the world’s