One of the main questions I’m asked most often in terms of mobile marketing is which delivery method is best for sending SMS messages. While most people deeply rooted in the industry already know the benefits and limitations of both types of delivery methods: SMPP and SMTP, many new to the technology are still confused.
To put it simply, SMPP and SMTP are the only two methods for delivering an SMS messages. SMPP stands for “Short Message Peer to Peer Protocol,” and SMTP stands for “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.” You may notice that SMTP is a popular method for delivery email, and the same technology has been carried over to deliver SMS messages as well.
In terms of using SMS as part of a mobile marketing campaign, SMPP is the favored delivery method for several reasons. SMTP is still used for SMS delivery, but is more intended for personal use and lacks several features that SMPP employs. Unlike SMTP, SMPP allows for legal protection, much more reliable delivery, carrier support, as well as allowing for extended information and a higher level of security and protection.
The main aspect of SMPP that makes it favorable, is the fact that SMPP enables a direct connection to the carriers, and subsequently enables instant delivery to the recipients- a quality that’s very important in a mobile marketing campaign. SMTP relies on a variety of inter-connected servers, and if busy, could mean a message would float around the internet for hours, or even days, before being delivered to the recipient.
In addition, SMPP allows for detailed delivery reporting, short code support and full two-way messaging support- meaning customers can respond accordingly. The only area were SMTP is favorable to SMPP is in terms of cost- SMTP is considerably cheaper, but lacks almost everything needed to support a successful and widespread mobile marketing campaign.