The SMS API Exposure Function is a communication engine that enables the access and control of short message services by external applications. The SMS AEF supports termination of GSM-MAP interfaces for 3G SMS, DIAMETER SGd interfaces for SMS over NAS, IP Multimedia Service Control interface for SMS over IP and SMPP interfaces for External Short Messaging Entities. APIs provided by AEF are both inbound and outbound short message delivery and are unified for all interfaces.
SMS APIs enable developers to integrate text messaging capabilities into applications, websites, or services. These APIs allow sending, receiving, and managing SMS messages programmatically, making it easy to automate notifications, alerts, authentication (via OTP), and marketing campaigns. SMS APIs typically connect with telecom networks to facilitate communication between systems and mobile devices. Popular SMS API providers include Twilio, Nexmo, and Plivo, offering robust tools for seamless messaging integration across various platforms.
Handles SMS in 3G, 4G, 5G and enterprise networks:
Supports any language and support transcoding between peers.
In this context, universal short message services are network-based sms services implemented in the operator network to serve local subscribers. The practice abstract the low level details of the protocols used to exchange short messages in the network by using a single and simple API to post messages to subscribers without caring if they are registered as 3G or 4G subscribers.
This model can be extended t by using SMPP if we want to extend delivery to foreign networks as well.
Universal SMS Gateway
Programmable SMS is popular in the CPaaS market, it allows 3rd parties to use the short messages API for external web sites or mobile applications.
In this configuration the SMS AEF publish its APIs to the CAPIF-CF and the CAPIF-CF is responsible to authenticate 3rd party users and grant them access to authorized APIs. The CAPIF-CF can also be provisioned with rate control policies to limit each user on API calls. The CAPIF-CF can be configured with an online or offline interface to a charging function to gain the ability to charge 3rd party users.
It is possible to share the SMS-AEF stack for use with internal services and 3rd party services if required.
Programmable SMS
| Software packaging | Docker image, RPM or DEB package. |
| SCCP stack | ITU-T Q.711 through Q.714 - connectionless – class 0 and 1 ETSI ETS 300 589 |
| DIAMETER stack | IETF RFC 3588 / 6733 Diameter base Protocol 3GPP TS 29.338 Diameter based protocols to support Short Message Service capable MME. |
| SMPP stack | SMPP v3.2 SMPP v3.4 SMPP v5.0 |
| MAP stack | GSM 09.02 (TS 100 974) GSM 29.002 |
| TCAP stack | ITU-T Q.771 through Q.774, x.680, x.690 ETSI ETS 300 134, ETS 300 287 |
| SIP stack | 3GPP TS.24.229 IMS SIP extensions TISPAN ES 283 003 IMS extensions IETF RFC 3266 support for IPv6 in SDP IETF RFC 3261 (Session Initiation Protocol – SIP) IETF RFC 3262 (Reliability of Provisional Responses in SIP) IETF RFC 3263 (Locating SIP Servers) IETF RFC 2327 (Session Description Protocol – SDP) IETF RFC 3264 (An Offer/Answer Model with SDP) IETF RFC 3265 (SIP Specific Event Notification) IETF RFC 3266 (Support for IPv6 in SDP) IETF RFC 1889 and 1890 (RTP/RTCP) IETF RFC 3329 SIP security agreement IETF RFC 3455 Private headers |
| SCCP stack | ITU-T Q.711 through Q.714 - connectionless – class 0 and 1 ETSI ETS 300 589 |
| M3UA stack | RFC3332 |
| Application interface | REST API over HTTP/1.1, HTTPS or HTTP/2 |
