Sending an SMS Message with ASP.NET

Posted on 16th Feb 2014 by admin

Often times it may be a requirement for your web application to send an SMS message. Such examples would be reminders, password resetting, and spam.Q: Can I have some code to send an SMS message?A: Unfortunately it isn't as simple as just copying and pasting some code into your application and you can start blasting out text messages. SMS is a service, and cellular carriers will charge for it. The cost varies by carrier. SMS is a standard defined set of protocols that is authenticated to. When you contact a cellular company they will provide you with a username, password, gateway (sometimes called an Endpoint), and various other protocol related configurations.There are several existing .NET SMS SDKs out there - some are free and open source - but that doesn't change the fact that ultimately, those SDKs need endpoints configuration and you are back to the problem of needing a provider.Q: OK - How do I get in touch with a company to send an SMS?A: Most often than not it isn't feasible to contact a cellular company themselves. If you were to contact say, Verizon, you would only be able to send an SMS to Verizon phones. So you would have to partner with individual carriers - then there is the pain of figuring out which number belongs to which carrier. The easiest solution is to go to a 3rd party company that handles all of the messy work for you. This gives you an advantage of sending them in a simple manner and also not needing to know or understand how the SMPP protocol (or whatever protocol they are using - there are many) works as they will almost always provide an SDK or Web Service of their own.Q: What 3rd party Gateway Provider should I use?A: It varies by country, but a popular one that is somewhat regional is Clickatell. (Disclaimer - I do not work for them nor have I used their services - I found them via Google). They also provide their own SDK with sample code. Here is a list of other ones: http://www.developershome.com/sms/smsGatewayProvComp.asp
Q: I want a vanity or custom shortcode, like 134569 instead of a phone number.A: That depends on the gateway provider. Clickatell allows you to rent one.Q: We are going to be using A LOT of SMS messages - what if I want my own gateway?A: If you want to setup your own gateway, then you will need some physical hardware are well as software. Kannel is a popular open source SMS Gateway that runs on Unix like operating systems. You will still need to contact an SMS Center and this does not mean you can start sending out SMS messages for free.
Good luck with your application.