The default GSM alphabet defines only 128 characters (plus some escaped extensions). It uses a 7-bits encoding that lets a maximum of 160 characters in a *single* SMS. Now, the character "small A letter with acute" (http://unicode-table.com/en/00E1/) is absent in this alphabet. Why can I send a *single* SMS with 159 "normal" characters (only numbers 0-9) and one "small A with acute"? I used a Android smartphone. I expected the encoding of "small a with acute" would have used a more complicated scheme that reduce the total number of characters in a single SMS.
GSM 03.38: SMS default alphabet
Started by ●February 2, 2015
Reply by ●February 2, 20152015-02-02
On 2015-02-02, pozz <pozzugno@gmail.com> wrote:> The default GSM alphabet defines only 128 characters (plus some escaped > extensions). It uses a 7-bits encoding that lets a maximum of 160 > characters in a *single* SMS. > > Now, the character "small A letter with acute" > (http://unicode-table.com/en/00E1/) is absent in this alphabet. Why can > I send a *single* SMS with 159 "normal" characters (only numbers 0-9) > and one "small A with acute"? I used a Android smartphone. >How do you know it was sent as a single traditional SMS message instead of being sent as an extended SMS message (or whatever the exact terminology is for the longer than 160 character SMS messages some UIs can generate) ? Was the receiver also an Android smartphone ? Simon. -- Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world
Reply by ●February 2, 20152015-02-02
On 2015-02-02, Simon Clubley <clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> wrote:> > How do you know it was sent as a single traditional SMS message instead > of being sent as an extended SMS message (or whatever the exact > terminology is for the longer than 160 character SMS messages some UIs > can generate) ? >I remembered what it is called now. Some reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concatenated_SMS Simon. -- Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world
Reply by ●February 2, 20152015-02-02
Il 02/02/2015 19:03, Simon Clubley ha scritto:> On 2015-02-02, pozz <pozzugno@gmail.com> wrote: >> The default GSM alphabet defines only 128 characters (plus some escaped >> extensions). It uses a 7-bits encoding that lets a maximum of 160 >> characters in a *single* SMS. >> >> Now, the character "small A letter with acute" >> (http://unicode-table.com/en/00E1/) is absent in this alphabet. Why can >> I send a *single* SMS with 159 "normal" characters (only numbers 0-9) >> and one "small A with acute"? I used a Android smartphone. >> > > How do you know it was sent as a single traditional SMS message instead > of being sent as an extended SMS message (or whatever the exact > terminology is for the longer than 160 character SMS messages some UIs > can generate) ?When you write the text of SMS, you see the number of free characters available (totally 160) and the real number of SMSes that will be sent (more than 1 in case of concatenated SMS). For example, before starting writing, you see 160/1 and as soon as you write you see 159/1, 158/1... 0/1. If you type another character, you see 145/2 (I think the length of user text for concatenated SMSes is lower than 160). Tomorrow I will check my private area on my mobile operator web site to check how many SMSes have been really sent. > Was the receiver also an Android smartphone ? Yes, I'll check with another mobile phone.
