Multimedia Mailbox - A key to successful Multimedia Messaging Services

Abstract

Following the popularity of the short message system (SMS), the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a new way of mobile messaging that is capable of sending text, images, audio and even video using the mobile network. The MMS is a completely new system that does not build directly on any existing messaging service. Because of this, investments are required by both operators and users in order to take MMS into use.

Remembering the early lack of interest in the W AP technology, it is important that MMS is useable from the beginning. Operators have learned their lesson, and are not willing to push half-ready solutions to their customers. MMS uses the highly popular SMS and email systems as a reference in hope of creating an equally popular service. Despite the success of its reference services, there are still weaknesses with the MMS. Operators and MMS system developers are striving to make MMS useable for everyone by identifying the limitations and devising means of working around them.

This thesis will present the multimedia messaging service; it will go through the components that build up the system and will also present the contents and structure of an MMS message. Also, the different media types that are used in MMS messaging are presented in detail. Main emphasis is to identify the weaknesses of the basic MMS service, and to present a solution for overcoming them.