Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a type of messaging that enables the sending of multimedia objects as opposed to the simple text enabled by Short Message Service (SMS) messages. In order to send or receive a MMS, the user must have a compatible phone that is running over a GPRS or 3G network. Most current mobile phones and operator networks support MMS. The maximum message size (along with the attachments) is generally limited to 300KB (MMS 1.2), but recently the MMS 1.3 standard has allowed for a maximum size of 600KB. Wireless carriers however can impose their own size restrictions. MMS expresses a way to send and receive, almost instantaneously, wireless messages that include images, audio, and video clips in addition to text. In the future, it will support the transmission of streaming video. A common current application of MMS messaging is picture messaging, the use of camera phones to take photos for immediate delivery to a mobile recipient. Other possibilities include animations and graphic presentations of stock quotes, sports news, and weather reports. MMS, however, is not the same as e-mail. MMS is based on the concept of multimedia messaging. The presentation of the message is coded into the presentation file so that the images, sounds and text are displayed in a predetermined order as one singular message.