IDA has decided to conduct half-yearly tests on the performance for the Short Message Service (SMS) provided by Public Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (PCMTS) operators and to publish the survey results on the IDA website for public information. This is in recognition of the increasing importance and widespread use of SMS as a means of communication amongst users in Singapore. The objective of the SMS Performance Test is to ascertain the end-to-end response time of SMS across local mobile networks.
The transmission speed of the SMS involving the three PCMTS operators, namely, SingTel Mobile, M1 and StarHub Mobile is measured. Specifically, the parameters measured in the test, for both intra-operator SMS (SMS sent and received within a single operator's network) and inter-operator SMS (SMS sent and received across different operators' network) are:
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Percentage of SMS messages delivered in less than 20 seconds;
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Percentage of SMS messages delivered in 1 hour or more; and
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Percentage of SMS messages not delivered.
IDA may include additional parameters as and when necessary.
Percentage of SMS messages delivered in less than 20 seconds refers to SMS messages that were successfully sent from one network and received by another or within the same network in less than 20 seconds.
Percentage of SMS messages delivered in 1 hour or more refers to SMS messages that were successfully sent from one network and received by another or within the same network in 1 hour or more.
Percentage of SMS messages not delivered refers to SMS that were either not successfully sent or sent but not successfully received within 24 hours.
IDA's SMS Performance Tests will be conducted half-yearly. Each test period will last for 30 days and will be randomly selected by IDA. During each test period, SMS messages will be sent within and amongst all three PCMTS operators' network for 24 hours a day, with an interval of 5 minutes between each SMS message.
The test will use the same handset model for all PCMTS operators to avoid possible distortion of the test results due to technical differences in handsets. Two handsets will be used for each PCMTS operator, one for sending the SMS message and another for receiving the SMS message sent.
The test will be conducted using a standard maximum message length of 160 characters*. All handsets will be placed together in a static location with the same full signal strength to avoid distortion of test results due to factors such as differences in radio coverage.
All test messages will be computer-generated and collection of results will be fully automated.
At the end of each test period, timings will be consolidated and analysed.
In interpreting the results, it should be noted that:
- The SMS performance tests results represent a snapshot of the SMS performance during the time of testing. The reported results may not reflect end users' experience at all time.
- The inter-operator SMS performance is dependent on the originating and terminating networks. Network failure or congestion in any of the two networks will affect the inter-operator SMS performance.
* According to the Global System for Mobile communication ("GSM") standards, a standard SMS message usually has a maximum length of 160 characters.