SMS limitation question

Using an Optus SIM (actually Soul Communications).

SMS is limited to 160 characters since I changed phones (Palm Treo 650
to Palm Centro).

Previously on the 650, 160 characters x 3.

Is this a device setting, or operator setting?

John Phillips <flatulantdingo@deadspam.com> wrote:

> Using an Optus SIM (actually Soul Communications).

> SMS is limited to 160 characters since I changed
> phones (Palm Treo 650 to Palm Centro).

> Previously on the 650, 160 characters x 3.

> Is this a device setting, or operator setting?

Its obviously not an operator setting if you are using the
same sim with two different results in two different devices.

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:32:22 +1000 "Rod Speed"
<rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote:

> > Is this a device setting, or operator setting?
>
> Its obviously not an operator setting if you are using the
> same sim with two different results in two different devices.


Perhaps they sent down a SIM "upgrade"?

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:13:21 +1000, John Phillips wrote:

> Using an Optus SIM (actually Soul Communications).
>
> SMS is limited to 160 characters since I changed phones (Palm Treo 650
> to Palm Centro).
>
> Previously on the 650, 160 characters x 3.
>
> Is this a device setting, or operator setting?

It could be either. But if you're using the same SIM, it's almost
certainly the Centro.

Handsets do need to support concatenated SMS for it to work.

Does the Centro allow you to enter more than 160 characters?

John Phillips <flatulantdingo@deadspam.com> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote
>> John Phillips <flatulantdingo@deadspam.com> wrote:

>>> Using an Optus SIM (actually Soul Communications).

>>> SMS is limited to 160 characters since I changed
>>> phones (Palm Treo 650 to Palm Centro).

>>> Previously on the 650, 160 characters x 3.

>>> Is this a device setting, or operator setting?

>> Its obviously not an operator setting if you are using the
>> same sim with two different results in two different devices.

> Perhaps they sent down a SIM "upgrade"?

Trivial to check that remote possibility by putting it back in the Treo again etc.

Bet they didnt.

John Phillips wrote:

> Using an Optus SIM (actually Soul Communications).
>
> SMS is limited to 160 characters since I changed phones (Palm
> Treo 650 to Palm Centro).
>
> Previously on the 650, 160 characters x 3.

A minor point, but a single unsplit message is limited to 160
chars whereas the parts of a split message are limited to 153
chars each (limited by referencing overheads).

> Is this a device setting, or operator setting?

For whatever reason, it's the device that's not playing ball.
The operator doesn't care (but more message parts = more
profit).

The device does the splitting into individual message parts (and
the cross-referencing), and submits each part to the operator
as a complete and separate PDU-encoded payload. Checking for
well-formedness by the operator will be very rudimentary. The
receiver reassembles the long message (if it's smart enough to
do so) according to the referencing info in the parts' headers.

There's inconclusive discussion about this Treo issue, eg here:
http://tinyurl.com/5mdl6t

There's some talk there about different SIMs affecting some
Treo's willingness to accept and split long messages.
Technically, this makes no sense to me (unless the SIM's SMS
storage capacity is near-full perhaps). But you might want to
experiment. I'd be interested in any findings.

John

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:40:25 +1000 John Henderson
<jhenRemoveThis@talk21.com> wrote:

> There's inconclusive discussion about this Treo issue, eg here:
> http://tinyurl.com/5mdl6t

Thanks, I have posted there with inconclusive results; I will try Palm
service.