SMS Texting Auto-Detect

[MaTrIxLoVeR]

So I figure instead of buying an SMS texting script, I could code one by myself, since it seems easy in theory, using mainly the Mail function. The thing is that, what if the person does not know the recievers phone service to text the other person? How would I possible make it to auto dectect, the service?

Thanks.

[Dan Grossman]

This is not possible. Phone number portability means any phone number can be owned by any carrier. There's no difference between a landline number, a cell number, or a Verizon number from a Cingular number.

[MaTrIxLoVeR]

Eh. Other sites like www.textforfree.net have an autodetect function. How do you think they were able to make something like that?

[Dan Grossman]

They weren't. That's why when I entered my phone number and chose "autodetect", no message ever came. They probably sent it to the nonexistant e-mail address of another network. A stupid false feature that will probably end up getting them blocked by at least one of those networks' mail servers eventually for all the mail to nonexistant addresses they send if they're any popular.

When I chose my network, the message came through immediately.

[MaTrIxLoVeR]

I have a question, I'm just curious, what service provider are you using?

[Dan Grossman]

Verizon Wireless. It's irrelevant. I could port this number to any network I want, and no script would be able to "autodetect" that I did so.

[MikeBigg]

The info must be stored somewhere, after all the phone companies must route the calls and messages to the correct networks.

The question is whether this info is made available to anyone other than the phone companies. My guess is that it isn't, which would make autodetection impossible, as Dan suggests.

Mike

[fambi]

The info is stored on the home network. So, if i was with Verizon and then ported off to Cingular, Verizon would hold this information.

The only way you can know is through an HLR lookup - this is not a free option.