Send your SMS from a Virtual Number

image ©buyvirtualnumbers.com

Many companies use SMS messages to communicate with customers. For example :

• Marketing or Advertising
• Second of two-level security on financial transactions
• Notifications of events
• IoT notifications
• Voting in entertainment shows and maybe (later) in UK elections.

These messages are not typed in through a phone keyboard but are generated and managed by a virtual SMS supplier.

There are many uses for SMS messages and the medium has advantages over email. Both SMS and email communicate with a user but there is a cost associated with the SMS message. We do therefore find fewer scam SMS messages but they do exist. SMS is inherently more secure than email. SMS can also work with low connectivity; email requires an Internet connection.

There are a number of third part services that provide a send and receive SMS messaging service through an API. No actual SIM involved.

1. To send an sms there will be a procedure within an API (such as https://www.virtualsms.com/sendsms.php) with a number of POST parameters that will include the message, receiver_number and sender_account.
2. To receive an SMS the sender will send their SMS to your own virtual number, or a share of a virtual number. Some logic will route the SMS to a script on your server which will have the sender, data_time, receiver, and message text as POST parameters. The server script will process the message, often storing the data first.