Abstract:
Two or more received SMS messages can be aggregated into a single consolidated SMS message. The consolidated SMS message can be conveyed across a boundary in accordance with SMS protocols. A fee per SMS message can be incurred for conveying SMS messages across the boundary. The fee can be minimized by use of the consolidated SMS message in lieu of having to convey multiple SMS messages. Once the consolidated SMS message have been conveyed across the boundary, the consolidated SMS message can be parsed or decomposed into its constituent SMS messages, each of which can be conveyed to an intended recipient.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The disclosure relates to the field of telephony communications, and more particularly to consolidating international short message service messages destined to multiple recipients. 
         [0002]    Short message service (SMS) communications are short text messages sent between two communication devices, at least one of which is often a mobile communication device. SMS text messages can be limited to one hundred and sixty characters in length. It is common, however for SMS messages to be sent that are only a few characters in length, such as common in acknowledgements and/or greetings (e.g., “hi”, “ok”). Some service plans permit an unlimited number of SMS messages to be conveyed domestically, while others charge an amount per message conveyed. When SMS messages are conveyed internationally, significant costs and inefficiencies arise. 
         [0003]    As such, international SMS messaging is increasingly becoming a significant topic for network operators and other mobile industry stakeholders (e.g., consumers). For many years the volumes of international SMS have been relatively low in comparison to domestic messaging. Now, however, with consumer and corporate behavior increasingly driving international communications, international SMS volume is becoming gradually more important. One by-product of this increasing focus on the international SMS communication market has been the introduction of a new set of inter-operator costs that threaten to significantly impact the price of international SMS and thus realign the economics of the market. 
         [0004]    Termination, or interworking, fees for international SMS can vary widely from operator to operator and from country to country. In one instance, the impact of termination rates on the cost of international SMS is clear in markets where they have been introduced, generally increasing the cost per SMS by a factor of two or three. This impact is most noticeable when SMS messages are relatively short (e.g., less than a few characters in length), costing operators the same amount to deliver a “short” message versus a “long” message. A solution is needed to address the costly and inefficient nature of international SMS. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0005]    One aspect of the disclosure is for a method, computer program product, and system for consolidating short message service (SMS) messages. A first SMS message can be received comprising first message content for a first recipient. A second SMS message can be received comprising second message content for a second recipient. The first message content and the second message content can be consolidated into a consolidated SMS message. The consolidated SMS message can be conveyed across a boundary in accordance with SMS protocols. In one embodiment, a fee per SMS message can be incurred for conveying SMS messages across the boundary. The fee can be minimized by use of the consolidated SMS message in lieu of having to convey both the first SMS message and the second SMS message across the boundary. Once the consolidated SMS message have been conveyed across the boundary, the consolidated SMS message can be parsed or decomposed into the first SMS message comprising the first message content and the second SMS message comprising the second message content. The first SMS message after it is parsed from the consolidated SMS message can be sent to the first recipient. The second SMS message after it is parsed from the consolidated SMS message can be sent to the second recipient. 
         [0006]    Another aspect of the disclosure is for a system, method, and computer program product for SMS message consolidation. The system can include a queue for storing a plurality of incoming SMS messages, wherein the queue stores the incoming SMS messages as digitally encoded data within a tangible storage medium. The system can also include a consolidation engine able to create consolidated SMS messages from the content of the incoming SMS messages in the queue. Each of the created consolidated SMS messages can aggregate a two or more of the incoming SMS message of the queue. The consolidated engine can send consolidated SMS messages over a network between two communication nodes as a substitute to sending a quantity of the incoming SMS messages greater than a quantity of sent consolidated SMS messages. Thus, fewer messages are sent due to the consolidation. This can represent a cost savings when a per message fee is accessed for conveying SMS messages between the two communication nodes. The system can also include a decomposition engine able to decompose received consolidated SMS messages into outgoing SMS messages. For each received consolidated SMS message, a plurality of outgoing SMS messages can be created by the decomposition engine. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for consolidating international short message service (SMS) messages destined for multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for consolidating and/or decomposing international short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment for a consolidated international short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangement disclosed herein. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method for consolidating international short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The disclosure presents a solution for consolidating international short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients. In the solution, one or more international SMS messages destined for multiple recipients can be combined into one consolidated SMS message and delivered to an approximate destination. In one instance, international SMS messages can be analyzed to determine when messages can be consolidated. In the instance, a determination can be based on SMS message length. For instance, two international SMS messages can be combined into consolidated message if the combined message length does not exceed one hundred and sixty characters. The consolidated SMS message can be communicated to an approximate destination as a single traditional international SMS message. In one instance, the approximate destination can be an SMS center proximate to the multiple recipients. In the instance, the SMS center can decompose the consolidated SMS message and convey the combined SMS messages individually to the appropriate recipients in a traditional manner. 
         [0012]    Thus, a single consolidated SMS message is conveyed across national borders, instead of multiple non-consolidated messages. Since chargers are often incurred on a per-message basis, this disclosure can result in significant cost savings. From an end-user perspective, SMS messages are sent and received in the standard manner. That is, the SMS centers consolidate and separate SMS messages in a substantially user transparent fashion. When queuing is used during consolidation, some relatively trivial delay for queue hold time and for consolidation/separation processing can result. This minimal delay can be negligible, especially due to the potential savings achieved by SMS message consolidation. 
         [0013]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
         [0014]    The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
         [0015]    As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usable program code embodied in the medium. 
         [0016]    Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, for instance, via optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc. 
         [0017]    Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
         [0018]    The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0019]    These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0020]    The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system  100  for consolidating international short message service (SMS) messages destined for multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements disclosed herein. In system  100 , international SMS messages  130 ,  132  associated with provider  120  destined to multiple recipients who are associated with a provider  140  can be consolidated into a consolidated SMS message  170 . Any number of messages (from 2-N) can be consolidated within the SMS message  170 , two messages are shown in system  100  for convenience. There is a natural upper boundary (limiting N) of the messages due to the size constraints of SMS messages  170  (e.g., 160 characters in length max by current standards). 
         [0022]    Provider  120 ,  140  can be separated by one or more geopolitical boundaries. For instance, provider  120  can be a national cellular carrier for England and provider  140  can be a national cellular carrier for Germany. That is, SMS messages  130 ,  132  can be messages transmitted from one nation (e.g., England) to another nation (e.g., Germany). The boundary across which the consolidated SMS message  170  can be one in which a per message charge is incurred. In one contemplated embodiment, the boundary need not be a boundary across a national border and the SMS message  170  need not be an international SMS message (i.e., message  170  can be a consolidated domestically sent message across a cost boundary). 
         [0023]    The consolidated SMS message  170  can be conveyed to an approximate destination associated with provider  140 . Provider  140  can decompose message  170  to obtain contents. Contents of message  170  (e.g., messages  130 ,  132 ) can be delivered to recipients  160 ,  162  in a traditional manner. That is, instead of two separate international SMS messages  130 ,  132  being conveyed to provider  140  from provider  120 , only a single consolidated international SMS message  170  is conveyed. In this way, user of mobile phone  110  can benefit from being charged for a single international SMS message rather than two international SMS messages. Further, consolidated SMS message  170  can aid in reducing network traffic on provider  120 ,  140  networks. 
         [0024]    As used herein, international SMS messages  130 ,  132  can be referred to as messages  130 ,  132  for clarity. Similarly, consolidated international SMS message  170  can be referred to as message  170 . Messages  130 ,  132  can be destined for different recipients  160 ,  162 . For instance, message  130 ,  132  can be destined for a recipient A and a recipient B associated with a mobile phone  160 ,  162 . Recipients can include mobile phone  160 ,  162  and/or users associated with mobile phone  160 ,  162 . 
         [0025]    Messages  130 ,  132  can be messages which do not exceed the maximum character limit for the message encoding scheme associated with the messages  130 ,  132 . That is, the messages are “short” messages which do not reach the character limit of the encoding scheme. For instance, the messages  130 ,  132  Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) seven-bit encoded messages less than twenty characters in length, which can be consolidated into a single GSM seven-bit encoded message not exceeding forty characters in length. In one embodiment, the consolidated message  170  can different in format from the component messages  130 ,  132 , which it aggregates. For example, the consolidated message  170  can be an instant message (that does not have the upper character limit of 160 characters as does a SMS message), which is conveyed across a cost boundary, and decomposed into SMS messages  130 ,  132  that are received by devices  160 ,  162 . 
         [0026]    As used herein, SMS can refer to a communication service component of a GSM system, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of text messages between mobile phone devices and/or computing devices. Standardized communication protocols can include, but is not limited to Signaling System 7 (SS7), Internet Protocol (IP), and the like. In one embodiment, message  130 ,  132 ,  170  can be text messages conforming to the Short Message Service-Point to Point (SMS-PP) GSM recommendation 03.40. and/or GSM Short Message Service-Cell Broadcast (SMS-CB) GSM recommendation 03.41. For instance, message  130 ,  132  can be text messages sent by a user from a mobile phone  110  destined to other users of mobile phones  160 ,  162  located in another country. 
         [0027]    Message  130 ,  132 ,  170  can include a message entity conforming to one or more encoding schemes associated with the Mobile Application Part portion of the SS7 protocol. In one embodiment, message  130 ,  132  can be a mobile originated (MO) SMS transfer and message  170  can be a mobile terminated (MT) SMS transfer. Encoding schemes can include, but are not limited to, GSM seven-bit, eight-bit data, and sixteen-bit Unicode Transformation Format (UTF-16). In one instance, encoding scheme can be dependent on textual content (e.g., alphabet) of the message  130 ,  132 ,  170 . In the instance, based on the alphabet associated with the message, an appropriate encoding scheme can be utilized. The message length can be dependent on the encoding scheme and can include, but is not limited to, one hundred and sixty characters, one hundred and forty characters, and seventy characters. 
         [0028]    As used herein, mobile device  110 ,  160 ,  162  can be a mobile computing device able to convey and/or receive one or more international SMS messages  130 ,  132 ,  170 . Mobile device  110 ,  160 ,  162  can include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, portable digital assistant (PDA), portable music player, laptop, desktop computer, and the like. Mobile device  110 ,  160 ,  162  can be communicatively linked to provider  120 , provider  140  via one or more networks  121 ,  141 . 
         [0029]    Provider  120 ,  140  can be an entity permitting international SMS messages to be communicated over GSM network  121 ,  141 . In one embodiment, other types of networks (e.g., a wireless IP network, a TDMA network, a public IP network, etc.) can be utilized in place of one or more of network  121 ,  141  to substantially equivalent effect. Provider  120 ,  140  can include, but is not limited, to mobile phone operators, internet providers, and any other provider of a SMS service. GSM network  121 ,  141  can be communication networks permitting transmission of international SMS messages. Network  121 ,  141  can include, but is not limited to, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the like. Network  121 ,  141  can communicatively link network elements including, but not limited to, base stations, network switching subsystem  122 ,  142 , and the like. One important distinction between the two networks  121  and  141  is that they can be independently owned, where fees are contractually established for communications across (or within) each of the networks  121 ,  141 . These fees can be covered by state, federal, and/or international statutes and treaties in some instances of significance to the disclosure. 
         [0030]    Network switching subsystem (NSS)  122 ,  142  can be a component of which performs mobility management functions for mobile phones roaming on a network of base stations. NSS  122 ,  142  can include, but is not limited to, mobile switching center, SMS center  124 ,  144 , and the like. In one instance, NSS  122 ,  142  can be a circuit switched core network able to provide packet switched data services (e.g., GPRS). In another instance, NSS  122 ,  142  can be a packet switched core network. 
         [0031]    Short message service center (SMSC)  124 ,  144  can be a software/hardware network element able to consolidate, decompose, and/or transmit SMS messages  130 ,  132 ,  170 . In one instance, SMSC can be associated with an SMSC server. In the instance, SMSC server can be implemented within IBM WEBSPHERE middleware or within some other J2EE application server or service oriented architecture (SOA). As such, the SMS consolidation processing (and its reverse) can be implemented as a Web service or other software service in one contemplated embodiment. The service can be an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) service, can be a Web service implemented at any IP network node, can be a SS7 compliant service, and the like. 
         [0032]    SMSC  124 ,  144  can identify messages which can be consolidated based on one or more criteria. Criteria can include, but is not limited to, message length, encoding scheme, and the like. For instance, messages with lengths less than ten characters can be selected for consolidation. Criteria can be manually and/or automatically established. In one instance, criteria can be configured into one or more rulesets (e.g., rules  226 ) used to control consolidation. 
         [0033]    In one embodiment, message  170  can be generated and can be communicated to an approximate destination associated with recipient information of messages  130 ,  132 . In the embodiment, message  170  can be communicated to SMSC  144  which can be a gateway SMS. In one instance, information provided by provider  140  can aid in determining an approximate destination for message  170 . In another instance, provider  120  can utilize international signaling point codes to establish an approximate destination for message  170 . 
         [0034]    SMSC  124 ,  144  can decompose consolidated messages prior to transmission to recipients  160 ,  162 . Decomposition can be performed by identifying consolidated SMS messages utilizing one or more mechanisms. In one instance, decomposition can occur when an SMS message is associated with a flag indicating the message is a consolidated SMS message. In another instance, decomposition can occur based on SMS message transfer type (e.g., SMS-DELIVER). Delivery of messages  130 ,  132  can be performed in a traditional manner. For instance, based on location information gathered from base stations associated with GSM network  141 , messages  130 ,  132  can be delivered to recipient  160 ,  162 . 
         [0035]    Drawings presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed to limit the invention in any regard. It should be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to GSM systems and can be adapted to alternative implementations where SMS is present. SMSC  124 ,  144  can be one or more traditional SMS network components modified to perform consolidation and decomposition functions. In another instance, functionality encapsulated by SMSC  124 ,  144  can be performed by a software provided by a service (e.g., Web service). 
         [0036]    It should be noted that message  130 ,  132  consolidation can be performed continuously or intermittently based on provider  120 ,  140  resource availability. For instance, consolidation can be performed when termination rates are unfavorable due to temporal circumstances and/or resource usage scenarios. For instance, during peak time usage, SMS message consolidation can be utilized to reduce network overload and minimize termination costs. 
         [0037]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system  200 A for consolidating and/or decomposing short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements disclosed herein. In system  200 A, short message service center (SMSC)  205  can consolidated and/or decompose messages  212  and message  230 . Queue  210  can comprise of SMS messages  212  which can have varying lengths, encoding schemes, and the like. Consolidated message  230  can be an SMS message comprising of two or more SMS messages  212 . In one instance, a queue  210  can be processed by SMSC  205  to generate consolidated message  230 . In the instance, SMSC  205  can consolidate two or more messages  212  into a consolidated message  230  which can be conveyed to an approximate destination associated with messages  212  recipients. In another instance, message  230  can be decomposed into messages  212  which can be conveyed to an approximate location. 
         [0038]    In one instance, queue  210  can be a store-and-forward queue conforming to an SMS message queue. Queue  210  can be associated with one or more computing devices. For example, queue  210  can be part of a distributed messaging system associated with a cellular network. In another instance, queue  210  can be a message queue residing within a mobile phone. In one embodiment, queue  210  can be associated with data store  207 . 
         [0039]    In one embodiment, system  200 A can be a component of a software executing on a mobile phone. In the embodiment, system  200 A can be an SMS client application permitting consolidation and decomposition of international SMS messages. For instance, queue  210  can comprise of SMS messages from a family member phones which have been consolidated on a single mobile phone (e.g., primary phone on a family plan). For instance, a family vacationing overseas can reduce SMS messaging cost by permitting one of the family&#39;s phones to consolidate all SMS messages destined for international recipients. 
         [0040]    SMS engine  220  can be a component of SMSC  205  able to process, consolidate, and/or decompose messages  212  based on one or more criteria. Engine  220  can comprise, but is not limited to, transaction handler  222 , consolidation engine  224 , and rules  226 . In one instance,  220 , engine  220  can be a component of a IBM WEBSPHERE middleware application. In another instance, functionality of engine  220  can be accessible through a Web-enable service. 
         [0041]    During consolidation and/or decomposition transaction handler  222  can track messages associated with sender and recipients for billing purposes. In one instance, based on SMS rates associated with an identified approximate destination, handler  222  can bill sender and/or recipients accordingly. In another instance, handler  222  can record message transmissions for billing purposes based on source and/or destination locations. It should be appreciated that handler  222  can be an optional component of system  200 . 
         [0042]    Consolidation engine  224  can be a hardware/software component able to analyze messages  212  and consolidate two or more messages into a consolidated message  230 . In one embodiment, engine  224  can consolidate messages  212  from multiple senders destined to multiple recipients into a consolidated message  230  which can be conveyed to an approximate destination. That is, messages can be consolidated regardless of the sender. Based on rules  226 , an appropriate destination for the consolidated message  230  can be determined. 
         [0043]    Rules  226  can be one or more automatically and/or manually determined criteria for consolidating messages  212 . Criteria can include, originating address, destination address, protocol type, message expiration, and the like. In one instance, rules  226  can be used to prioritize messages  212  to be consolidated. In another instance, rules  226  can be used to exclude and/or include messages  212  for consolidation. Further, rules  226  can be utilized to perform access control functionality. For instance, rules  226  can be used to include and/or exclude messages originating from a specific mobile device. In one instance, messages  212  can be consolidated and stored within a traditional store-and-forward queue. That is, consolidation can be performed at a time different from the time the consolidated message  230  is conveyed to an approximate destination. 
         [0044]    Data store  207  can be a hardware/software component able to store international SMS messages  212  and/or consolidated message  230 . Data store  207  can include, but is not limited to, random access memory, read-only memory, and the like. In one instance, data store  207  can temporarily store consolidated message  230  prior to conveyance to an approximate destination. In one embodiment, data store  207  can be a non-volatile storage medium (e.g., flash memory) associated with a mobile computing device. 
         [0045]    Drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed to limit the invention in any regard. In one instance, engine  224  can generate consolidated message  230  which can be a binary large object (BLOB). In one instance, transaction handler  222  can be a network element associated with a mobile switching center, billing center, and the like. System  200  can be implemented within a distributed computing system, networked computing environment, and the like. In one embodiment, components  222 - 226  can be distributed throughout a computing environment. In one instance, engine  224  can be a software application executing on a mobile computing device. In another instance, engine  224  can be a component of a cellular network. In one embodiment, engine  220  can be a component of an SMS gateway providing SMS message support for a messaging infrastructure. 
         [0046]      FIG. 2B  is a schematic diagram illustrating a embodiment  200 B comprising of a set of tables for enabling consolidation and decomposition of international Short Message Service (SMS) messages in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements disclosed herein. Embodiment  200 B can be present in the context of system  200 A. In embodiment  200 B, a message table  240 , destination table  250 , and consolidation table  260  can be utilized to convey consolidated SMS messages internationally to an approximate destination. In one instance, tables  240 - 260  can be stored within a data store associated with an SMS center. In one configuration of the instance, tables  240 - 260  can be a portion of a database. For instance, tables  240 - 260  can be stored within an IBM DB2 database. 
         [0047]    In embodiment  200 B, message table  240  can correspond to message queue  210  in system  200 A. Message table  240  can comprise of international SMS messages  242 ,  244 . Information associated with messages  242 ,  244  can include, but is not limited to, message ID, message contents, sender information, recipient information, message length, and the like. Message ID can include a unique identification value such as an automatically generated index. Message contents can include, but is not limited to, user data, automatically generated data, and the like. Sender and recipient information can be associated with mobile computing devices connected to one or more Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks. In one instance, sender and/or recipient information can be a mobile phone telephone number. In another instance, sender and/or recipient information can be a uniquely identifiable value including, but not limited to, an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI). Message length can include a value indicating the size of message contents. 
         [0048]    In embodiment  200 B, destination table  250  can be a data set comprising of information associated with a recipient of an international SMS message. Table  250  can include, but is not limited to, recipient ID, recipient data (e.g., name), telephone number, SMS center information, and the like. 
         [0049]    In one instance, consolidation of messages  242 ,  244  can be determined using multiple criteria. In the instance, message length and recipient information of messages  242 ,  244  can be utilized to determine when consolidation is possible. For instance, when the combined lengths of messages  242 ,  244  do not exceed seventy characters and the destination of the recipient is associated with an identical SMS center (e.g., SMSA) the messages can be consolidated. and the destination table can be utilized to determine if messages can be consolidated. 
         [0050]    In embodiment  200 B, consolidation table  260  can correspond to a consolidated message queue. Consolidation table  260  can be utilized to store consolidated message prior to conveyance to an approximate destination. In one instance, table  260  can comprise of consolidated ID, consolidated message contents, and consolidated destination. In one configuration of the instance, consolidated message contents can include message contents for messages which are to be conveyed. In another configuration of the instance, consolidated message contents can include message IDs for messages which are to be consolidated. 
         [0051]    In one instance, decomposition of consolidated messages can be performed utilizing table  240 - 260  information shared between two or more providers. In another instance, decomposition can be enabled through information embedded within consolidated message. That is, consolidated message can be self-contained. 
         [0052]    Drawings presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed to limit the invention in any regard. In one instance, tables  240 - 260  can be stored within a relational database management system (RDBMS), object RDBMS, and the like. 
         [0053]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment  300  for a consolidated short message service (SMS) message in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangement disclosed herein. Embodiment  300  can be present in the context of system  100 ,  200 . In embodiment  300 , message  316  can be an mobile terminating SMS message comprising of two or more mobile originating SMS messages  332 ,  340 . Message  332 ,  340  can be stored within the data portion of message  316 . That is, messages  332 , 340  can be embedded within message  316 . 
         [0054]    In the embodiment, message  316  can comprise of header  310  and user data  314 . Header  310  can conform to an SMS-DELIVER transfer. For example, header element PDU-type can conform to an SMS-DELIVER format. Header  310  can include service center address (SCA)  312  which can identify the address of a SMS center. In one instance, SCA  312  can be proximate to destination address  322 . In another instance, SCA  312  can be proximate to SCA  320 . User data  314  can comprise of two or more messages  332 ,  340  which can include messages destined to multiple recipients from one or more senders. 
         [0055]    In the embodiment, SMS message  332  can include header  330  and user data  326 . Header  332  can conform to an SMS-SUBMIT transfer. For example, header element PDU-type can conform to an SMS-SUBMIT format. Header  332  can include SCA  320  which can identify a SMS center proximate to destination address  322 ,  342 . In one instance, user data  326  can include a text message composed by a sender. In another instance, user data  326  can be an automatically generated message. For instance, user data  326  can be a delivery confirmation receipt generated by a prior SMS communication. 
         [0056]    Drawings presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed to limit the invention in any regard. It should be appreciated that embodiment  300  can be implemented within traditional SMS messaging infrastructure. In one instance, embodiment  300  can be facilitated by an application programming interface (API) configured to consolidate and decompose SMS messages  332 ,  340  in real-time or near real-time. In another instance, embodiment  300  can be API which can function in non real-time. 
         [0057]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method  400  for consolidating short message service (SMS) messages destined to multiple recipients in accordance with an embodiment of inventive arrangements herein. Method  400  can be performed in the context of system  100 ,  200 . In method  400 , two or more SMS messages can be consolidated into a single consolidated SMS message. Consolidated SMS message can be communicated to an approximate destination based on destination information associated with the two or more SMS messages. 
         [0058]    In step  405 , a SMS consolidator can be identified. Consolidator can be identified manually and/or automatically. In one instance, consolidator can be automatically identified via a vote among peer computing devices. For instance, mobile phones on the same family plan which are in proximity can automatically determine which phone to perform consolidation. This can be determined based on one or more criteria including, bandwidth, computing resources, costs, proximity, and the like. For example, a consolidator can be determined based on the mobile phone with the cheapest international SMS plan/rates. In another instance, a computing device can be manually configured as a dedicated consolidator for peer computing devices. For instance, consolidator can be manually determined based on user and/or network provider configuration settings. In step  410 , if there are SMS messages in a SMS message queue, the method can proceed to step  420 , else continue to step  415 . In step  415 , the consolidator can wait for SMS messages to exist within the queue. In step  420 , messages in queue to be consolidated can be established. In one embodiment, messages to be consolidated can be established heuristically, enabling intelligent message consolidation. 
         [0059]    In step  425 , an approximate destination for the messages to be consolidated can be determined. Approximate destinations can be determined utilizing one or more manual and/or automatically established mechanisms. In one instance, network infrastructure information can be used to identify approximate destinations. For instance, approximate destinations can be determined using signaling point codes. In step  430 , SMS messages can be consolidated into a consolidated message to be conveyed to the approximate destination. In step  435 , the consolidated message can be conveyed to the approximate destination. In one embodiment, consolidated message can be conveyed to the approximate destination via an SMS hub. In step  440 , the consolidated message can be received at the approximate destination. In step  445 , the consolidated message can be decomposed and SMS messages to be delivered can be identified. In step  450 , the identified SMS messages can be delivered to the appropriate recipient. In step  455 , if more SMS messages to be delivered are available, the method can return to step  445 , else the method can continue to step  460 . In step  460  the method can end. It should be appreciated method  400  can be continually executed within an SMS messaging infrastructure. 
         [0060]    The flowchart and block diagrams in the  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.