Patent ID: 8073473

Claim:
A method for processing a message in a short message service, the method comprising: receiving the message and a failure type indicator at a service center, from one of a router connected to a mobile communication network adapted to receiving and forwarding messages, and a gateway connected to a fixed communication network adapted to receiving and forwarding messages, each of the router, gateway and service center being inter-connected for forwarding and receiving messages, the failure type indicator indicating that an attempt to deliver the message to a recipient has failed in the router or in the gateway and a reason for the failure; storing the message and scheduling an attempt to deliver the message to the recipient at a retry time responsive to the failure type indicator, wherein the retry time depends on the failure type indicator; and attempting to deliver the message from the service center to the recipient via one of the router and the gateway, responsive to which of the mobile communication network and the fixed communication network the recipient is located in, when the retry time is reached.