Binary SMS messaging

What is a Binary SMS?

A binary message is an XML-formatted text SMS that has been transformed into binary characters or bytes. A binary message can also be flagged as binary format or one can add a UDH (User Date Header) at the beginning of the message.

A binary message can be used to send rich-content messages such as images and ring tones via a “binary SMS gateway”. If you are using a UDH header, the maximum message length is 140 bytes.

A WAP push is a popular example of a binary PDU or Protocol Data Unit, where the SMS message is pushed to an application or display a message in the foreground without any user action.

How to Send a Binary SMS

• Normally, the API will only treat a message as 8-bit depending on what values have been set in your UDH data.
• To ensure that your message is sent as 8-bit, this parameter can be used. This can also be used when you have no UDH data with a hex string.
• If this parameter is set to 1, the parameter will force message data to be handled as binary (8-bit) data.

Values set are:

Binary Message examples 

HTTP

REST

XML