Request for MIME media type application/vnd.3gpp.sms-tl

[Biot Olivier]

Name : Olivier Biot


Email : olivier.biot at siemens.com


MIME media type name : Application


MIME subtype name : Vendor Tree - vnd.3gpp.sms-tl


Required parameters : none


Optional parameters : none


Encoding considerations : binary

This media type is 8-bit binary by design, hence it may require encoding on
transports not capable of handling binary.

The SMS service allows transport of text messages; however the character
encoding used in such an SMS message (including the message text itself) is
part of the binary data and must not be specified with a charset parameter.


Security considerations : 

The Short Messaging Service Transfer Layer (SMS-TL) format may contain
executable code and user confidential information.

The associated media type does not provide mechanisms for detection and
prevention of eavesdropping, spoofing and tampering. In situations where
tampering, eavesdropping and spoofing are possible and may cause problems,
it is advised to use a secure transport protocol (such as HTTP over TLS),
and/or to use a safe integrity verification mechanism (such as digital
signing of the body).


Interoperability considerations : 

The SMS-TL MIME type allows transport interoperability between the Short
Messaging Service (SMS) and other messaging systems supporting SMS-TL, and
some transport layer independence for transporting an SMS message.

This media type contains headers and a SMS message body. The headers specify
among others how the message body has to be interpreted. The message body
can for example be a text message, but also a WAP Push message or an
Enhanced Message Service (EMS) message for example. In order to be
interoperable for these, it makes sense to use the 3GPP SMS-TL as an
envelope which you can type and send over a MIME friendly transport where a
Content-Type header identifies the data type.


Published specification : 

ETSI TS 123 040 is the technical realization of 3GPP TS 23.040. Note that
both specifications follow a similar versioning system. For instance, ETSI
TS 123 040 V4.6.0 is the technical realization of 3GPP TS 23.040 V4.6.0.

The ETSI specifications can be retrieved from
http://pda.etsi.org/pda/queryform.asp (Search for "TS 123 040" and tick
"Standard Type and Doc Number" for the search query).

The 3GPP specifications can be retrieved from
http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/23_series/23.040/ (choose matching
3GPP and ETSI version).


Applications which use this media : 

Applications that transport and manipulate MIME typed objects (messaging,
download etc.).


Additional information :

This (binary) media type is not intended for file storage.

1. Magic number(s) : n/a
2. File extension(s) : n/a
3. Macintosh file type code : n/a
4. Object Identifiers: n/a


Person to contact for further information :

1. Name : Olivier Biot
2. Email : olivier.biot at siemens.com


Intended usage : Common 

The Short Messaging Service (SMS) is a very common messaging service
available on most mobile networks. SMS is not limited to the popular
transport of text-only messages.

The registration of the associated MIME type allows a SMS message to be
delivered independent of the transport network.


Author/Change controller : 3GPP/ETSI

The SMS-TL specifications are written and maintained by 3GPP and ETSI.