How to Create a Premium SMS Service

1. Set up the architecture for your service. You need a web server to host a user sign-up web page and to communicate with the aggregator using a variety of protocols. The aggregator then communicates with each individual carrier's SMS center to send and receive your messages. You also need a database to store user data.
2. Choose an aggregator. There are two basic types of aggregators: those intended for smaller companies and those for companies with high volumes. The smaller volume aggregators, such as Clickatell, usually charge only for messages sent and received with no set-up fee. Some offer a number of free credits upon sign-up that you can use for testing. The higher volume companies generally charge a monthly service fee, which can be several thousand dollars, regardless of whether you send any messages. However, the per-message fee can be considerably lower, especially in batches approaching a million.
3. Sign up for the aggregator's developer account and download the software development kit. Many aggregators offer these for free.
4. Use the provided APIs, such as batch sending. Most aggregators provide a batching mechanism that allows you to send a message to a large number of people with just one API invocation.
5. Test your premium SMS service. You can test the outbound portion with a free account, but you need to lease a phone line from your aggregator to test the incoming SMS portion.