Operators can enable VoIP softphone subscribers to send and receive SMS text messages to and from mobile phone numbers now, thanks to CounterPath Corp.’s Messaging Convergence Gateway. The carrier-based, core-network messaging server bridges VoIP and mobile SMS infrastructure.
“SMS has surpassed telephone calls to become today’s most widely used means of device-driven communication,” said Donovan Jones, CEO of CounterPath, in a statement. “Until now, consumers were unable to seamlessly send SMS text messages from their mobile phones to VoIP numbers. CounterPath’s MCG technology changes that by freeing SMS from mobile devices and extending it to consumers using our Bria softphone on their PC. This groundbreaking technology changes the landscape of mobile communications and provides numerous benefits to VoIP service providers and consumers alike, most notably taking consumers one step closer to single-number identity, a key aspect of unified communications.”
The MCG is designed for fixed VoIP systems with assigned telephone numbers. Once deployed in the VoIP operator network, the MCG allows two-way text communication between CounterPath’s Bria softphone and mobile devices.
The MCG is built on the same platform as CounterPath’s Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) offering. Service providers can use the NCG to extend single-number mobile voice, text, multimedia messaging and video services to residential, corporate and hotspot locations with broadband access.
