Instant message service center

An Instant Message Service Center (IMSC) is a network element in the mobile telephone network which delivers instant messages.

Operation

When a user sends an instant message (IM message) to another user, the phone actually sends the message to the IMSC. The IMSC stores the message and then delivers it to the destination user when they are available. The IMSC usually has a configurable time limit for how long it will store the message.

Companies

Few companies who make many of the IMSCs in use in the GSM world are Miyowa, Followap and OZ. Other players include Acision, Colibria, Ericsson, Nokia, Comverse Technology, Now Wireless, Jinny Software and few others.