Enabling structured interactions between third party mobile applications and the user terminal

The use of text messagingshort message service (SMS)forcommunicating with automated services and applications isincreasing. However, since SMS was designed as a simpleperson-to-person channel, it includes no support for imposing anystructure on the messages sent; it is entirely free-form and allmessages and their contents are treated equally. While the channelprovides users with great freedom of expression in person-to-personcommunications (e.g., "c u l8r :)"), the lack of ability to placeany constraints or special measures on user input limits thesophistication and security of the automated services it cansupport. For example, users are provided with no assistance inconforming to required command syntax. In addition, any personalidentification numbers (PINs) or passwords sent are stored in cleartext in the outbox, as are the contents of all other messagesaclear compromise of security. These limitations lead to serviceproviders' implementing elaborate countermeasures which impact theuser experience (e.g., the call-back for transaction authorizationused by PayPal in its SMS-based payment offering). Bell Labs and BTare creating a channel between third party service providers and anIP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) mobile client to permit the easyexecution of zeroinstallation services and applications on a user'sterminal. Using a very thin client integrated into the IMSsoftware, a service provider can specify structured interactionswith its customers and conduct them securely. In addition toexploring the ergonomic and intuitive management ofmachineto-person (M2P) interactions, the collaboration is studyinghow to exploit this channel to increase user adoption of other newservices, such as providing a convenient user evolution path fromthin M2P interactions to rich, full-featured terminal software andpromoting these services within the user's contact community.© 2008 Alcatel-Lucent.