[osmocom-event-orga] SMS

[Keith]

Hi All,

I've recently been experimenting with some Instant Message to SMS
gatewaying possibilities and so it occurs to me that maybe we could do
something more than previously with SMS at 36c3?

First off, two questions, maybe somebody here on this list has the answers.

1) Is there an external SMS Queue yet?, (or will there be)

2) At previous congress, i remember there was a possibility to dial
directly to any eventphone extension from the PSTN, I assume that
eventphone/poc had a large block of PSTN numbers routed, where the last
four digits was belonging to POC. I'm not sure this still exists? I know
there is outgoing to PSTN possibility, but that's not related. The
question is, if this incoming block still exists, is there any chance it
supports SMS?

3) I understand outgoing (to PSTN) capacity was donated.. I wonder would
also some SMS termination donation be possible?

Each extension registered with POC via the GURU3 is available as
sip:XXXX at voip.eventphone.de. correct? We could at least, (and with
minimum effort), support SIP MESSAGE here and forward to a GSM
extension. The other way around not so easy, unless the src is also a
POC registered extension. - that is to say, it would be trivial to do
SMS to sip extensions, but then.. would the SIP UAs support MESSAGE? If
they don't we can just queue the message, and wait (eternally?) for a
REGISTER from a SIP UA that does.
As for DECT, I do not know much about it. does DECT have messaging?

OK I'll now rant a little about some other ideas i am playing with,
regarding Telegram.

First, telegram, yes.. ugh.. centralised services.. etc.. and the rest,
let's not go into it.

The vaguely interesting thing about is that the TD Library allows
connecting an automated script as an account. Yes, there are also bots
but I don't want to talk about bots. (bots cannot initiate conversations
with random people, of course)

So here's an idea:

One registers a telegram account number for an event, then fire up a
script with this account.

GSM user sends SMS to PSTN number. We look it up and try to add it as a
contact on Telegram, if it exists we add an entry with src,destination,
and a converstation_id to a local datbase  - er like a..... IM-NAT :-)

Then send the message on to the telegram user. They'll get it as an
incoming message from an unknown (to them) telegram user (assuming they
do not magically have our event number in their contacts)

We prefix the message with an explanation of WTF is happening.

If they reply we forward the reply, using our nat table.. for a time..
(10 mins since last message seen?). after that the "NAT" expires and we
respond to anything further coming from telegram side with a message
saying we don't know who to forward to.

Telegram users could initiate conversations with some kind of message to
our NUMBER, like:

<--- "chat 3363"

----> "OK any further messages will be forwarded to GSM extension 3363,
go ahead and message..."


pitfalls:

1) telegram users could report us as spam, if this happens enough we
probably loose the ability to lookup contacts and send messages to
contacts that don't know us. Telegram also has privacy setting that
reject incoming messages from unknown contacts. I have no idea what
enough is, but if that happens then the whole system is screwed.

2) it's far too confusing and far away from the IM UX that people are
used to and it's wide open to people making a mistake and sending a
message to the wrong person.

3) if we don't use secret chats, any further login to this telegram
account can see the record of all messages (unless we delete them, I
think we could delete them immediatly after sending - I think we could
also use secret chats)

4) It's probably kind of pointless at congress??

thoughts?

Thanks!