Messaging hub system

A messaging hub for Short Message Service/Multimedia Messaging Service/Enhanced Messaging Service (SMS/MMS/EMS) communications between a non-telephony data enabled device of a user and a messaging infrastructure, the messaging hub comprising:

• an electronic text provider configured to:
• receive a first electronic text message from the messaging infrastructure through a short message service center, wherein the first electronic text message is directed to a virtual phone number assigned to the user's non-telephony data enabled device and the short message service center operated by a mobile carrier service provider;
• relay the first electronic text message to an inbound service coupled to the electronic text provider;
• receive a second electronic text message from the non-telephony data enabled device, the second electronic text message including both an identification of the virtual phone number as the source of the second electronic text message and a destination phone number;
• and
• provide the second electronic text message to the short message service center;
• a database coupled to the inbound service and a web server and storing an association between the virtual phone number and a non-telephony data enabled device identifier, the virtual phone number assigned by the messaging hub to the non-telephony data enabled device;
• a hub application operating on the web server and comprising a plurality of message services;
• a message retention queue for delaying delivery of electronic text messages;
• and
• a timer for controlling message retention,
• wherein the virtual phone number corresponds to a land-line phone number currently used by the user and assigned by the messaging hub from one or more phone numbers issued by a land-line exchange carrier.