Provision of value added short message services

A device, comprising:

• a memory configured to store information for routing short messages and information on a service, the memory comprising one or more functions;
• an interface unit configured to communicate with a communications system for sending and receiving requests to forward short messages;
• and
• a control unit operatively connected with the memory and the interface unit and configured to operate the device to receive a request to forward a mobile terminated short message;
• determine a type of transmission of the received mobile terminated short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the network node;
• adjust an implementation of the service for the mobile terminated short message on the basis of the determined type of transmission of the mobile terminated short message;
• and
• invoke adjusted functions of the service according to the determined type of transmission,
• wherein the adjusted functions of the service comprise storing short message identification information of the mobile terminated short message.

A home location register for a communications system, the home location register comprising:

• an interface unit configured to operatively connect the home location register to two or more mobile terminated short message routers;
• and
• a control unit operatively connected with the interface unit and configured to operate the home location register to
• send and receive requests for routing information for a mobile terminated short message to a mobile station;
• determine a type of transmission of the received mobile terminated short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the home location register;
• adjust an implementation of a service, the service comprising one or more functions, for the mobile terminated short message on the basis of the determined type of transmission of the mobile terminated short message;
• perform a number analysis of the mobile station;
• and
• forward a request for short message routing information to one of the mobile terminated short message routers on the basis of the analysis,
• wherein the analysis comprises at least one of a number analysis and present load statistics.

A network node for a communications system, the network node comprising:

• an interface unit configured to operatively connect network node to two or more mobile terminated short message routers and a home location register;
• and
• a control unit operatively connected with the interface unit and configured to operate the network node to
• receive from the home location register a request for routing information for a mobile terminated short message to a mobile station;
• determine a type of transmission of the received mobile terminated short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the network node;
• adjust an implementation of a service, the service comprising one or more functions, for the mobile terminated short message on the basis of the determined type of transmission of the mobile term terminated short message;
• and
• forward a request for short message routing information to one of the mobile terminated short message routers on the basis of a defined mobile terminated short message router loading scheme,
• wherein the defined mobile terminated short message router loading scheme comprises at least one of a number analysis and present load statistics.

A computer program product readable by a computer and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for controlling functions in a network node of a communication system, the process including:

• routing mobile terminated short messages in a network node of a communications system;
• providing a service comprising one or more functions to be invoked in response to receiving a request to forward a mobile terminated short message addressed to the mobile station;
• receiving a request to forward a mobile terminated short message;
• determining a type of transmission of the received short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the network node;
• adjusting an implementation of the service for the mobile terminated short message on the basis of the determined type of transmission of the mobile terminated short message;
• and
• invoking adjusted functions of the service according to the determined type of transmission,
• wherein the adjusted functions of the service comprise storing short message identification information of the mobile terminated short message.

A method, comprising:

• routing mobile terminated short messages in a network node of a communications system;
• providing a service comprising one or more functions to be invoked in response to receiving a request to forward a short message addressed to a mobile station;
• receiving a request to forward a mobile terminated short message;
• determining a type of transmission of the received mobile terminated short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the network node;
• invoking functions of the service according to the determined type of transmission;
• extracting from the received request short message identification information on the message to be delivered;
• determining the type of transmission on the basis of the short message identification information;
• and
• in response to the type of transmission indicating that a request to forward the same mobile terminated short message has not been previously received in the network node, storing the received request short message identification information to the network node.

A device, comprising:

• a memory configured to store information for routing mobile terminated short messages and information on a service comprising one or more functions;
• an interface unit configured to communicate with a communications system for sending and receiving requests to forward mobile terminated short messages;
• a control unit operatively connected with the memory and the interface unit and configured to operate the device to
• receive a request to forward a mobile terminated short message;
• determine a type of transmission of the received mobile terminated short message, the type of transmission indicating whether or not a request for forwarding the same mobile terminated short message has been previously received in the network node;
• invoke functions of the service according to the determined type of transmission;
• extract from the received request short message identification information on the message to be delivered;
• determine the type of transmission on the basis of the short message identification information;
• in response to the type of transmission, indicate that a request to forward the same mobile terminated short message has not been previously received in the device;
• and
• store the received request short message identification information to the memory.