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Short codes
Short codes, also known as short numbers, are shorter mobile phone numbers which can be used to send SMS and MMS messages from mobile phones or fixed phones. The advantage of short codes is the length of number, which makes for more memorable numbers for consumer services. The disadvantages are, however, that short codes are limited to their national borders, are shared among several brands and are premium-rated numbers. An alternative to short codes is long numbers, which can also be used for inbound SMS when international SMS reception is required and/or premium-rate is not suitable. Short codes are unique to each operator at the technological level, although providers generally have agreements to avoid overlaps. In some countries, such as the United States, some classes of numbers are inter-operator (Common Short Codes). Short codes are more suitable in high volume time-restricted applications, where the length of the number can play a key role in generating responses. One of the purposes of implementing short codes is also to generate money via a premium rate billing mechanism. Main applications of short codes are media voting & competitions (especially on TV) and advertising in the format of text-to-win campaigns. On the other hand, long numbers are more commonly used in applications to collect customer feedback / complaints - basically where charging a premium service would not be recommended.

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