What is SMSC?

SMSC stands for Short Message Service Center. It is a network element in a mobile telephone network that is responsible for storing and forwarding SMS (Short Message Service) messages. When an SMS message is sent from a mobile phone, it is first routed to the SMSC, which then stores the message and attempts to deliver it to the recipient. If the recipient's phone is unavailable (e.g., switched off or out of coverage), the SMSC will hold the message and retry delivery until it is successful or a timeout period is reached. SMSCs also handle other functions such as protocol conversion and billing.