System and method for implementing a universal messaging gateway (UMG)

1. A middleware platform system comprising:

at least one external short message entity (ESME);

at least one short message service center (SMSC);

a universal message gateway including a first common interface for connecting to said at least one ESME and a second common interface for connecting to said at least one SMSC; said universal message gateway further including a home location register module and a mobile switching center module;

said home location register module and said mobile switching center module being configured to receive short message service traffic from said at least one SMSC; and

said universal message gateway being configured to direct said short message service traffic to a virtual mobile station address associated with said at least one ESME, wherein at least one of said SMSCs sends domestic network originated telecommunications messaging traffic to said universal message gateway and another one of said SMSCs sends foreign network originated telecommunications messaging traffic to said universal message gateway.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of SMSCs wherein at least

two of said SMSCs ore disparate in design.

3. The system of claim 1 . where said first common interface includes a first

receiver manager which interacts with said ESME, and said second common interface

includes a second receiver manager which interacts with said SMSCs.

4. A computer program stored on a computer readable media when executed by a computer, said computer program comprising:

instructions for a universal message gateway having a first common interface for connecting to at least one external short message entity (ESME), a second

common interface for connecting to at least one short message service center (SMSC),

and a home location register module and a mobile switching center module configured to receive telecommunications messaging traffic from said at least one SMSC, wherein the instructions configure said universal message gateway to direct said telecommunications messaging traffic to a virtual mobile station address associated with said at least one ESME; and

wherein the instructions configure said universal message gateway to receive domestic network originated telecommunications messaging traffic from at least one of said SMSCs and to receive foreign network originated telecommunications messaging traffic from another one of said SMSCs.

5. A universal message gateway comprising:

a first common interface for connecting to at least one external short message entity (ESME);

a second common interface for connecting to at least one short message service center (SMSC);

a home location register module and a mobile switching center module configured to receive telecommunications messaging traffic from said at least one SMSC; and

a routing engine connected to said first common interface, said second common interface, said home location register moduleJ. and said mobile switching center module;

wherein said routing engine is configured to direct said telecommunications messaging traffic to a virtual mobile station address associated with said at least one ESME; and

wherein at least one of said SMSCs sends domestic network originated telecommunications messaging traffic to said universal message gateway and another

one of said SMSCs sends foreign network originated telecommunications messaging

traffic to said universal message gateway.

6. The universal message gateway of claim 5 . where telecommunications messaging traffic includes at least one of Multi-Media traffic, interactive and/or synchronous mobile text, and short message service traffic.

7. The universal message gateway of claim 5 , wherein said at least one ESME is associated with an application service provider (ASP).

8. The universal message gateway of claim 5 wherein said telecommunications messaging traffic is routed to said at least one ESME within at least

one of parameter selected from the group consisting of SMSC Connection ID, Termination TON/NPI/MSISON, Origination TON/NPI/MSISON, protocol ID, data coding scheme, and SMSC address.

9. The universal message gateway of claim 5 wherein said first common interface is based on the short message peer to peer (SMPP) protocol.

10. The universal message gateway of claim 5 wherein said routing engine

is further configured to perform at least one of a throttling function, a queuing function,

and a buffering function.

11. The universal message gateway of claim 5 further comprising on SMS reply server configured to generate a response message to confirm a successful delivery of a message to said at least one ESME.