Message format conversion in communications terminals and networks

1. A method in a communications terminal, the method comprising:

generating, by the communications terminal, a message in a message format that requires transmission of the message in separate transmissions;

packaging, by the communications terminal, the message in a message format other than the message format that requires transmission of the message in separate transmissions if a number of separate transmissions required to transmit the message exceeds a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

the message format that requires multiple transmissions requires that the message be transmitted in multiple segments,

packaging the message in a message format other than the message format that requires transmission of the message in multiple segments if a number of segments required to transmit the message exceeds a segment threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 ,

the message format that requires multiple transmissions is an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) format,

packaging the message as an Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS) format if a number of message segments required to transmit the message in the EMS format exceeds a segment threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 ,

addressing the message to multiple recipients,

the message format that requires multiple transmissions requires that the message be separately transmitted to each recipient,

packaging the message in a message format that permits transmission of the message to the multiple recipients in a single transmission if a number of recipients exceeds a recipient threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 , transmitting the message to the multiple recipients in a single transmission after packaging the message in the message format that permits transmission of the message to the multiple recipients in a single transmission.

6. The method of claim 1 , indicating in the message generated whether the message may be converted to another message format.