Techniques for routing messages in a communications network

1. A method of routing messages to an end user device, comprising:

receiving a message into a message delivery network from a sending message service provider;

identifying an end user carrier servicing the end user device for the message;

retrieving a pre-determined rank ordered list of message routes from the message delivery network to the end user carrier;

determining whether each message route is currently unavailable or demonstrating poor deliverability;

de-prioritizing the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability;

updating the rank ordered list of message routes based on the de-prioritized message routes;

attaching the updated rank ordered list of message routes to the message;

forwarding the message to a gateway within the message delivery network; and

delivering the message using the highest ranked message route.

2. The method of claim 1 , the message comprising a short message service (SMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1 , the message comprising a multi-media message service (MMS) message.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether the message delivery was successful based on an acknowledgment notification;

when the message delivery was not successful, determining whether all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted; and

when all the message routes on the rank ordered list have not been attempted, delivering the message using the next highest ranked message route.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

determining whether a timeout condition has occurred once all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted;

returning a message indicative that the message was not delivered to the sending service provider once the timeout condition has occurred.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

restarting delivery of the message according to the rank ordered list when the timeout condition has not occurred.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the pre-determined rank ordered list comprises:

determining all possible message routes to the end user carrier;

retrieving a cost to send the message for each possible message route;

retrieving historic deliverability reliability of message routes;

retrieving any minimum commitments to use message routes;

weighting the cost, reliability, and minimum commitment data according to a predetermined set of weighting factors; and

ranking the message routes according to the weighting factors.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether each message route is demonstrating poor deliverability comprises:

initializing the current message route status to good;

setting the current message route status to poor when bind events are indicative of poor deliverability;

setting the current message route status to poor when message events are indicative of poor deliverability; and

repeating until all message routes have been checked.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein de-prioritizing the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability comprises:

determining a degree of poor deliverability for each message route having a message route status of poor; and

editing the rank ordered list by re-ranking the message routes placing those with the poorest degree of deliverability to the bottom of the list.

10. A message delivery network, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:

receive a message into a message delivery network from a sending message service provider;

identify an end user carrier servicing the end user device for the message;

retrieve a pre-determined rank ordered list of message routes from the message delivery network to the end user carrier;

determine whether each message route is currently unavailable or demonstrating poor deliverability;

de-prioritize the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability;

update the rank ordered list of message routes based on the de-prioritized message routes;

attach the updated rank ordered list of message routes to the message;

forward the message to a gateway within the message delivery network; and

deliver the message using the highest ranked message route.

11. The message delivery network of claim 10 , the message comprising a short message service (SMS) message.

12. The message delivery network of claim 10 , the message comprising a multi-media message service (MMS) message.

13. The message delivery network of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine whether the message delivery was successful based on an acknowledgment notification;

when the message delivery was not successful, determine whether all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted; and

when all the message routes on the rank ordered list have not been attempted, deliver the message using the next highest ranked message route.

14. The message delivery network of 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine whether a timeout condition has occurred once all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted; and

return a message indicative that the message was not delivered to the sending service provider once the timeout condition has occurred.

15. The message delivery network of claim 14 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

restart delivery of the message according to the rank ordered list when the timeout condition has not occurred.

16. The message delivery network of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, when creating the pre-determined rank ordered list, are configured to:

determine all possible message routes to the end user carrier;

retrieve a cost to send the message for each possible message route;

retrieve historic deliverability reliability of message routes;

retrieve any minimum commitments to use message routes;

weight the cost, reliability, and minimum commitment data according to a predetermined set of weighting factors; and

rank the message routes according to the weighting factors.

17. The message delivery network of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, when determining whether each message route is demonstrating poor deliverability, are configured to:

initialize the current message route status to good;

set the current message route status to poor when bind events are indicative of poor deliverability;

set the current message route status to poor when message events are indicative of poor deliverability; and

repeat until all message routes have been checked.

18. The message delivery network of claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors, when de-prioritizing the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability, are configured to:

determine a degree of poor deliverability for each message route having a message route status of poor; and

edit the rank ordered list by re-ranking the message routes placing those with the poorest degree of deliverability to the bottom of the list.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a message into a message delivery network from a sending message service provider;

identify an end user carrier servicing the end user device for the message;

retrieve a pre-determined rank ordered list of message routes from the message delivery network to the end user carrier;

determine whether each message route is currently unavailable or demonstrating poor deliverability;

de-prioritize the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability;

update the rank ordered list of message routes based on the de-prioritized message routes;

attach the updated rank ordered list of message routes to the message;

forward the message to a gateway within the message delivery network; and

deliver the message using the highest ranked message route.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , the message comprising a short message service (SMS) message.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , the message comprising a multi-media message service (MMS) message.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether the message delivery was successful based on an acknowledgment notification;

when the message delivery was not successful, determine whether all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted; and

when all the message routes on the rank ordered list have not been attempted, deliver the message using the next highest ranked message route.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 , wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether a timeout condition has occurred once all the message routes on the rank ordered list have been attempted; and

return a message indicative that the message was not delivered to the sending service provider once the timeout condition has occurred.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 , wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

restart delivery of the message according to the rank ordered list when the timeout condition has not occurred.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to create the pre-determined rank ordered list, cause the one or more processors to:

determine all possible message routes to the end user carrier;

retrieve a cost to send the message for each possible message route;

retrieve historic deliverability reliability of message routes;

retrieve any minimum commitments to use message routes;

weight the cost, reliability, and minimum commitment data according to a predetermined set of weighting factors; and

rank the message routes according to the weighting factors.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine whether each message route is demonstrating poor deliverability, cause the one or more processors to:

initialize the current message route status to good;

set the current message route status to poor when bind events are indicative of poor deliverability;

set the current message route status to poor when message events are indicative of poor deliverability; and

repeat until all message routes have been checked.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to de-prioritizing the message routes that are demonstrating poor deliverability, cause the one or more processors to:

determine a degree of poor deliverability for each message route having a message route status of poor; and

edit the rank ordered list by re-ranking the message routes placing those with the poorest degree of deliverability to the bottom of the list.