Universal Computer Protocol (UCP)

What Does Universal Computer Protocol (UCP) Mean?

Universal Computer Protocol (UCP) is a standard for transmitting short messages over cellular networks. The system first emerged in the 1980s and has since been expanded with the adoption of the External Machine Interface (EMI) standard.

Techopedia Explains Universal Computer Protocol (UCP)

As short message transmission standards, UCP and EMI messaging use hexadecimal code to represent message content and reference the addresses of involved parties to form data packets. These are routed over modern telecom networks in order to deliver short text messaging between devices. The design of UCP and similar standards relies on a fixed length for a text transmission, which has been worked into the consumer services that telecom providers offer to cell phone or device holders. These services coalesce around the Short Message Service (SMS), which allows users to send up to 160 characters back and forth. These messages are remotely stored in a Short Message Service Center to provide on-demand delivery to a device.