The Wireless Communications Transfer Protocol (WCTP) is an XML-based protocol designed to simplify the transmission of alphanumeric and binary messages between automated, server-based applications and messaging devices. WCTP is the preferred method for third-party servers and software clients to connect to the American Messaging network because it supports features such as the highest level of security, not presently supported by SNPP.
Note: While the WCTP standard supports the use of login and password credentials, American Messaging’s current WCTP implementation does not require access credentials for authentication. Any username or password fields included in the XML are accepted but not validated.
WCTP and XML
WCTP is built on widely adopted Internet standards, including HTTP/HTTPS and XML. Developers implementing WCTP should be familiar with basic XML concepts and structure.
American Messaging does not implement the full WCTP 1.2+ command set. Only a subset of operations defined in our supported DTD are available, so you should review this document carefully to ensure that the operations you plan to use are supported on our network.
Because WCTP uses XML as its messaging format, all WCTP operations must be well-formed and valid according to the XML 1.0 specification and the WCTP Data Type Definition (DTD) provided by American Messaging. For additional information about XML, well-formedness, and validity, see:
http://www.w3.org/XML
Firewall and TCP/IP Ports
WCTP is transported over HTTP/HTTPS:
- Port 80 (HTTP) – Standard WCTP access
- Port 443 (HTTPS) – Recommended for secure, encrypted WCTP traffic
These ports are commonly open on enterprise firewalls, which typically allows WCTP connectivity without firewall changes.
Benefits Over SNPP
Compared to SNPP, WCTP is more robust and feature-rich, though somewhat more complex to implement. With WCTP:
- Your application acts as a WCTP client, connecting to the American Messaging WCTP host.
- Standard WCTP client software may be used, or you can implement a custom client to fully leverage the protocol’s capabilities.
- Response messages are retrieved by having your WCTP client poll the WCTP host for pending responses.
- WCTP is the preferred connection method for time-sensitive communication between your applications and American Messaging devices.
Supported WCTP Operations
Our WCTP DTD, which defines the operations supported by American Messaging, is available at:
http://wctp.myairmail.com/wctp-dtd-v1r1.dtd
For additional information on the WCTP standard, visit:
http://www.wctp.org
Example: WCTP SubmitClientMessage (Transient Client Mode)
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE wctp-Operation SYSTEM "http://wctp.myairmail.com/wctp-dtd-v1r1.dtd">
<wctp-Operation wctpVersion="wctp-dtd-v1r1">
<wctp-SubmitClientMessage>
<wctp-SubmitClientHeader submitTimestamp="2003-11-14T04:30:53">
<wctp-ClientOriginator senderID="betauser" miscInfo="betapassword"/>
<wctp-ClientMessageControl notifyWhenDelivered="true" allowResponse="true"/>
<wctp-Recipient recipientID="2148169898"/>
</wctp-SubmitClientHeader>
<wctp-Payload>
<wctp-Alphanumeric>
This is a test
</wctp-Alphanumeric>
</wctp-Payload>
</wctp-SubmitClientMessage>
</wctp-Operation>
Typical server response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE wctp-Operation SYSTEM "http://wctp.myairmail.com/wctp-dtd-v1r1.dtd">
<wctp-Operation wctpVersion="wctp-dtd-v1r1.dtd" wctpToken="x224">
<wctp-SubmitClientResponse>
<wctp-ClientSuccess successText="Message Accepted"
successCode="200"
trackingNumber="1784193744"/>
</wctp-SubmitClientResponse>
</wctp-Operation>
In this example, the senderID and miscInfo attributes are present to comply with the WCTP specification, but American Messaging does not currently require or validate these values for authentication.