[techsupporter]

The predecessor to Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync used this method. It was called AUTD (Always Up To Date) and sent SMS messages either via an SMSMC or through email-to-SMS originating on the Exchange server. What was "fun," as a support engineer in PSS back then, was helping people diagnose and clear out mobile phone numbers that users had set up and then had one of three things happen: sailed way past their in-built SMS allotment, didn't realize that receiving SMS cost money and receiving huge bills, or swapping to another phone without an Exchange client to intercept the SMS and being bombarded with SMS notifications.