Changes for Some SMS Users—Good and Bad News
Let's start with the bad news. Beginning today, Twitter is no longer delivering outbound SMS over our UK number. If you have been receiving SMS updates from Twitter via +44 762 480 1423, you'll notice that they've stopped and you may want to explore some of the alternatives we're suggesting.
Note: Updating via our UK number remains fully supported and these changes do not affect users in Canada, India, or the United States.
Before we go into more detail, here's the good news. Twitter will be introducing several new, local SMS numbers in countries throughout Europe, in the coming weeks and months. These new numbers will make Twittering more accessible for all the folks who have been using SMS to send long-distance updates through our UK number.
Why Stop Sending SMS To Some Countries?
Mobile operators in most of the world charge users to send updates. When you send one message to Twitter and we send it to ten followers, you aren't charged ten times—that's because we've been footing the bill. When we launched our free SMS service to the world, we set the clock ticking. As the service grew in popularity, so too would the price.
Our challenge during this window of time was to establish relationships with mobile operators around the world such that our SMS services could become sustainable from a cost perspective. We achieved this goal in Canada, India, and the United States. We can provide full incoming and outgoing SMS service without passing along operator fees in these countries.
We took a risk hoping to bring more nations onboard and more mobile operators around to our way of thinking but we've arrived at a point where the responsible thing to do is slow our costs and take a different approach. If you don't live in Canada, India, or the US, then we recommend receiving your Twitter updates via one of the following methods.
It pains us to take this measure. However, we need to avoid placing undue burden on our company and our service. Even with a limit of 250 messages received per week, it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user, per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US. It makes more sense for us to establish fair billing arrangements with mobile operators than it does to pass these high fees on to our users.
Twitter will continue to negotiate with mobile operators in Europe, Asia, China, Australia, The Americas, and other regions to forge relationships that benefit all our users. Our goal is to provide full, two-way service with Twitter via SMS to every nation in a way that is sustainable from a cost perspective. Talks with mobile companies around the world continue. In the meantime, more local numbers for updating via SMS are on the way. We'll keep you posted.
Note: Updating via our UK number remains fully supported and these changes do not affect users in Canada, India, or the United States.
Before we go into more detail, here's the good news. Twitter will be introducing several new, local SMS numbers in countries throughout Europe, in the coming weeks and months. These new numbers will make Twittering more accessible for all the folks who have been using SMS to send long-distance updates through our UK number.
Why Stop Sending SMS To Some Countries?
Mobile operators in most of the world charge users to send updates. When you send one message to Twitter and we send it to ten followers, you aren't charged ten times—that's because we've been footing the bill. When we launched our free SMS service to the world, we set the clock ticking. As the service grew in popularity, so too would the price.
Our challenge during this window of time was to establish relationships with mobile operators around the world such that our SMS services could become sustainable from a cost perspective. We achieved this goal in Canada, India, and the United States. We can provide full incoming and outgoing SMS service without passing along operator fees in these countries.
We took a risk hoping to bring more nations onboard and more mobile operators around to our way of thinking but we've arrived at a point where the responsible thing to do is slow our costs and take a different approach. If you don't live in Canada, India, or the US, then we recommend receiving your Twitter updates via one of the following methods.
- m.twitter.com works on browser-enabled phones
- m.slandr.net works on browser-enabled phones
- TwitterMail works on email-enabled phones
- Cellity works on java-enabled phones
- TwitterBerry works on BlackBerry brand phones
- Twitterific works on iPhones
It pains us to take this measure. However, we need to avoid placing undue burden on our company and our service. Even with a limit of 250 messages received per week, it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user, per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US. It makes more sense for us to establish fair billing arrangements with mobile operators than it does to pass these high fees on to our users.
Twitter will continue to negotiate with mobile operators in Europe, Asia, China, Australia, The Americas, and other regions to forge relationships that benefit all our users. Our goal is to provide full, two-way service with Twitter via SMS to every nation in a way that is sustainable from a cost perspective. Talks with mobile companies around the world continue. In the meantime, more local numbers for updating via SMS are on the way. We'll keep you posted.
11 Comments:
FAIL
Is there any chance you'll be able to negotiate anything with Aussie carriers? Our data plans for the most part suck.
Receiving DMs via twitter was awesome, and it's a shame that's ceasing.
I understand the reason behind it, but it is still sad to see it go.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
I will be very sad - Twitter is about to become far less useful to me. Hope negotiations are swift and we can get SMS back soon!
Thanks for making twitter 90% less useful to a lot of Australian twitter users. :(
Australia is kinda annoyed at the moment
Yes, we'll work to negotiate for service in Australia as well.
I'm fairly sure I'm not alone, but I'd be prepared to pay to receive SMSes in the UK...
Would anyone else? (a few of us did discuss paying $nominal_amount for >250 SMSes per week, after sicamp, istr.)
OMG! It sucks. I usually receive every DM by SMS. What should I do now? I don't want to use a Twitter client and I don't have an iPhone... Please, let us at least receive notifications by SMS! I hope you'll get a number in France very very soon.
And oh, where's the good news? :)
Well, thanks for the advance notice anyway. Oh, wait....
It was bad enough to be forced to use the UK number. Now, it appears that Australian twitter users are completely invisible.
Hey folks, if you want to discuss this with us, we have an open thread on our Get Satisfaction forum.
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