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UK SMS progress?
What is the current state of play with retoring SMS delivery of tweets to UK handsets and is there anything that UK customers can do to assist in getting these messages running again?
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Inappropriate?As you are aware, all Twitter SMS from +447624801423 stopped on 13th. August 2008, though it's still possible to send SMS updates to that number.
This affects all Twitter users outside Canada, India and the USA.
However, Twitter is trying to set up some new national numbers. On 03 Oct 2008, crystal from Twitter stated:
Not everyone is aware of this, but getting international numbers in place and ready for use is no small project. It takes time to get new numbers for international use set up in other countries. There are many steps that have to be taken by many different entities to get the proper international permissions to obtain phone numbers. Following that, multiple entities must then build the infrastructure with which to support the numbers. Carriers in every country are different and there are numerous small projects within the larger project. All of this means it takes awhile to get everything in place. In this case, the time it's taking is the bad news.
The good news is, we should have local numbers ready very soon. We're also in the process of bringing our India short code up to speed as well. We're working on getting international numbers to you guys as soon as possible, and have been on task since the initial announcement was made. Thanks for your patience in the meantime!
That's the most recent information I'm aware of at the moment; I suspect we're not likely to hear much until contracts are actually signed for the first new national number. I hope that Twitter - or other users - will add relevant updates to the end of the thread where crystal posted.
Meanwhile there are other ways (paid or unpaid) of receiving Twitter updates on your phone. That post - and subsequent ones - contains many useful links. If I hear anything new, I'll try to add it to the end of that thread, too.
If you find a particular topic (or post) particularly relevant or useful, please click the yellow I have this problem (question), too! or I have this question too button near the top of any thread (or the This solves the problem (answers the question) link beneath the post - even if the post doesn't completely solve the problem or answer the question).
If enough users indicate their support in this way, Twitter may get interested too.
One last thought: Twitter's +447624801423 number is based on the Isle of Man (which shares its +44... international code with the UK). Many UK mobile providers charge SMS to that number at high international rates - but O2 (on certain tariffs) appears to be a positive exception. I don't know if this still applies, however. (I'm in Germany but have contacts in the UK.)
I’m medium to long-term hopeful...
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this answers the question
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Inappropriate?Thanks for your response, unfortunately it seems to be directed at sending messages from a mobile phone, when I was asking about SMS delivery TO mobile phones.
Is there any news on WHEN twitter may be able to send SMS to my mobile phone when someone I'm following posts a new tweet. I'm not interested in paid for workarounds. The entire USA recieves free SMS from twitter and that's what I want to see here. (Before anyone runs into a diatribe about how mobile networks are different in various countries, I already know)
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This answers the question
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If it's any consolation, there are a number of mobile carriers in the US that don't support the shortcode that Twitter uses.
So there are actually US users who are in a worse situation than international users like us -- they can't even update Twitter via sms. -
Inappropriate?Mat:
For completeness, and for the benefit of other users reading this thread, my response included information on sending SMS text messages from a mobile phone to Twitter's +447624801423.
I'm sorry you overlooked the rest of my response - which is mostly directed at sending messages to a mobile phone.
I also included a link to other ways (paid or unpaid) of having Twitter updates delivered to your phone.
You ask:
Is there any news on WHEN twitter may be able to send SMS to my mobile phone when someone I'm following posts a new tweet
I answered this in my first response:
I suspect we're not likely to hear much until contracts are actually signed for the first new national number.
So your guess is as good as mine - and I don't guess that the WHEN is likely to be very soon.
I'm as anxious for news on this as you are: an acquaintance in the UK just can't get mobile internet working on her phone (even though her phone and her mobile carrier fulfil all the technical requirements) and has given up on Twitter until she starts receiving Twitter SMS again: that's as much technology as she can stand. And here in Germany, it's pointless for me to invite certain friends to join Twitter until Twitter SMS is once again a no-hassle 2-way affair.
I'm well aware that a workaround (even a free one) isn't exactly ideal - but it's far better than nothing; and I'm happier being inventive than I would be if I merely lamented about the things I can't change. We Twitter users have to make do with what Twitter give us, combined with our own ingenuity.
Note that users in the USA actually have to pay to receive SMS text from anyone - even from Twitter (which seems weird to us Europeans, who normally pay only to send SMS).
So I send and receive my Twitter updates using cellityTweeter (as described in the link above under the heading Alternatives to Twitter SMS). Here in Germany, my mobile internet costs (carrier: simyo) are small but finite, so sending a couple of updates and receiving a timeline of 20 tweets costs me 0.24 Euro cent (ca. 0.2 British pence) - as opposed to 20 Euro cent (ca. 17 British pence) for just a single SMS to Twitter's international number.
I really would like Twitter to implement Ping Call notifications to let us know when it's useful to start a mobile internet application such as cellityTweeter.
For more on this idea, see my comprehensive post on Ping Call notifications, which I believe Twitter could implement easily and cheaply - if enough users ask for it.
I’m hoping that makes things clearer...
