Vodafone is now allowing its UK customers to tweet via SMS. The service is free at the moment, but it looks as though it will be a bundle option in the future. Press release below-
Vodafone UK has signed an agreement with Twitter allowing customers to send updates to and receive SMS notifications from the ever popular messaging network used to share and discover what’s happening – right now. Only Vodafone customers are able to use this service in the UK today.
As of today, Vodafone customers will be able to receive text messages from people they choose to follow via SMS on Twitter and send text messages to a short code (86444) for their “tweets”, @replies, or to follow someone on the go.
The SMS updates posted on Twitter will be free of charge for the first few weeks from launch – then they will be part of customers’ bundles. After the free period regular charges will apply to customers without bundles but all text message updates sent from Twitter will remain free of charge.
“We are delighted to be the only operator in the UK today to offer Twitter on SMS to our customers,” says Al Russell, Head of Vodafone Internet services at Vodafone UK. “Since we made social networks on the move both simple to use and great value, customers have flocked to using these services which have exploded in popularity.”
When receiving a text message from Twitter with a URL, customers will be able to click on the link and access the publicised webpage directly from their mobiles.
“Mobile texting extends the power of Twitter’s real-time network in a simple but significant way,” says Kevin Thau Director of Mobile Business Development at Twitter. “Twitter is the messaging network you didn’t know you needed until you experience it over SMS.”
The new service is easy to use on any mobile device and offers fast mobile access to one of the most popular social networks in the world. Twitter joins a long list of social networks available through Vodafone live! since December 08.
Ever since Vodafone UK included mobile internet in the price plan giving customers unlimited access to mobile internet, social networks have topped Vodafone’s popularity charts for the most visited sites on mobiles.
I suppose this will appeal to people with cheap phones and no separate twitter app or web browser. I can’t really see the point myself though, I’d much rather keep twitter separate in its own internet application. It might be useful when there’s no available data connection at all but I can’t remember the last time that happened.
I suppose the other attraction is that it’s a push service, but given how many people I follow my phone would be endlessly bleeping at me and it would be flipping irritating.
I know a few folks who use SMS twitter in the US when they have to (poorer coverage than here) but I thought twitter had moved on from this.