| SMSC Provider – Any recommendations? |  Search
|
|
NowSMS Support Forums ⬆ NowSMS Support - SMS Issues ⬆ Archive through December 09, 2003 ⬆ |
◄ ► |
| Author | Message | |||
| Anonymous |
I’ve downloaded the free trial and I am in the process of setting it up. Could any recommend a SMS provider so I can set up my SMSC connection? What is the best SMSC connection to use? I have a web server with a static IP address. At present this is only for R&D so the cheapest would be best. In terms of the service provide I would like one based in the UK… Any recommendations?? | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support |
If your volume is not very high ... using a GSM modem (or GSM phone with an appropriate cable connection to the gateway PC) might be a good way to go. Of course, you're going to pay the per SMS message charge that you would if you sent the message directly from the phone itself. But occasionally there are some good deals with so many SMS messages per month included in a subscription ... which might meet limited R&D needs. As for UK based providers ... I know of customers using Skymo (Deltica) and MPP Global. If Keith Norris sees this message, he might reply with some other UK providers that he's encountered NowSMS customers using. Sometimes providers outside of the UK offer cheaper rates. I know Clickatell used to be around 3p per message ... but looking at their site right now, I see it's now been raised to 6p for most UK networks. -bn | |||
| ricc113 |
Thanks for your reply. Does NowSMS have any partnerships with any providers that offer 'special'  rates for NowSMS customers? | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support |
That would be nice. I'd welcome providers that would like to talk to us about partnerships to e-mail nowsms@now.co.uk. | |||
| JBenson Unregistered guest |
I'm in a similar position as the individual who wrote the first message, but I am still a bit unclear about what I need to get started. My goal is to be able to send SMS messages containing certain information to paying subscribers. I'd like to start small, for testing, but then have the ability to ramp up to hundreds or thousands of customers, with about 1-2 messages per customer/per day. This would all be in the USA. From my research, I gather that I can purchase a GSM modem that hooks up to my PC and will encode the SMS messages from my keypad (assuming I have purchased a copy of your software). But now, I'm confused. Do I send messages out to the wireless network through an antenna connected to the modem, or do I connect through a RJ-11 to the PSTN, which then relays the data to the mobile subscribers cell phones just like I would from my POTS home phone? Surely I must pay for a subscription to the GSM network (i.e. a cell phone plan). SO, how do I call up a cell phone provider, for example, Verizon, and establish a subscription for SMS when I'm not actually using a cell phone, but rather a modem? Would I assign the modem a cellular phone number through the software that comes with it? I'm very confused on this subscription/device communication. Finally, I gather that sending a message in the manner above may be slow (about 6-10 messages per minute). Any suggestions on how can I ramp up to a high throughput system with a GSM modem? Thanks for your help!! | |||
| TMM Unregistered guest |
How about bulk SMS alternatives to Clickatell, of the same calibre (low to medium message volume)? | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support Board Administrator Username: Bryce Post Number: 962 Registered: 10-2002 |
JBenson, A "GSM Modem" takes a SIM card, just like a GSM phone. The SIM card holds your identity on the network, and you can put this card into any compatible device. (Verizon is a CDMA carrier, and SIM cards don't exist in the CDMA environment. In the USA, T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless and Cingular are GSM carriers.) So when you're using a GSM modem, you are billed for the activity on the subscription associated with the modem. Many GSM phones have in-built modem functionality, so that you only need a serial or USB cable ... or in some cases infrared or bluetooth connection ... to connect it to the PC. T-Mobile in the US has some pretty good rates on SMS for people with lower volume requirements. You can get 500 messages per month for $2.99 on top of most subscription plans, and you get another 300 messages per month for $2.99 on any GPRS plan. For messages above your allotment, it is $0.05 per message. Also, T-Mobile US supports SMS over GPRS, where you can see up to 30 messages per minute on a single GSM/GPRS modem. If you do later decide to go with a provider, it's just a matter of adding another "SMSC" entry in NowSMS. | |||
| Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support Board Administrator Username: Bryce Post Number: 963 Registered: 10-2002 |
TMM, I don't recommend any specific providers ... but here are a few of them that I've encountered customers using ... MPP Global, Deltica (Skymo), TSI Connections There are literally hundreds of providers out there. | |||
