Comments on: T-Mobile to Implement a Twitter Tax on Texts?

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:30:45 +0000

By: andy

andy — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:28:22 +0000

addendum to my post above.

Apparently, one message is only about 160bytes max due to a 7bit character map. So, 160 characters = 140bytes + some overhead ( no more than 160bytes)
So my figures above can be doubled for £ cost.
Credit to link
http://boingboing.net/2008/05/12/sms-data-rate-is-4x.html
Also, one comment in the link above suggests that the messages can be sent as ping data from tower-phone comms, so effectively no cost…….

By: andy

andy — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:14:14 +0000

QUOTE
COM_by_CRAIG Wednesday, September 15 2010

Wow talking about price gouging! Let see if I got my math right. 2 bytes per character. 160 max character in a SMS. One text is 320bytes per 25 cents. For 1 megabyte (1,000,0000 bytes) that is 3125 SMS text. That comes to be $781.25/mb!!
END of quote

Tahoo already commented on the 100x inaccuracy.

However, I’d like to make a seperate point about data costs vs rip off text prices, in the uk, an actual text message out of contract ranges between 4-12p.
Using Com by Craig’s 320bytes per message figure, it would seem that 1GB of these messages (inc say a message header of 80?bytes..total 400bytes)
would cost = 1,073,741,824 bytes / 400 bytes (2,684,354messages) @ 4 pence
=£107,374 per GB
@12 pence
=£322,122 per GB
yet the cost of 1GB of data is…..well, on a realistic, long term thinking ISP, = £0.15 for a domestic user.
Allowing for business equipment costs, upgrades, support, energy and depreciation, I suppose it could jump to £10 but I’m only totally guessing and I made my point……

So, when your ISP won’t give you more texts, in or out of contract, you know they are tighta£$€s

By: Colin Gibbs

Colin Gibbs — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:29:22 +0000

Can you say how it’s a net positive for you, Michael? I’d love to hear some details. Thanks.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:53:47 +0000

Don, explain to me how it’s spam when you opt-in to get text messages? I have yet to get one I didn’t sign in for, so your argument is off and removed from the discussion.

By: Michael Iaccarino

Michael Iaccarino — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 01:18:27 +0000

As an aggregator who has a relationship with T-Mobile, I wanted to comment on the information being reported. For our business, the new aggregator agreement is a net positive

By: guest

guest — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:41:30 +0000

Let’s not forget, the Carriers, like T-Mobile, PAY NOTHING for the public bandwidth that Text is delivered over. Sure, they have some nominal infrastructure, but, it’s 90% plus profit on the deal. Carriers are already raping us.

What we’re seeing is the emergence of sub-networks between compatible devices that bypass the Carriers. The day there’s an Android Text channel that integrates with iPhone, 50% of all Carrier’s text message traffic will disappear, along with their profits. I wouldn’t even be surprised if an Android/Twitter/iPhone venture specific to zero-cost text messaging evolves (of course, tied to an ad network). At some point, the fractured mobile eco-systems will converge when they determine it’s in their best interests.

Customers will be better off, after years of being screwed by poor service, 2nd World technology and jacked up prices by the Carriers.

Or, will Twitter just go public and buy T-Mobile?

By: Susan Kuchinskas

Susan Kuchinskas — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:46:50 +0000

Twitter is unaffected and most mobile carriers already charge for-profits for delivering their SMS.

http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1733638/t-mobile-hikes-sms-rate-what-is-impact-marketers

By: Dean Bubley

Dean Bubley — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:20:51 +0000

To be fair, carriers everywhere else on the planet charge people & businesses to send texts, not receive them.

The US is a bit of an weird anomaly with this type of business model. It’s why companies like Twitter don’t generally send SMS to users for free.

Dean

By: Top 4 Stories in Mobile, Business and Tech This Morning | theblabber

Top 4 Stories in Mobile, Business and Tech This Morning | theblabber — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:13:12 +0000

[...] Beginning October 1, T-Mobile USA will begin charging businesses an additional $.0025 for every SMS delivered to customers over its network, including tweets, according to GigaOM. [...]