Rogers Wireless announced today that customers can now send and receive updates from popular messaging service Twitter by SMS text message over their mobile phones, via Short Code 21212. The feature comes at no additional cost for customers on text messaging plans.
When the service goes live today, Rogers Wireless customers who subscribe to a text messaging plan will be able to update their Twitter status and receive updates (known as "tweets") via text messages on their mobile phones. Twitter texts are treated as standard messages under all text messaging plans.
"Our text messaging partnership with Twitter is the latest way Rogers is helping our customers to connect and stay up-to-date on their wireless device," said John Boynton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Wireless. "Rogers was first to enable Twitter through a wireless browser and we're excited to now provide Twitter by SMS as well."
"We're thrilled to be working with Canada's largest wireless provider," said Kevin Thau, Twitter's Director of Mobile Business Development. "Twitter is a real-time messaging service for sharing and discovering what's happening - right now. By partnering with Rogers Wireless, customers using Twitter can now view, post and reply to messages, ensuring the application stays affordable and true to its real-time nature."
In addition to being able to send and receive tweets, customers will also have access to all Twitter capabilities including the ability to add (or "follow") new people and reply to updates. Customers will also be able to select whether they want to receive updates from all the people they follow or from a select group of people.
Traffic to Twitter continues to accelerate with a yearly growth rate of more than 1,300 percent.
Twitter will not be charged as a premium SMS service on Rogers Wireless. Each outgoing tweet will be counted as one message within a customer's text messaging plan. Messages outside of a plan are 15 cents each. If customers do not subscribe to a text messaging plan, out-of-plan text messaging charges apply. These rates apply anywhere in Canada on the Rogers Network.
About Rogers Wireless:
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Rogers Wireless provides wireless voice and data communications services across Canada to more than 8 million customers under both the Rogers Wireless and Fido brands. Proven to operate Canada's most reliable wireless voice and data communications network, Rogers Wireless is Canada's largest wireless provider and the only carrier operating on the global standard GSM and highly advanced HSPA technology platforms. In addition to providing seamless roaming in more than 200 countries/areas with its GSM based services, Rogers Wireless also provides wireless broadband services across Canada utilizing its 2.5GHz fixed wireless spectrum. Rogers Wireless is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI - News; NYSE: RCI - News), a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For further information, please visit www.rogers.com.