"IP-based text service aims to undercut rivals"

<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/3ggprs/0,39020339,39259638,00.htm>

Hotxt lets users send as many texts as they want for £1 a week. But
will GPRS data charges prove a problem?

A UK start-up is looking to undercut existing mobile operators with
an IP-based text messaging service.

Hotxt -- pronounced "hot text" -- launched on Monday and allows
subscribers to send each other as many text messages as they want for
£1 per week. Texts can also be sent to non-subscribers for around 6p
each.

At present, SMS charges vary considerably between mobile tariffs;
while some customers will get a certain number of texts bundled with
their subscription, messages can cost as much as 12p each.

"Hotxt will effectively defeat the charges that mobile operators
impose on their users," said Doug Richard, chairman and co-founder of
Hotxt. "A disproportionate amount of their profits come from SMS
services, and you usually get disproportionate profits when you
charge too much for something."

The Hotxt service is based on a Java applet that is downloaded to a
user's phone when they first subscribe. Rather than using SMS
technology, Hotxt transmits text messages via IP over a GPRS data
connection.

This means that users will have to pay a data charge on top of their
£1 subscription. According to Richard, this is likely to range from
0.1p to 2p per text, depending on how their mobile operator charges
for data traffic.

Hotxt is aiming its service at those from 16 to 25, as they are
typically the heaviest texters. There's no restriction on who can
sign up, though.

Mobile operators are currently facing pressure over their charges,
with the European Commission keen to drive down overseas roaming
rates. SMS has been a very lucrative service for them over recent
years, but a service like Hotxt could force them to trim their fees.

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Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
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[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <iXBZf.702759$(E-Mail Removed)> on Fri, 07 Apr
2006 22:44:30 GMT, John Navas <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

><http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/3ggprs/0,39020339,39259638,00.htm>
>
> Hotxt lets users send as many texts as they want for £1 a week. But
> will GPRS data charges prove a problem?
>[SNIP]

For those with a MEdia Net Unlimited package, text messages can be sent for
free if you have a phone with an email client by sending email to the
appropriate email-to-SMS gateway. For example, to reach a Cingular
subscriber, address the email to (E-Mail Removed)

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John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>