Over 1.5 Billion SMSs being Processed Worldwide

Messaging interconnection firms, have announced a record number of off-portal transactions for 2008, processing over 1.5 billion “application-to-person” transactions worldwide.  2008 was the fifth consecutive year of high growth for this market.

In the USA, the number of premium SMS transactions processed increased 100% over 2007.

It’s expected that we will see further growth in the market during 2009 as enterprises will start to fully embrace the mobile messaging medium.

Setup up a Ringtone Club!

A ringtone club is an entertainment service for cell phone users that enables them to personalize their handset on a regular basis. Cell phone users are able to download their choice of the very latest music releases as a great sounding ringtone. Cell phone personalization is currently a fast growing trend among people of all ages. Ringtones are by far the most popular content type. A ringtone club is an opt-in subscription premium sms service that makes regular scheduled broadcasts of the latest ringtones to the subscriber base.

A cell phone user can subscribe to a ringtone club in one of two ways:

a) By sending a text message from their handset containing a “keyword” to a premium rate shortcode.

b) By visiting a web page that enables them to subscribe to the ringtone club by entering in required information such as cell number and provider.

Subscribers to a ringtone club are sent a weekly message to their handset containing a number of the latest ringtones. The subscriber then selects the ringtone they wish to download and saves it in the phones memory.

txtNation has developed a complete solution that allows companies to implement their own Ringtone Club. txtNation has taken care of all components for this campaign using our content delivery application.

We are able to offer you everything to generate revenue from cell phone entertainment, from concept, creation, delivery, billing, technology, analysis and customer service. Our team is dedicated to creating a campaign that works for you.

If you are thinking of entering the cell entertainment market this is the product you need. It is quick to market, easy to manage and the most popular form of cell entertainment.

The Ringtones

Use txtNation. txtNation has a database of over 40,000 ringtones covering every genre from Rock to Pop, Classical to Country. The ringtone club can be set up with any number of ringtones from a long list of genres, and is tailored to the target audience’s musical taste.

This vast range thus enables a country music radio station to offer a country music ringtone club to their audience, and a high traffic urban website to offer a hiphop/rap music ringtone club.

SMS Chat in the US

Premium SMS (PSMS) “Chat” services are currently allowed in the USA via txtNation. Most major US Carriers support “Chat” services except Verizon Wireless. In “Premium SMS Chat” services, a user must be invited to join a Chat service. This includes but is not limited to Operator, Peer2Peer, Operator Moderated Group chat interaction. “Chat” is inclusive of services such as tarot card readings, astrology, special interests. Explicit language, adult chat is currently not approved. The following must be taken into consideration for Chat services:

• Monthly subscription or per message billing are the only valid billing options. Some Carriers support both or only one
• There is maximum allowable rate of a single billing event depending on Carrier
• There is maximum allowable charges for a sinbgle chat service in a monthly period
• Notification of accumulated chages must be sent in increments of $25.00 or month. This message should apply disclosure to user they have accumulated $25.00 (or relevant derivatitve) along with relevant opt-out information and HELP command
• The end user must be notified and must opt-in for every $25 in premium
  charges that they incur. These additional “continuation” messages must:
  o Express dollar amounts reached, not the number of messages billed
  o Present cumulative premium charge dollar amounts (up to the limit of
  $75.00). For example $25, $50, $75
  o Tally charges based on the anniversary date of initial sign up.
  Example: user signs up for service on Jan 12th, 2006 all months will
  end on the 12th of each month
  o If the end user does not reply affirmatively to continuation message
  the system must pause the chat service until the anniversary date.
  o No further MT’s can be sent to a end user until affirmative response
  to continuation message is provided by the end user. If the end user
  does not attempt to chat, no additional messages may be sent. The
  chat participant must be considered in a PAUSED status
  o HELP and OPT OUT keywords must be included in the continuation
  message
  o Suggested keywords are the same as the opt-in keywords defined
  above. In addition, MORE or CONTINUE should be supported as reopt-
  in words
  o Regardless of status (Paused or Active), the end user must be able to
  opt-out of the program at any time
• While the end user is in PAUSED status, end user cannot incur any further premium messaging charges
• Service Providers are strictly prohibited from queuing messages that are
  attempted to be sent to a PAUSED end user and transmitting them to the
  user later
• Double opt-in is required; first MT must disclose pricing, opt-out information,
  message frequency and user MUST respond with YES to complete activation
• Premium for “registration” messages are NOT allowable. All messages related
  to registration, establishing a profile, etc. must be standard rated
• MT can only be sent as a response to an MO from User
• Operator chat applications CANNOT “self-generate” MT’s
• IVR and Voice Chat are NOT allowable; SMS Chat applications cannot advertise IVR or Voice Chat services nor can they initiate/facilitate voice conversation between two users (user includes “Operator”)
• End users must be opted-out after 60 days of inactivity. An informational
  message informing the end user of the automatic opt-out may be sent
• Chat participants must have the ability to report and block members

Please refer to the txtNation USA Carrier Guidelines for specific Carrier regulations for “Chat” services.

Learn more at mBILL. www.m-bill.net.

Premium SMS Explained

Mobile terminated short messages can be used to deliver digital content such as news alerts, financial information, logos and ring tones. The Value-added service provider (VASP) providing the content submits the message to the mobile operator’s SMSC(s) using a TCP/IP protocol such as the short message peer-to-peer protocol (SMPP) or the External Machine Interface (EMI). The SMSC delivers the text using the normal Mobile Terminated delivery procedure. The subscribers are charged extra for receiving this premium content, and the amount is typically divided between the mobile network operator and the VASP either through revenue share or a fixed transport fee.

Mobile originated short messages may also be used in a premium-rated manner for services such as televoting. In this case, the VASP providing the service obtains a Short Code from the telephone network operator, and subscribers send texts to that number. The payouts to the carriers vary by carrier and the percentages paid are greatest on the lowest priced premium SMS services. Most information providers should expect to pay about 45% of the cost of the premium SMS up front to the carrier. The submission of the text to the SMSC is identical to a standard MO Short Message submission, but once the text is at the SMSC, the Service Centre identifies the Short Code as a premium service psms. The SC will then direct the content of the text message to the VASP, typically using an IP protocol such as SMPP or EMI. Subscribers are charged a premium for the sending of such messages, with the revenue typically shared between the network operator and the VASP. Limitations of short codes include the limitation to national borders (short codes have to be activated in each country where the campaign takes place), as well as being expensive to sign up together with mobile operators.

Using PSMS as a payment system

Why is Premium SMS considered the choice for many webmasters!?

If personal information is not collected and stored online, it cannot be subject to online theft and fraud.

• No input of financial information
• No storage of financial information
• Nothing to hack, nothing to steal

Success Stories with Premium SMS

xxxx* said that the new service proved to be an instant success when introduced in the U.K. “We are seeing very quickly that this is what people want,” he noted. “Immediately after putting the PSMS payment option provided by txtNation (via mENABLE) on the billing page of just one site we received transaction requests that averaged $40 every 5 to 10 minutes. The best part is that we achieved this reaction without any advertising or marketing at all. We simply put a link on the bottom of our payment page and let the surfer pick the transaction method.”

Under the PSMS system a billing confirmation message is sent to the member’s mobile phone. When the member replies to the confirmation alert the cost of the service they requested is charged to their telecommunications provider, providing a convenient alternative for people who do not wish to use a credit card.

* To read the full case study, take a closer look at mENABLE.

www.m-enable.com

“Last month Premium SMS Subsrcriptions to our website surpassed Credit Card and Paypal!!”

* To read the full case study, take a closer look at mENABLE.

www.m-enable.com

“It has made it much easier for us to sell in other parts of the world where credit cards are not as popular”

* To read the full case study, take a closer look at mENABLE.

www.m-enable.com