Texting trial for 13/1300 numbers

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 03 April 2007 11:55

IT Industry - Strategy

A trial program to SMS-enable 13/1300 numbers is about to begin, bridging the worlds of local-rate voice numbers and text messaging - but it's not going to cut your mobile bill.

Calls to such numbers will be charged at the mobile carrier's normal rate. The benefits are that organisations will only need to publish one number for customer enquiries, and not all mobile subscribers are able to send to premium SMS numbers in the 191-199 range.

The project is being led by Communications Alliance, and also involves the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Industry Number Management Services (INMS), mobile operators, local-rate service providers, SMS response specialists TXT4 and mobile aggregator Sybase 365.

Communications Alliance officials believe this will be the first time any country has allowed local-rate numbers to be used for SMS. "This project demonstrates that our industry, while highly competitive, can still manage to collaborate and deliver innovative outcomes that have not been achieved anywhere else in the world," said Communications Alliance CEO, Anne Hurley.

Organisations involved in the pilot will include a small number of major advertisers and government departments. "The SMS response initiates a range of possibilities, from a simple brochure mail-out, through consultant/call centre call-back time booking and, most significantly, access to relevant mobile content or commerce sites through clicking into the relevant WAP-site from WAP enabled services," said Antony North, regional director at TXT4.

Communications Alliance was formed by the merger of the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) and the Service Providers Association (SPAN).