SMS

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About SMS or Short Message Service...

What is SMS? Well, you probably know that SMS stands for Short Message Service.

It's the general name for the technology which enables people to send and receive text messages via mobile phones (or cellphones). Usually, whether you're talking about free sms or bulk sms, many people refer to SMS as text messaging, text messages, texts or even txts...

SMS Definition

The GSM digital mobile phone standard (popular in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and some parts of North America) define sms thus:

Messages can be up to 160 characters of text in length. (Though many new mobile phones let you send bigger messages, and just split your message up into 160-character chunks!)
Messages can comprise of words or numbers or an alphanumeric combination (binary format is even supported).
SMS is a store and forward service. In other words, messages are not sent directly from sender to recipient, but always via an SMS Center instead.
Message delivery (or failure) can be confirmed

Notes:

This is a limited definition of sms. A fuller explanation can be found at Wikipedia and you read more about free text messaging at this text messages page.
CDMA networks allow greater message size (CDMA networks operate in North & South America, Asia (China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc, etc).) You can find out more at www.cdg.org

What is Free SMS?

Or, how can you send SMS text messages free? The quick answer is that you simply use a free sms service that lets you send sms text messages and the service pays the price on your behalf. Nice, eh!

But why bother when you can send sms using your cellphone?

Well, sending SMS is a great, quick way to communicate with friends and family, true. However, unlike email, sending sms messages is often not free. In the UK texts can cost £0.12 per message, and the cost is more if you send to phones abroad..

Also, you can type your messages rather than fumble with your thumbs on a phone keypad.

So sending free sms online has several advantages and all you have to do is find out how to send free sms online. (Ahem.) I'm sure that's why you visited TextMeFree.com in the first place, isn't it!

Example free sms sites include sms.ac, cbfsms.com, fonetastic and you can now find free sms on myspace.com too.

But not all of these sites work as well as each other. That's why TextMeFree.com actively encourages its visitors to rate and review the services so that the best sms sites become obvious to all, eventually. Here are the top rated sms sites as of today!

Is Free SMS Really Safe?

In my experience, yes - I have not been billed for any messages after using the many free sms sites.

However, I do know of people who have been charged and I have received complaints about several sites (including popular sites like sms.ac). So it is very important to be careful. And that is why I have included comments from Adrian Harris of Grumbletext below. I asked for his opinion on Free SMS...

Free SMS - Is it really free and safe?

You rarely get something for nothing, and free sms is no different. This is what Adrian Harris of Grumbletext says about free sms services:

"My opinion is that these services (in general, not specifically the ones you link to) do cause problems. What is certain is that since it costs them money to send these 'free' messages, they have to earn that cost back and make a profit to boot.

"Pop ups as you know come in all shapes and forms and these days most of them are loaded with ad- / spy- / mal- / hijack-ware. The other thing a lot of them do is harvest your mobile number (which is always used as part of the account verification process) and operate or cause to be operated quasi-legal/illegal premium rate 'services' on them, pushing reverse billed texts on people at £1.50 a go for, say, weekly ringtones which people weren't aware they subscribed for (sometimes its hidden in the small print, sometimes it isn't)."

I have never had a problem with any free sms service listed on my site.

So please do take care with the services listed on TextMeFree.com, and with SMS competitions etc. that you may enter offline. TextMeFree.com can accept no liability etc. but will try and help resolve any problem that you may encounter.(A great place to visit first would be Adrian's excellent Grumbletext!)

My advice is to look for free sms services where you don't need to register, or - if these are not available - look carefully at the terms and conditions of the service you are about to register with.

And I recommend that you visit Adrian's GrumbleText!

Generally speaking free SMS sites try to profit from the advertising on their websites or in the actual text messages being sent. That means they don't usually abuse their relationship with their registered users.

Again, TextMeFree.com lets you know if anyone is having a problem with a free sms site.

SMS Marketing

Why should my business use SMS Marketing?

This is simply a way of businesses getting in touch with customers using their cellphone. (It is not receiving unwanted text messages, sms spam, that cost people lots of money!)

From a customer's point of view, it can mean finding out information about your favourite band or football team before anyone else, and from a business perspective sms marketing is currently one of the most responsive marketing channels around.

Why not read this page on bulk sms marketing to learn more.

More SMS

Well, you can learn more about sms via these TextMeFree.com pages: sms abbreviations, sms books, sms poems and sms jokes.

And if you want to know if it's really possible to send text messages for free then I suggest you read this text messages page (but the answer is yes! ;-) )

And if you want to know what to say to your friends -- really!? -- why not pretend to be wise with the following quotation:

Thanks,

Steve M Nash
Site owner of TextMeFree.com