The services detailed below will require that you have access to a credit card. If an SMS hub is not feasible for your organisation (perhaps you haven't got a computer or mobile phone, or there is no mobile phone network coverage in your area), SMS aggregators provide a similar service through the internet. SMS aggregators are companies which sell text messages in bulk and deliver your text messages for you. After logging on to their websites you can type in your contact mobile numbers and the message/s you want to send. In addition to generally being cheaper than sending the messages individually or through your own SMS hub, SMS aggregators are able to send larger numbers of messages more quickly, which is useful for organisations with a large target group. We have included details of one of the leading services, BulkSMS, in the toolkit.
BulkSMS
is a commercial SMS service which allows you to send SMS messages via their web site or through desktop software. It offers SMS coverage to over 500 networks globally.
Clickatell
is a commercial SMS service which allows you to send SMS messages via their web site or through desktop software. It offers coverage for 712 networks in 212 countries for outbound messages and almost 100 countries for outbound and inbound messages (two-way SMS). If you are using FrontlineSMS and you have an Internet connection, you can use your Clickatell account to send and receive messages rather than using a GSM modem or a mobile phone
There are many other commercial SMS services, so shop around because lower prices might be available.