First SMS-based twitter service launched

New Mobilink service brings first SMS-based service for Twitter.

KARACHI: Avid micro-bloggers in Pakistan can now tweet through their SMS services without having access to mobile phone internet services.

The service is the first of its kind in the country and it seems that Mobilink is trying to vie for the attention of more technology-savvy customers, say independent technology analysts.

A particular analyst mentioned that it could not be predicted how this will affect the market, but grinned and said that he would definitely consider buying a Mobilink SIM for his extra phone.

Sources at the company explained that this will be cheaper than mobile internet (GPRS) because subscribers will get free updates and tweets from everyone, regardless of the number of people being followed by the user’s twitter account.

Customers will only have to pay for the service if they update their twitter status. This has allayed analysts’ fears that the service would cost too much and that mobile internet would be a more economical option for tweeting.

It is also interesting to note that some cellular companies are finally doing something more than offering cheaper SMS and call rates, which do not really add diversity, according to an industry observer.

Mobilink has said that Twitter had been recently gaining popularity within the Pakistani youth and that the company was aware that the role of social networking has become more and more entrenched in daily lives. The service has been introduced to try and address customers’ evolving needs, said the company.

Twitter seems to be mainly a youth-oriented trend in Pakistan, said an analyst. However, it may attract other people as well, regardless of Mobilink’s intended audience, he added.

Through the service, users can link their Twitter accounts to their handset, sign up for Twitter and access Twitter via SMS, bypassing the need for internet or GPRS. It allows users to simultaneously send and receive Twitter messages via SMS.

The value added services (VAS) department in Mobilink, Orascom’s Pakistani subsidiary, has been trying to target a more diverse customer base by bringing new technologies to Pakistan. Previously, they introduced the Android and Windows Mobile 7 in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2010.