Vodafone UK has signed an agreement with Twitter that will allow its customers to send updates to, and receive SMS notifications from, the messaging network of the moment.
As of today, Vodafone customers will be able to receive text messages from people they choose to follow via SMS on Twitter and send text messages to a dedicated Shortcode, 86444, for their ‘tweets, @replies, or to follow someone on the go. When receiving a text message from Twitter containing a URL, customers will be able to click on the link and access the webpage directly from their mobiles.

The SMS updates posted on Twitter will be free of charge for the first few weeks from launch; after that, they will be part of customers’ bundles. After the free period, regular charges will apply to customers without bundles, but all text message updates sent from Twitter will remain free of charge.

“We are delighted to be the only operator in the UK today to offer Twitter on SMS to our customers,” says Al Russell, Vodafone UK’s Head of Vodafone Internet services. “Since we made social networks on the move both simple to use and great value, customers have flocked to using these services, which have exploded in popularity.”
Twitter’s Director of Mobile Business Development, Kevin Thau, adds:
“Mobile texting extends the power of Twitter’s real-time network in a simple but significant way. Twitter is the messaging network you didn’t know you needed until you experience it over SMS.”
Vodafone says the new service is easy to use on any mobile device and offers fast mobile access to one of the most popular social networks in the world. Twitter joins a long list of social networks available through Vodafone live! since December 08.

Vodafone adds that since it began including mobile Internet access in its price plans, giving customers unlimited access to the mobile Internet, social networks have topped Vodafone’s popularity charts for the most visited sites on mobiles.