Airtel to Launch tweetSMS, 4 week exclusive deal with Twitter [Updated]
Airtel has signed an exclusive partnership deal with Twitter enabling Airtel users to get Twitter SMS updates on one’s mobile.
Airtel will launch tweetSMS, a third-party application (do you really need an app?) that will enable you to receive Twitter SMS updates (charged at Re 1/) directly to one’s phone (on 53000 short code).
An Airtel subscriber simply has to SMS Signup to short code 53000 at a cost of Re 1, follow the instructions to complete the registration process and start Tweeting. For the price of a single SMS charged at Re 1, the Tweet that you post goes out to the entire community of listed Tweeters on the Airtel network.-source
The italicized text throws an interesting question – will my twitter updates be broadcasted to only those followers who are on Airtel network? If that’s the case, Twitter must have committed a harakiri by allowing operator to filter out one’s social network.
Earlier, Twitter stopped SMS service in India (and few other countries) owing to outbound SMS cost (read Twitter blog entry) and this could be a foot-in-the-door strategy?
An exclusive deal can potentially harm Twitter in the long run (though the term of this exclusive deal is not revealed in the news), though it will benefit Airtel and help it connect to the youth.
Update: Thanks to Kgenextreme, here is the related link on Airtel:Twitter partnership : http://airtel.in/twitter
From their FAQ:
What is that any consumer needs to be able to use Twitter @ Airtel?
There are 3 types of consumers on Twitter –
- New User – SMS Signup to 53000
- Existing User with only a Twitter id but hasn’t yet linked the mobile phone to the Twitter account – SMS Signup to 53000
- Existing User with a Twitter id and having linked the Mobile number to the id – The consumer will be directly active on the service. There will be nothing that the consumer will have to do.
What’s your opinion on this deal?
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About the author - Ashish Sinha is a Startup Mentor/Product Strategy Coach, and the founder/chief editor of pluGGd.in.
He has launched/managed couple of products (consumer as well as enterprise) in US and India, and now consults with startups/small businesses on their product/media strategy. He can be reached at: ashish (at) pluGGd.in [+91 98452 06443]
My sources suggest that the twitter deal is exclusive with Airtel.
more info: http://airtel.in/twitter
It says on that page (linked by kgenextreme):
“Twitter will be available in India on SMS only on the Airtel network. There is exclusivity for the same for 4 weeks, in which only Airtel consumers will be able to use the service on SMS across the nation. This period of exclusivity is something that we want to take advantage of and make sure that Brand Airtel can own the property Twitter in consumer mind space.”
So it is exclusive only for a month?
yep!its a 4-week exclusive deal
Seems like this deal may not go big…to add to that “..of listed Tweeters on the Airtel network..” makes it even tough for users to get used to this services…
I don’t see how they can just restrict tweets to users on the airtel network.Any tweet that is posted will be relayed to all friends who have subscribed to a user’s tweets on the twitter network.. Unless twitter is working with airtel to create a mini-twitter network exclusively for them.. which.. well does not make any sense!
Point 2 under your ‘3 types…’ list should say:
Existing User with only a Twitter id but NOT having linked the mobile phone to the Twitter account – SMS Signup to 53000
I have a verified airtel phone number but the twitter site still says “We don’t support sending SMS to this number”. Anyways.
Will bulk SMSing my friends be cheap? At the cost of 1 SMS, I tweet and they reach all my friends?
Even if you consider expensive Airtel Live GPRS (20p/30kB), you can send multiple tweets at 20p, if those tweets reach your friends as SMS, that’d be a cheap way to communicate!
I tried registering at their number, but so far no response. I don’t think this feature is active right now. Maybe it will start with a full page advertisement in tomorrow’s paper.
http://blog.twitter.com/2009/10/hello-bharti-airtel.html
In twitter blog abt Bharti Deal….
Pluggd.in …You broke the news first i guess..Congrats
[...] Airtel to Launch tweetSMS – another blog that shows the confusion. What is Airtel really going… (tags: twitter airtel) [...]
I have created a service using which any mobile phone user in India (any carrier) can sms their tweets for 1 rupee. More information on my blog http://bit.ly/smstweet . I am planning to add twitter’s oauth authentication so users need not feel insecured sms’ing their password.