Thanks for asking Gonzo, Lee's got the bulk of it right, but maybe I can get the picture sharper...
It goes a little deeper than just reading the text message to ensure billing - we use a unique PIN architecture that the Customer must enter into a specific panel on our payment page that vaildates the entire transaction. Until he's verified, and we've received confirmation for the network that he's been billed, he ain't going nowhere! We've worked with people who just rely on customers reading the text, and they routinely lose up to $20,000 a month from fraud!
>> The main problem that faces SMS billing providers especially in the US is that for all intents and purposes, the US is still way behind the rest of the world with their cellphone technology.
With all due respect, this is a common myth. USA networks are now offering Premium SMS (anyone watch Pop/American Idol?). The technology is only very slightly leading in Europe (and again, a little further ahead in Asia), but the gap is narrowing on a monthly basis.
>> Right now IMHO for US surfers it really isnt a viable billing solution (and realistically wont be for another 5 years) however, if you have a lot of global traffic then that is where i would (and have) implement SMS / MMS / WAP billing solutions.
Again, with all due respect - this is a viable billing solution NOW (and will be early mainstream in more like 5 months than 5 years). Lee's right about offering it to all international traffic, which is why our payment system works like dialers - the Customer just pays from where he's located, we accrue all payments centrally and settle with you.
>>The only real downside to it is that a lot of cell phones are now 'pay as you go' and most of them have high SMS message charges to start off with so adding 'extra' fees to an SMS message may be counter productive in addition the fact that it is my understanding that the surfer actually has to read and/or reply to the SMS message.
The most explosive growth is among 'pay as you go' customer, who have regularly been identified as being the most consistent, and biggest buyers with SMS. We find Customers like the security and simplicity (and anonymity) of using their mobile. No big problems with the procedure of sending/receiving messages (after all, billions are sent every month, so it's not so much of a turn-off!)
>> But, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say
EXACTLY RIGHT!
We offer free setup, no monthly charges, and no chargebacks. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to add the system (all you do is add a payment link, and we'll integrate to your server).
As always, I'm on ICQ 256033740
Best wishes to all
Newdom
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