Twitter Back On Bell… For A Price

Some months ago, Twitter removed its SMS based service in Canada, citing high costs. Now the service is back on Bell, but will cost users 15 cents per message, sent or recieved, regardless of whether one has an unlimited SMS package with Bell.

A spokesperson for Bell Canada said Twitter is considered a “premium” third-party service, so it’s not covered under its plans.

Twitter is an online service that lets people communicate in 140-character status updates and subscribe to the “tweets” of other members. Many people subscribe to hundreds of other members, which can result in hefty text-message fees.[Ottawa Citizen]

Of course, there are a number of ways around this with the right application, without breaking the bank or any agreement with Bell. If you’re a Bell customer with a non-smart phone (also applicable to the HTC Touch and Samsung Instinct), you can get their cheapo $10/month ‘Mobile Internet’ package, which offers unlimited data to your phone, then hunt down a data-based Twitter app for your phone.

Personally, I’m using PockeTwit for Windows Mobile, and can vouch that it’s a great free app that doesn’t hook into the wallet violating Canadian SMS network.

You can find a comprehensive list of mobile Twitter apps here, although some may make use of SMS, so double check each before installing.

UPDATE: Ryan sent me a link to the official Twitter blog, which points out that customers with SMS bundles will be able to receive unlimited incoming messages… no word on outgoing.