The digital age has ushered in new living and working standards and for many people, this means that they spend a lot of time on their computer. Many businesses have already started using web-based call services (such as Rebtel and Skype) to drastically reduce their phone bills, but it is SMS/texting services that remain the most popular ways of communicating.

The telecommunications market has indeed embraced this continued trend and a variety of great apps now enable free messaging services regardless of the location of the sender and receiver.  However, there is a drawback… in order to enjoy the services of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype chat and the like, both users need:

-       The same app installed (i.e both have WhatsApp)

-       An internet connection

This means that there remains a gap in the market, namely of sending traditional or ‘old school’ style SMS/text messages, straight to the cell/mobile number of the recipient. This is especially so when we consider that large parts of the world remain ‘offline’. 

Online services are therefore revolutionising the way we communicate to ‘offline’ phone numbers by helping people drastically reduce the cost of sending text messages, especially across international borders. There are countless companies providing this service, with three of the most trusted outlined below.

1. Skype

Skype may be famous for their online phone call/video conferencing platform, but they also offer an extensive online SMS service to its customers. Rates for SMS messaging online start from around 4 cents per message and can cost up to around 18 cents, depending on the location. New users must open a Skype account and deposit some cash before they can send SMS online. One of the advantages is the sheer number of Skype users, indeed they are the largest internet based communications platform, but prices are not as cheap as competitors.

2. SMSglobal

A company solely focused on online SMS, SMSglobal offer a range of services, including Web to SMS, Email to SMS, bulk MMS for picture files and video, integration with MS Outlook and more. The company also offers applications to send bulk SMS as well as help for those seeking to send online SMS for marketing or advertising purposes so it’s a great service for those running small to medium sized businesses.

The bottom line here is that there are decent options out there. Accepting the extortionate rates of traditional telephone operators should therefore be considered a thing of the past. By using one of the options highlighted here, keeping in touch via text/SMS with your international contacts is no longer a massive strain on your cash-flow!