The cost of one "standard rate text message" sent to a mobile shortcode.

Ian011

Mobile shortcodes typically have five to seven digits and usually start with a 5, 6, 7 or 8. They are used for a variety of purposes including responding to advertising, accessing automated systems including paying for goods and services or entering competitions, and starting and ending subscriptions for premium services. When you send a text message to one of these numbers the cost will vary depending on the exact number.

The cost of sending a text message to a mobile shortcode may be
- "free-to-sender" (with the sender's mobile provider compensated by the message recipient)
- "one standard rate message" (with the cost set by the sender's mobile provider)
- "one standard rate message" plus a premium charge to the benefit of the message recipient (e.g. when donating a sum of money to a charity).

The detail of how much "one standard rate message" costs when sent to a mobile shortcode is missing from the price lists of every mobile provider. These messages typically do not count towards inclusive allowances and are charged at a different rate to that charged for a non-inclusive text message (i.e. when the monthly allowance has been exceeded) sent to a mobile number starting 071-075 or 077-079.

At the end of May 2016, TPS launched a new 'register by text' service. The Communications Act requires any such service to be without additional charge. TPS uses an 0345 number for voice registration. Calls to 03 numbers are inclusive from landlines and mobiles. Where no inclusive allowance is in force these calls cost the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers.

It was soon discovered that messages sent to the TPS 78070 text number were not free, nor were they inclusive. A bit of digging around finds various people reporting what they have been charged for sending a message to 78070. These include:
Vodafone - 12p
O2 - 8p
EE - 8p
Three - 10p
Virgin Media - ??p
Tesco - 10p
giffgaff - 10p
This appears to be the cost of sending 'one standard rate message' to a mobile shortcode, but this detail appears nowhere in any of the price lists published by those mobile providers.

Soon after it was discovered that the original number wasn't actually free or inclusive, the number was changed to 85095. The new number is supposedly 'free-to-sender' on all mobile providers.

This incident has highlighted the lack of clarity in the cost of these messages and it appears that Ofcom are now getting involved in the bigger picture.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/11/millions-of-mobile-phone-users-misled-over-rip-off-text-message/


Receiving a text message from a mobile shortcode may be free or may have a premium charge per message. These costs are generally clear, albeit there are a few rogue operations that trick people into subscribing, or subscribe them without their permission. PhonepayPlus deals with these issues as and when they arise.