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Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

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Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#51

Post by nicpottier »

playhard wrote: post #50

I love this app! Textit should focus on small businesses/ people who cannot afford a developer to start a sms service rather than directly competing against Twilio for enterprise customers. Great job!

We definitely don't compete with Twilio, rather we are built on them wherever we can. We only really recommend using an Android phone as the SMS bridge if you are somewhere that has no good aggregator.

You totally nailed our target customer though, we want to enable small the medium sized businesses, not enterprise.

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#54

Post by jpollock »

That is very cool!

As a user, I'd be careful about throwing a lot of messages through a single phone though, you will likely trigger a carrier's anti-arbitrage systems. You might find your business cut off with no warning, complete with police raids.

Carriers are sensitive because they're seeing people throw 30-60 SIMs into a box and advertising cheap wholesale SMS and voice termination routes. (Google "SIM box fraud")

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#60

Post by yread »

nicpottier wrote: post #36
mrtimo wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

just curious, how much does it cost to send/receive SMS on a cell phone in Rwanda or other parts of Africa? I see there is a limit of 30 messages in 30 minutes, is this carrier induced?

The 30/30 limit is actually an Android limit, and one we get around if you install the 'message packs'. We've had handsets send around 1000 messages an hour without problem. SMS prices vary a lot by plan and country, but here in Rwanda it is 10 RWFs per SMS on carrier, which translates to about 1.5cs. There are various promotions you can get to lower that further, in Kenya you can buy a message pack that brings the p…

That's brilliant! I've worked in SMS business and dealing with the aggregators and their shitty connections was really annoying.

If you have such low prices for messages you can't be on roaming right? So you have to have a phone in each of the countries?

Also have you considered the legal side of the business - there is massive amount of regulation in a lot of countries (not only western, I remember we worked in SA and it was regulated too) - would you just disable accounts after abuse or are you monitoring it?

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