Twitter, Bell work out deal on costs
Last Updated: Thursday, February 26, 2009 | 7:20 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
Bell Canada and online social messaging service Twitter have reached an agreement to let customers with text-messaging bundles use the service without additional costs.
The announcement comes two days after Bell Canada said it had an exclusive deal to offer the service to mobile customers in Canada but would be charging users 15 cents for each message sent using its the social messaging application.
Bell's announcement drew the ire of Twitter users in Canada, who expressed frustration that the charges applied even if customers had an unlimited text-messaging plan. Twitter users may receive dozens of tweets a day from other Twitter users that they have signed up to "follow."
On Tuesday, Bell spokeswoman Julie Smithers said the reason for the additional charge was that Twitter was considered a "premium" service and was not covered by the company's plans.
On Thursday, however, Twitter said on its blog a deal had been worked out.
"Twitter and Bell have agreed that Bell customers on the company's text messaging bundles will be able to receive unlimited incoming Twitter SMS messages at no extra charge," the company said in a statement.
Smithers told the Vancouver Sun Thursday that Bell is backing down on the additional charge for Twitter texts.
“Bell and Twitter have agreed that all Twitter SMS (short messaging service) messages will be included in Bell text bundles at no charge,” Smithers told the Vancouver Sun.
As of February, Twitter was the third-most-popular social networking site on the web after Facebook and MySpace, but its use in Canada has been limited in the last three months.
Before Tuesday's announcement, Canadian users could send Twitter updates or "tweets" via SMS, or short message service. However, Twitter stopped allowing them to receive updates from other users via SMS in November, citing the cost. For the past three months, only Twitter users in the U.S. could receive the updates via SMS.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Adele capped off a "life-changing" year by winning six Grammys Sunday night, including record of the year and album of the year for 21 more »
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- The family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged that the case against the alleged driver is among thousands in B.C. at risk of being thrown out because of a huge court backlog. more »
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Is it time to start investing in world markets yet?
- Investors have always been told that diversification is one of the best ways to reduce the risk associated with a portfolio, but they often aren't told the whole story. more »
Latest Technology & Science News Headlines
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Video game's 50th anniversary marked by MIT
- Students at MIT celebrated the 50th anniversary of Spacewar!, the first videogame in history, by re-creating it on a computer the size of a business card. more »
- NASA to scale back Mars exploration
- Scientists say NASA is about to propose major cuts in its exploration of other planets, especially Mars, with the space agency's former science chief calling the plan irrational. more »
- Create-your-own-app product to launch in Moncton
- A Moncton entrepreneur is hoping to revolutionize the way mobile applications are created by launching a new product that allows people to develop their own app within minutes. more »
Bob McDonald's Blog
Glacier Discovery Walk: Will the visitor centre enhance the view? Feb. 10, 2012 3:17 PM Environment minister Peter Kent has announced the construction of a new Glacier Discovery Walk and visitor centre on the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. It raises the issue of how to balance commercial development in our National Parks against the preservation of the last refuges of wilderness.
Quirks & Quarks
- February 11: Inside the Mind of a Neandertal Feb. 10, 2012 4:01 PM Can we get inside the mind of a species that's been dead for 30,000 years? A new book, How to Think Like a Neanderthal, suggests we can. The authors reconstruct a creature like us in many ways, but with important differences.
Latest Features
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Whitney Houston autopsy results withheld
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- 2 vehicles sink on river highway
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting

