T-Mobile Messaging
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Text Messaging
Otherwise known as SMS.
T-Mobile's SMSC is +12063130004.
Post Paid
T-Mobile currently offers 5 options for contract (Post-Paid) customers.
- A La Carte - Messages are charged $0.15 per message inbound or outbound. As of August 29, 2008 the rate will change to $0.20 per message inbound or outbound.
- Any 400 Messages - $4.99/month - up to 400 messages in or out. Additional SMS billed at $0.15 each.
- Any 1000 Messages - $9.99/month - up to 1000 messages in or out. Additional messages billed at $0.15 each.
- Unlimited Messages - $14.99/month - Unlimited messages in or out for a single line.
- Unlimited Messages for Families - $19.95/month - Unlimited messages in or out for all lines of a family plan.
Prepaid
SMS rates (except Sidekick plan)
- to send:
- U.S. & Canada $0.10/msg
- everywhere else $0.35/msg
- to receive: $0.05/msg
Neither T-Mobile Prepaid nor FlexPay provide for texting with common (inter-operator) short codes.
Grandfathered SMS Plans
- Unlimited Messages for Families - $9.99 - Unlimited messages in or out for $9.99 for all lines of a family plan. This promotional option was offered from March-May 2006 as an introduction to the Unlimited Messages for Families $19.99 per month.
- Unlimited SMS - $9.99 - Unlimited SMS to any number replaced with Unlimited Any Message $14.99 which included unlimited MMS in late 2005.
- BuddyTime - $9.99 - Probably one of the most popular add-ons of all time. This add-on allow for unlimited SMS and Mobile-to-Mobile calling. Officially discontinued in late 2003/early 2004.
Instant Messaging
Instant messages are billed at the same rate as SMS. This includes using AIM, YIM, MSN Messanger and ICQ.
One method to save on SMS while still making use of AIM and YIM is to use either via WAP (will not work on pre-paid).
AIM can be accessed at http://wimd.aol.com/?service=tmobile
YIM can be accessed at https://mm.yahoo.com/
If you wish to use your phone's built-in IM client (and understand that each message will be billed as an SMS), the settings are as follows:
AIM:
GPRS Address: http://wirelessvillage.t-mobile.com
Text msg. number: 4670
ICQ:
GPRS Address: http://wirelessvillage.icq.t-mobile.com
Text msg. number: 4675
Yahoo:
GPRS Address: http://wirelessvillage.yahoo.t-mobile.com
Text msg. number: 4700
MSN:
GPRS Address: http://wirelessvillage.msn.t-mobile.com
Text msg. number: 4705
In the username and password fields, provide the phone with your actual username and password for each messaging service.
Picture Messaging
Otherwise known as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
Post Paid
T-Mobile currently offers 5 options for contract (Post-Paid) customers.
- A La Carte - Messages are charged $0.25 per message in or outbound.
- Any 400 Messages - $4.99 - upto 400 messages in or out. Additional MMS billed at $0.25 each.
- Any 1000 Messages - $9.99 - upto 1000 messages in or out. Additional messages billed at $0.25 each.
- Unlimited Any Messages - $14.99 - Unlimited messages in or out.
- Unlimited Any Messages for Families - $19.99 - Unlimited messages in or out for all lines of a family plan for one fee (not per line).
On June 1, 2007, messaging rates decreased to $0.15 each.
Pre-Paid
- Incoming MMS - $0.25 each.
- Outgoing MMS - $0.25 each.
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/addons/services/MessagingDisclaimer.aspx
Grandfathered MMS Plans
- Unlimited - $4.99 - Originally offered as a temporary/introductory to MMS advertised to end on 12/31/03 it was continued indefinitely.
- Family Plans with unlimited MMS - $69.99/$99.99 - Originally offered as a temporary/introductory to MMS advertised to switch to 50 MMS per month 12/31/03 which was ultimately extended as unlimited indefinitely.
Settings
MMS settings are the same as T-Mobile's WAP settings except for the Homepage.
Connection Name: PictureMessaging
Data bearer: Packet data
Access point name: wap.voicestream.com
User name: N/A
Password: N/A
Authentication: Normal
Homepage: http://216.155.174.84/servlets/mms
Advanced Settings (Handsets not equiped with WAP 2.0 may skip this section)
Proxy serv address: 216.155.165.050
Proxy port number: 8080
E-Mail with Client
This section is intended for users using a phone's built-in email client or a computer's email client, such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Outlook Express or any other such POP3/IMAP client.
In most cases you can use your ISPs servers for all your settings. T-Mobile may not provide email addresses as part of its service except when you subscribe to BlackBerry or SideKick service plan. However, try 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net and see if it sends an SMS to your phone. If it does, your phone has an email address (though be aware you may be charged for incoming SMS, depending on your rate plan). Many ISPs do however limit access to their SMTP server (aka Outgoing mail server). Access to SMTP is usually limited in one of three ways:
- Check first
- SMTP Auth
- Outright restriction
Check First
- If your ISP uses this method you will be able to send mail for several minutes after checking your account. After this windows closes you will need to check your email again to re-enable sending. This method is common among web hosts. Check with your provider for the exact time frame the send window is open.
SMTP Auth
- If your ISP uses this method then you can send only if you can enter authentication information for SMTP in your phone. Support for this method varies by phone manufacturer; check your handset's email client.
Outright Restriction
- If your ISP uses this method you will not be able to send mail using your ISPs SMTP server at all from outside of their network. This has become the most common method of SMTP security among ISPs in the USA, especially cable operators.
T-Mobile Servers
Regardless of the method of security your ISP may have implemented, T-Mobile has provided servers for your use whenever you are connected to their network.
SMTP: myemail.t-mobile.com
POP3/IMAP: myemail.t-mobile.com
T-MobileWeb ($5.99) subscribers can use these servers to access their own POP3 or IMAP email accounts from their phone. Each outside email account must first be configured in My T-Mobile. This creates a unique user ID for T-Mobile's email server, which passes on the email from the outside account.
See Also
SMS-to-Email
Regardless of your handset it is possible to send email from your handset utilizing SMS. To send an email from your handset via SMS simply create a new text message in the usual manner. To access the SMS-To-Email Gateway simply use 500 as the phone number. To begin the message start with either the full and complete email address or type your My T-Mobile assigned nickname. If you wish to add a subject add #subject# otherwise add a space and begin your email. The resulting email will then appear to come from your phone number@tmomail.net or your chosen alias@tmomail.net. For privacy concerns and most certainly for spam control concerns it is recommended that you assign yourself an alias. It is far easier to change your alias than to change your phone number.
Limitations:
- Entire message (including email address) is limited to 160 characters (See MMS-to-Email to get around this limitation.)
- Responses are also limited to 160 characters.
- There are sometimes delays with mail delivery.
- Can't use previously established email addresses.
SMS-to-Email with Subject
To:500 Body:w0298840214164540@wii.com#it's me#I just wanted to say hi.
Resulting email
From: 3475892438@tmomail.net ect: it's me Body:I just wanted to say hi.
SMS-to-Email without Subject
To:500 Body:someone@nowhere.com I just wanted to say hi.
Resulting email
From: 2065551212@tmomail.net or alias@tmomail.net Subject: [No Subject] (Some email clients actually add this exact text) Body:I just wanted to say hi.
When someone replies to your message you will see something like the following:
From:501 Body:someone@nowhere.com / Re:it's me / hey it's good to hear from you Someone
You will note that the message came from 501 not 500. When you receive emails sent to your handset T-Mobile's SMS-to-Email Gateway assigns number from 501-699. The reason for these assignments is actually for your benefit. You can now reply to and send future messages to someone@nowhere.com by simply sending all messages to 501. All messages from someone@nowhere.com will not continue to come from 501 interestingly enough howevers subsequent messages will in fact come from 502, 503, 504 and so on, for each additional message you receive, regardless of the sender, subject or content of the message. You can not assign or otherwise freeze these numbers. You should also note that eventually as you use the remaining numbers available the numbers will automatically cycle. Subsequently when 501 is reused it may no longer be assigned to someone@nowhere.com if the email you received when 501 was reused. For example when you used up the available numbers (501-699) and the system recycles and the next message you receive is from nobody@somewhere.com using the number 501. 501 then becomes assigned to nobody@somewhere.com. The exception to this rule is if you make heavy use of SMS-to-Email gateway and at some point you compose a message and send to 501. They system will send a response back to you stating: "Too many matches. Unable to send messages." At this point you would need to respond to either a newer message from the recipient (i.e. a more recently used number) or start fresh by including the email address at the begin of your message as originally detailed above.
MMS-to-Email
Unlike SMS-to-Email there are few restrictions that are quite beneficial and make email from your handset quite functional. While MMS does have size limitations it is many thousands of characters compared to 160 characters with SMS.
One loophole in T-Mobile USA's current MMS setup is that as long as the MMS does not contain any images, video or audio the messages while delivered via GPRS are not charged as such. In fact the messages are still billed as SMS. This can potentially be a huge cost savings not only in MMS but in SMS. Since SMS is limited to 160 characters it is an inefficient method to send email, as it could potentially take several messages to complete a few short sentences as concatenated SMS does not function via the SMS-to-Email gateway.
MMS can be sent to both mobile phones and any valid email address. Because of this MMS capable phones have room for one or more email addresses within the handset's phonebook. Rather then keying the address as with SMS simply add the email addresses to your contact's phonebook entry. This is even further simplified by the ability of many phones to be synchronized with Outlook and other PIMs.
The trouble with receiving text only MMS is that if the message is not long enough (at least 320 characters or approximately 2x the SMS limitation) the message will likely be delivered via SMS and thereby truncated to 160 characters without images, video or audio attached.
Limitations:
- Must first send MMS before enable receipt of MMS.
- Messages must be long enough to trigger system to treat as MMS.
- Requires data access, potentially expensive while roaming internationally.
