Costs of SMS systems

If you decide to implement an SMS system in your corporate IT system you need to calculate on some costs that occur during the setup. First you need a computer and a GSM modem to connect to the mobile network to be able to send SMS messages. If you connect directly to the SMS center of your mobile service provider over the Internet then you need a subscription with your service provider. In this case they will sell you SMS credits and will provide a per SMS tariff. If you sign up with your local mobile network operator, you will probably be charged a monthly fee and a small rate per SMS. This will be the only regular fee. Finally you need to purchase the license of the SMS gateway software. This article provides you more detailed information about these costs of implementation and maintenance.

Cost categories

If you wish to setup a corporate SMS system you need to calculate on three cost categories. The first one occur when you buy the license of the SMS gateway. The second category is the costs of the mobile service provider connection. Finally there is the cost of the computer on which the SMS gateway operates. The cost of the software license depends on the transfer capacity of the software. You also need to calculate on the cost of the connection to the mobile network. If you connect over GSM modem connection then you need to pay for the GSM modem and for the SIM card. If it is an IP SMS connection over the Internet then the mobile service provider can request connection fees.

Regular fee

After the initial investment there is only one regular fee. This needs to be payed for the mobile service provider. It includes the costs of the sent SMS messages. If you send SMS messages via GSM modem then the fee is determined by your tariff package. This tariff package needs to be chosen when you buy the the SIM card. In case of IP SMS connection over the Internet the fee is determined by the mobile service provider. It is not necessary to pay a regular fee to the supplier of the SMS gateway software. There can be an optional annual fee which is paid for the technical support service of the software.

Ad-hoc fee

After the setup of your corporate SMS system there can be certain ad-hoc fees. For example if the computer goes wrong on which the SMS service operates and the installation CD or license code has lost. In this case the supplier of the SMS gateway software can request fees for the supplement of the CD or the License code.

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