Options for Sending 2 way SMS in Singapore

sqamsqam

Hi guys,

Iv'e been tasked with evaluating options for sending 2 way SMS in Singapore by my employer.

The SMS we send is a mix of Notifications, Appointment Confirmations, Reminders and Marketing SMS

We estimate that our volume of SMS for Singapore will be around 4k - 5k messages a month based on our current usage in other regions

The requirements we have are:

• High deliverability
• 2 way SMS (send and receive)
• Decent reporting

Iv'e had a look at a few of the big providers in the industry for other regions but Singapore seams to be a bit of a problem child in terms of costs involved.

Twilio is not an option as they do not support 2 way in Singapore
Nexmo has a $230 fee per month for virtual numbers so is not very cost effective
Plivo does not support 2 way based on their pricing page on their website

Has anyone had experiencing in sending SMS in Singapore with any of the providers above or other providers they could recommend?

ExpertVM

Old school ways.
GSM modem and post-paid SIM for inbound and outbound.

GSM gateway for outbound backup and senderId override.

sqamsqam

We would prefer a service provider then doing it our-self. Our CEO would probably laugh at me if i suggested that option.

Pwner

@sqamsqam said:
We would prefer a service provider then doing it our-self. Our CEO would probably laugh at me if i suggested that option.

Then you should probably consider paying that $230/month if you're expecting managed services. When it comes to the LowEnd community, management/additional support comes at a premium.

rumi4

You can try with infobip. They can offer you 2way smsing.

@sqamsqam said:
Hi guys,

Iv'e been tasked with evaluating options for sending 2 way SMS in Singapore by my employer.

The SMS we send is a mix of Notifications, Appointment Confirmations, Reminders and Marketing SMS

We estimate that our volume of SMS for Singapore will be around 4k - 5k messages a month based on our current usage in other regions

The requirements we have are:

• High deliverability
• 2 way SMS (send and receive)
• Decent reporting

Iv'e had a look at a few of the big providers in the industry for other regions but Singapore seams to be a bit of a problem child in terms of costs involved.

Twilio is not an option as they do not support 2 way in Singapore
Nexmo has a $230 fee per month for virtual numbers so is not very cost effective
Plivo does not support 2 way based on their pricing page on their website

Has anyone had experiencing in sending SMS in Singapore with any of the providers above or other providers they could recommend?

rumi4

Can you provide more details about this way. You need gsm modem, which one? You need good internet connection, and software, right?

@ExpertVM said:
Old school ways.
GSM modem and post-paid SIM for inbound and outbound.

GSM gateway for outbound backup and senderId override.

sqamsqam

Thanks for the suggestion. I had a look at their website and it looks like 2 way is not yet available for Singapore.

@rumi4 said:
You can try with infobip. They can offer you 2way smsing.

sqamsqam

My CEO is a cheapskate but doesn't commit to anything unless we have someone to wake up at 2 in the morning that can fix any issues in a reasonable amount of time or someone to offload the blame to.

Also our entire infrastructure runs on aws with the exception of services that are cheaper elsewhere that do not need to be maintained in house.

@Pwner said:
Then you should probably consider paying that $230/month if you're expecting managed services. When it comes to the LowEnd community, management/additional support comes at a premium.

hardgamers

maybe you can try to contact :

http://www.commzgate.com

or

http://www.datacatcha.com

ExpertVM

@sqamsqam said:
My CEO is a cheapskate but doesn't commit to anything unless we have someone to wake up at 2 in the morning that can fix any issues in a reasonable amount of time or someone to offload the blame to.

Also our entire infrastructure runs on aws with the exception of services that are cheaper elsewhere that do not need to be maintained in house.

@Pwner said:
Then you should probably consider paying that $230/month if you're expecting managed services. When it comes to the LowEnd community, management/additional support comes at a premium.

if your CEO is cheapskate then good luck. Cheap and SLA dont mix well.

Otherwise approach Starhub or M1 asked for the SMS gateway services. Your CEO can offload the blame to the big company name.

eLohkCalb

M1 has this BizText thingy (https://www.m1.com.sg/business/mobile/solution/enterprise messaging#BizTextPlan), it's S$400 for 5K messages. I believe Singtel/Starhub and the others would have something similar as well.

And I agree with ExpertVM - cheap and SLA don't usually come together.