Expert: DebiN - 7/8/2010

Question
Hello DebiN

Hope you are well - My question is about the answer you gave "Allen"  - Your answer is below -
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Answer
Hi Allen -

The sender at the PC will not be charged, but the recipient of the text message will be charged based on their text messaging features. If their package includes free text messaging, then they won't be charged. It doesn't matter where the message comes from (local or international), it only matters where the recipient is located. If the person in Germany has a German wireless provider, then when you send them a text message, that message is considered local because they are reading it in their calling area. If their package has free incoming and outgoing text messages, then that message is free to them.

When you send the message from your PC, you are sending it to their wireless number's text message address, i.e., , so to you, it's just an email. If their cellphone is a US cellphone, then the text message would be an international text message because their home area is the US and they are roaming in Germany.

Please let me know if you would like any additional information or clarification and I would be happy to help. Thanks so much. DebiN
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Now, I want to do the same except the person I want to call is in Guatemala, Central America -  

You wrote:
    "When you send the message from your PC, you are sending it
     to their wireless number's text message address, i.e.,
     , so to you, it's just an
     email."

You are saying I would send an email to my Guatemalan friend's wirelessnumber@ ???? What does this represent??  - Now, what does txt.vodafone.com represent? I can assume that txt means text, but is the other, .vodafone.com, the name of his cell phone provider -or what? I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you

Answer
Most cell phone carriers have an email address associated with their text messages, i.e., txt (which as you guessed stands for "text") and then vodafone.com which is the cell phone provider. The domain of the cell phone provider is not always exactly their name, but all of these are available if you do a search on line. If you searched for Vodafone text messaging address, it would show you the address. So don't try to guess it, ask your friend his wireless carrier is and then look up the text messaging address for that carrier and then when you send him a text from your PC, it would be the country code first, entire cell phone number and then @ then the text address (not always txt first, it depends on the carrier). I hope this helps.