txtNation to Deliver Significant Enhancements to Enable Service Providers to Deliver Leading Services (Premium SMS USA).

txtNation, a leading provider of mobile messaging and billing solutions, today announced the first timescale for the likely rollout of Version 5.1 of it’s multi award winning Control Panel (CP 5.1). This new release of txtNation’s messaging and processing platform is designed to simplify transactions between mobile content providers and individual consumers. The platform delivers a highly scalable system architecture that enables significant improvement in the integrity of the financial data associated with mobile transactions.

txtNation’s innovative platform features new capabilities that will enable automated authorisation for digital content transactions, additional online resources for mobile commerce management, and expanded support for further countries / enhancements to the platform offer digital content providers an alternative to the traditional approach of legacy aggregators for processing inbound transactions. Unlike legacy systems, txtNation’s Control Panel Version 5.1 inbound and outbound requests and statistical break down section is now modelled after large-scale processing systems such as those used by credit card clearing houses and online retailers.

PSMS USA (Premium SMS USA).

Staying in touch with what the U.S. carriers want...

Alltel:

· The use of the word ‘free’ in SMS campaign advertising is not permitted at this time by Alltel.

· Alltel’s holiday provisioning freeze schedule is still pending release from the carrier. Stay tuned.

· Daily/Weekly Subscriptions will no longer be supported by Alltel. Any subscription based programs must be billed on a monthly basis. Programs that are currently running will be grandfathered in. With the exception that any additional programs submitted will follow the new guidelines.

· Going forward, Alltel’s monthly price point cap is $9.99 (For Premium SMS USA services).

at&t Mobility (formerly Cingular O/B):

· AT&T will have holiday provisioning freezes between 11/20/2007 – 11/25/2007 and 12/24/2007 – 01/03/2009

Cellular One:

· Cellular One will have holiday approval and provisioning freeze over the dates of 11/26/2007 – 11/30/2007 and 12/24/2007 – 01/02/2008.

Sprint/Nextel/Boost:

· Boost is not accepting weekly campaigns at this time, only daily or monthly.

· Chat is being regulated at a $0.99 per message rate, higher price points are not currently being approved by the carrier.

· Daily subscriptions will not be approved at a tariff higher than $0.99/day ($30/month) moving forward.

· Per Sprint, any campaign submissions which are controversial or political in nature should call this out in the program overview/description

· Video downloads are being reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis. The maximum size for Sprint approval consideration is 100kb

· All standard rate binary content is being reviewed for approval on a case-by-case basis. Please note, the likelihood of approval is slim.

· Holiday provisioning freezes will begin 11/21/2007 – 11/25/2007, other freezes will be 12/23/2007 – 01/02/2008 and 01/20/2008 – 01/21/2008.

T-Mobile:

· All promotional websites (whether staging or live) must have the look and feel of a website in production at the time of carrier review for approval.

· Reminder: T-Mobile does not support short codes longer than 5-6 digits at this time.

· T-Mobile holiday provisioning timelines may double during the holidays, however, there are no set freezes at this time.

US Cellular:

· No Updates at This Time

Verizon:

· Verizon will have holiday provisioning freezes on the following dates 11/21/2007 – 11/23/2007, 12/24/2007 – 12/26/2007, & 12/31/2007 – 01/02/2008.

Virgin:

· Virgin does not support short codes longer than 5-6 digits at this time

· Virgin will have holiday freezes for approval and provisioning on the following dates 11/28/2007 – 12/03/2007 and 12/24/2007 – 01/02/2008.

Highlights:

· Reminder: All promotional websites must for Premium SMS USA must be MMA compliant and meet carrier specific guidelines prior to submission for approval. We have seen an increase in the number of carrier rejections across the board for this reason.

mBILL's Direct Connections to Mobile Operators (Premium SMS USA)

From the largest consumer brands, to media companies, to the smallest enterprises seeking to launch programs in the mobile channel, txtNation delivers complete mobile messaging and financial capabilities that power mobile commerce business. txtNation provides the most reliable connections to mobile operators and delivers proven technology for managing Premium and Standard Rate programs that demand high performance server uptime, message delivery and high volume throughput, resulting in improved profitability and mobile commerce success.

mBILL Platform for Premium SMS in the USA

mBILL core Premium SMS USA features:

• Bill end-users for receiving SMS Text Messages
The mBILL Platform (IR-Web) is a sophisticated gateway platform with the ability to send automated Premium SMS messages. With direct connections to wireless carriers, we can deliver text messages to all top US carriers and many international destinations who support Premium SMS.

• Let us handle Subscriber Management
txtNation has built a sophisticated permission management system to meet the ever changing carrier requirements. The system allows customers to implement a per-carrier business logic to deal with opt-in, help, opt-out, capping of monthly charges, phone number changes, refunds, etc. The mBILL Permission Systems is integrated with the mBILL gateway platform and handles carrier requirements in a fully transparent way. Our customers need not worry about implementing carrier specific rules into their applications. txtNation will handle it for them.

• Generate immediate revenue with a variety of tariff rates
txtNation supports all tariff rates of all carriers, giving customers the flexibility to decide which tariff is best suited for their premium service. The charge to the end-user appears on their monthly mobile phone bill, or is deducted from their pre-paid credit.

• Select your own Common Short Code
Premium SMS requires the use of a 5 or 6 digit Common Short Code. These short codes are more easily memorable than premium rate numbers. txtNation's routing platform fully supports routing based on Common Short Codes.

• Dynamic reverse number look-up
Customers no longer need to ask their end-users which wireless carrier they are subscribed to. We can look up the carrier based on phone number and route the messages accordingly. txtNation also provides customers with a look-up interface that allows them to query the carrier information without sending a text message. The results are guaranteed correct, even when the end-user has ported his existing number to a different carrier. You will never lose your customer again!

• Integrated with most operating systems
The IR-We platform is accessible through the public Internet by either submitting requests or, for the advanced SMS application developers, SMPP requests. This allows your existing Unix, Linux, or Windows systems to integrate easily with the gateway platform.

• Multipart SMS messaging for long text messages
The IR-WEB platform fully supports message concatenation for sending text messages that are longer than the maximum text limit (typically 160 characters). These different message parts are automatically glued back together by the receiving phone.

• Support for SMS ringtones, operator logos, group graphics, picture messaging, and EMS
The mBILL platform is capable of sending any of the above content types to end-users’ phones. Some of the content types require specific handsets. The end-user is billed when they actually receive the content on their phone (note: subject to carrier approval.).

• Support for MMS
The QMP platform supports the sending and billing of MMS messages. Through the industry standard MM7 SOAP API, customers can submit their MMS content, or a link to the content to us, and we take care of the delivery and the billing. The billing is completed through a Premium SMS transaction following successful download of the MMS content. (note: subject to carrier approval.)

• Ability to bill for WAP content download
Customers can now bill end-users for WAP content (such as Java games, polyphonic ringtones, true tones, etc.). The transaction is initiated with a WAP Push message, which gets Premium charged to the end-user’s phone bill. (note: subject to carrier approval.)

• Integrated billing solution WEB content
Through txtNation's integrated mPUSH solution, web content providers can now bill end-users for premium content, accessible through their website.

• End-to-end solution for interactive television
Use Premium SMS to allow your viewers to participate in a live television event. Give them the possibility to vote, to chat, to voice their opinions, to play games, etc. The possibilities are endless. txtNation offers a full end-to-end solution for broadcasters and producers who want to embed text messaging into their programs and turn also-ran content into leading edge productions, driven by the audience.

• Full and detailed reporting
txtNation provides full and detailed reporting of all messages processed by the platform. Our CP, Control Panel access gives you the full transparency that you need to effectively manage your Premium SMS campaigns.

AT&T SMS Campaign Certification

AT&T has implemented a new campaign for Premium SMS USA for the certification process effective immediately:

Your applications must be LIVE when your short code is provisioned with AT&T. At a minimum, the short code must respond to messages and have an informational website available.

Campaign short codes that fail certification testing will be re-tested in 5 business days. We will notify you if your campaign fails certification testing by AT&T so you can make the appropriate corrections within the allotted time period.

If the short code fails re-test, AT&T will reject the campaign and de-provision the short code on the 6^th day.

To re-submit a de-provisioned campaign, you must re-submit your campaign application again.

Certification testing is expected to begin within 10 days of campaign approval by AT&T. Essentially, campaigns will now be provisioned and certified in a single step by AT&T, instead of in two steps as before. Therefore it is essential that campaigns be ready for certification testing when submitted.

If you have any questions, please contact your account representative.

Find out more at mBILL: www.m-bill.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

Best Premium SMS USA Shortcode Practices

BEST PRACTICES: Operating a Successful Campaign

Common Short Codes (CSC) showcase the power of mobile communications by highlighting the versatility of wireless as more than a voice portal. CSCs present an unlimited array of contact possibilities all focused on increasing interaction with mobile consumers. CSCs help establish a two-way conversation with the people that matter most. your customers.

There are some critical points to keep in mind when creating and implementing an effective CSC program. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but each of these recommendations is important to the overall success of your campaign.

Get Subscribers/Promotion

*	Mobile interaction does not stand alone; rather it leverages other forms of communication including print, radio, television, online, and out of home advertising.
*	All advertising and promotional material must clearly indicate if the service is a subscription.
*	Subscription terms and billing intervals must be specified/disclosed to customer.
*	Clearly communicate all material terms and conditions of the program.
*	Service Pricing information is clearly and conspicuously indicated.
*	All advertising, promotional material, and service Help message clearly display the opt-out information.
*	The service is not promoted as "free" when premium fees are associated with the service that the subscriber will pay with a reasonable level of participation in the program.

Get Permission

*	It is vital to respect a wireless subscriber's right to privacy. ALWAYS gain permission from the people you plan to engage by employing an opt-in procedure.
*	Gaining permission saves money. Each message sent costs money. Ensuring the customer wants to receive messages avoids any waste of your marketing budget.
*	Sending unsolicited messages creates a negative impression and erodes brand recognition; prompting subscribers to avoid the service and file complaints.
*	Avoid purchasing lists of numbers; always have customers opt-in and subscribe to receive content. For applications that require payment, create double opt-in process for subscribers that ensure willing participation.

Get Creative

*	CSCs enable a host of possible applications, limited only by the ability to design and build the mechanisms to support the programs. There are however, three broad categories of campaigns: 1) Promotional, 2) Informational, and 3) Marketing.
*	Review business goals and objectives. It is likely that more than one type of campaign will be applicable. Examples of each of these campaigns are contained in the "Case Study section of the website.

Find out more at mBILL: www.m-bill.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

Premium SMS USA . How to Start?

USA Premium SMS Service & Cross Network Short Codes.

All Carriers:

MT-billing. End-users pay standard rate charge to send a text message to the short code. No revenue share on the MO message. Adult services are not permitted. Please contact your Connection Software sales representative for further information regarding service limitations. Short code charges are for 5 digit codes obtained from Premium SMS USA short code registry. Costs for unique network specific codes are additional. Please contact your Connection Software Sales representative.

No commercial decision has been made by Sprint whether binaries (specifically ringtones and wallpapers) will be supported on premium SMS and associated payouts.

Find out more at mBILL: www.m-bill.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.

The leading Premium SMS USA platform.

mBILL, txtNation's provides gateway connectivity services for you to reach every major North American wireless carrier and hundreds of millions of mobile consumers worldwide for both Premium SMS USA (PSMS USA) and Non-Premium SMS USA services.

Our mature carrier relationships and reputation for reliability, performance and service allow you to get to market as efficiently and competitively as possible. We take care of the technical and commercial complexities of message delivery and billing so you don't have to. The world of mobile content moves quickly - with txtNation and their leading mBILL platform you won't be left behind.

Find out more at mBILL: www.m-bill.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.