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September 22, 2014

Twilio Makes MMS Available on Standard US Phone Numbers

Today’s available technologies allow businesses to engage with their customers using different platforms and devices. However, customers have more control than ever as to who they let in on their smartphone and tablets as well as many of their social media accounts. If properly implemented, these technologies can be used to build a long-term relationship with consumers that can be converted to sales or increase brand awareness. Twillio, a software and cloud-based communications company, has announced the launch of its Twilio MMS on standard U.S. phone numbers.

The availability of Twillio MMS on U.S. phone numbers is going to allow developers and organizations the ability to easily and inexpensively integrate images into applications and customer interactions.

According to the company, prior to this introduction adding MMS communications cost a minimum of $10,000 annually and it required a special "short code" which took as long as 15 weeks to procure. The Twilio platform on the other hand eliminates the wait time and lowers the upfront costs to as little as one dollar and minutes instead of months.

The Twilio MMS can be used to improve conversion rates by sending pictures of a particular product which can’t be explained as effectively in 160 characters of a text message. Companies that deliver products and services can send pictures of the delivery person in order to ensure the right individual is coming into your home. Customers can use this platform to upload pictures and receive receipts on their mobile phone through MMS.

Until the company introduced this platform, standard phone numbers could only be used for plain-text SMS. Sending rich media was restricted to short code, or five digit numbers, which were designed for high-volume and marketing use cases. With the availability of 10 digit phone numbers from Twilio, MMS can be delivered to all types of phones including standard mobile phones that are not able to receive email or run mobile applications.

Businesses and developers can incorporate Twilio MMS in their apps and workflows using a single API that can be used with all major programming languages.

“Twilio's goal is to make communications more accessible to developers and the companies they work for. In 2010, we introduced SMS text capabilities to the market and equipped organizations to disrupt whole markets with powerful and innovative customer experiences. Now, by enabling the immediate, low-cost ability to send and receive pictures, videos and more via Twilio's APIs, we're excited to enable a new generation of rich media applications. We can't wait to see what customers build,” said Jeff Lawson, Twilio CEO.

Twilio MMS is available on standard U.S. and Canadian phone numbers as well as U.S. short codes. Pricing starts at $0.01 to receive and $0.02 to send with volume discount options.




Edited by Maurice Nagle


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