SAN FRANCISCO, CA — (Marketwired) — 09/18/14 — Twilio, the software and cloud-based communications company, today launched Twilio MMS on standard U.S. phone numbers. Twilio MMS is now available on millions of Twilio–s U.S. phone numbers, opening up the MMS protocol to developers and businesses and enabling easy and inexpensive integration of images into applications and customer interactions. Previously adding MMS communications required a special “short code” which requires as long as 15 weeks to procure and cost a minimum of $10,000 annually. With today–s launch, Twilio becomes the only communications platform to make MMS available on standard U.S. phone numbers, thereby eliminating the wait time and reducing upfront cost to as little as $1.00. Now developers and businesses can get started using MMS in minutes, not months. To learn more, visit .
“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,” said Jeff Lawson, Twilio CEO. “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.”
Standard 10-digit phone numbers are the primary and the most ubiquitous option for mobile communications in the U.S. and Canada, costing only $1 and available instantly from the Twilio API in over 9,000 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Until now, standard phone numbers could only be used for plain-text SMS. If a developer or business wanted to send rich media, MMS for businesses in the U.S. was restricted to short codes — five-digit numbers — which are designed primarily for high-volume and marketing use-cases. The challenge with short codes is that they are not immediately accessible, taking weeks and months to deploy, and costing thousands of dollars per year to maintain. Now 10-digit phone numbers from Twilio can be instantly acquired and used for MMS messaging to all types of mobile phones, including feature phones that are not able to receive email or run mobile applications.
With Twilio MMS, businesses have a new way to communicate with their mobile customers. Pictures build trust, simplify processes, and motivate action. For example, MMS can be used to:
Improve offer conversion rates by sending a picture of the product to convey details that can–t be explained in 160 characters of a text message.
Give your customers peace of mind by providing pictures that identify the personnel who will complete deliveries or perform services.
Provide customers the convenience to upload pictures and receive receipts on their mobile phones via MMS.
“As customers– definition of service evolves and technology rapidly changes, we need to offer a great experience that works for customers on their terms. Many customers have told us they prefer to connect with their salesperson by text messaging,” said Scott Jones, vice president of personalization at Nordstrom. “Using the Nordstrom texting app NEXT, our salespeople are able to share recommendations, product images and timely reminders of upcoming events in a safe, secure and seamless manner with our customer in control of the experience at all times.”
Developers and businesses can incorporate Twilio MMS in their apps and workflows using a single API, which can be used with all major programming languages.
Twilio MMS is available on standard U.S. and Canada 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.
About Twilio
Twilio, the software and cloud-based communications platform, enables developers and businesses to rapidly build and deploy communication solutions that meet their specific needs. Whether integrating voice, messaging and/or VoIP capabilities into a web or mobile app or building a complete system like a call center, Twilio removes the traditional obstacles to creating effective communications experiences. Twilio gives businesses the ability to innovate, prototype, create, and connect with their customers at the right time and in the way. The company is privately held and based in San Francisco, California.
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