Reverse SMS billing or premium SMS service means that the user of the recipient
phone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...
rather than the message sender is charged for the cost of the
SMS message received. It is also called MT (Mobile Terminated) Billing. Reverse-billed SMS messages are only sent if specifically requested by the phone user; however, many unscrupulous operators will send reverse-charged messages without prior consent of the recipient, which often go un-noticed by users on Pay As You Go plans without itemised billing. The consent may also be hidden in the
fine print
Fine print, small print, or mouseprint is less noticeable print smaller than the more obvious larger print it accompanies that advertises or otherwise describes or partially describes a commercial product or service. The larger print that is us ...
of an advertisement.
[
] A daily weather alert is an example of a service where regular reverse-billed messages are received.
In some countries, providers are required by law or regulation to provide a means of opting out of a service once it has been commenced. Most typically, this is achieved by sending a stop message (most typically, simply ) to the same number as the service itself.
See also
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Collect call
A collect call in Canada and the United States, known as a reverse charge call in other parts of the English-speaking world, is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense. In the past, collec ...
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Premium-rated short messages
References
External links
US short code whois
Calling features
Mobile telecommunication services
Text messaging
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