AT&T

If AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular) is your cellular service provider, here's the lowdown on how to use SMS with your phone.

• Maximum message length: 160 characters
• What happens to longer messages: They're broken into 160-character segments and delivered piece by piece.
• Cost per message: 20 cents each to send or receive (or less, if you sign up for a text messaging package); messages sent to international numbers cost 25 cents each
• More information: AT&T text messaging
• Sending email to an AT&T phone: Use the address format 10-digit-number@txt.att.net. Example: 4152221212@txt.att.nt

T-Mobile SMS

If you've got a T-Mobile cell phone, here's the lowdown on using SMS text messaging with your mobile.

• Maximum message length: 160 characters (including email address, subject line, and body of the message). The subject line is limited to 16 characters and the body of the message can be no longer than 140 characters.
• What happens to longer messages: Unknown
• Cost per message: 10 cents per message. Messages to non-U.S. recipients cost 15 cents to send; sending messages while you are outside the U.S. costs 35 cents. T-Mobile's "Messaging Value Bundles" are cheaper if you send hundreds of SMS messages per month; they start at $4.99 for 400 messages/month and go up to $14.99 for unlimited messages.
• For more information: T-Mobile Text Messaging FAQ
• Sending email to your phone: Use the address format [10-digit phone number]@tmomail.net
  Example: 4251234567@tmomail.net

Verizon SMS

Here's the lowdown on how to use SMS with a Verizon phone.

• Maximum message length: 160 characters, including the sender's email address, subject line, and callback number
• What happens to longer messages: Everything after the 160th character will be cut off and discarded
• Cost per message: 15 cents for each text message you send or receive, 25 cents for picture and video messages ("PIX and FLIX" messages) -- or less, if you sign up for an "IN Messaging" package, starting at $10/month for 500 messages.
• More information: Verizon TXT Messaging FAQ
• Sending email to a Verizon phone: Use the address format [10-digit-number or vtext nickname]@vtext.com. Example: 9495551212@vtext.com or Sam@vtext.com

Alltel SMS

If your cellular service provider is Alltel, here's what you need to know about using SMS text messaging with your cell phone. Alltel calls it "Axcess Text Messaging."

• Maximum message length: 200 characters [according to commenter Edward, below].
• What happens to longer messages: Split into a maximum of two 100-character messages.
• Cost per message: 15 cents per message sent or received; 25 cents per picture message. (Messaging packs reduce the cost if you send hundreds of SMS messages per month.)
• For more information: Axcess Text Messaging
• Sending email to your phone: Use the address format: [10-digit phone number]@message.alltel.com
  Example: 2125551212@message.alltel.com

Boost Mobile SMS

If you've got a cell phone from Boost Mobile, here's what you need to know about using SMS text messaging with your mobile.

• Maximum message length: 500 characters.
• What happens to longer messages: Unknown.
• Cost per message: For pay-as-you-go plans, it's 10 cents per message to send or receive. For unlimited plan users, it's 10 cents per message to send; free to receive. (Same pricing when you send messages to overseas recipients.) Multimedia messages (MMS) cost 25 cents each to send or receive.
• For more information: Boost Pay-as-You-Go FAQ, Boost Mobile Unlimited FAQ
• Sending email to your phone: Use the address format [10-digit phone number]@myboostmobile.com
  Example: 2125551212@myboostmobile.com

Nextel SMS

If your phone is from Nextel (the business side of Sprint Nextel), here's what you need to know about using SMS text messaging with your mobile.

• Maximum message length: 500 characters (including letters, punctuation and system-generated characters).
• What happens to longer messages: Unknown
• Cost per message: 10 cents per message; 25 cents per image/audio message (bulk plans available)
• For more information: Nextel Text Messaging FAQs
• Sending email to a Nextel phone: Use the address format [10-digit telephone number]@messaging.nextel.com
  Example: 7035551234@messaging.nextel.com

Sprint SMS

Got a Sprint PCS cell phone? Here's what you need to know about using SMS text messaging with your mobile.

• Maximum message length: 160 characters, including the sender's email address, subject line, and callback number
• What happens to longer messages: Everything after 160 characters will be cut off and discarded.
• Cost per message: $0.15 per message sent and received. Sprint also offers bulk text messaging plans: $5 monthly for 300 messages/month and $15 monthly for unlimited text messaging.
• For more information: Sprint PCS Text Messaging
• Sending email to a Sprint phone: Use the address format [10-digit phone number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com.
  Example: 2125551234@messaging.sprintpcs.com

Virgin Mobile SMS

If you've got a cell phone from Virgin Mobile, here's what you need to know about using SMS text messaging with your mobile.

• Maximum message length: 160 characters.
• What happens to longer messages: Anything beyond 160 characters will be cut off.
• Cost per message: 10 cents for each message you send or receive to U.S. numbers. For international recipients, you pay 20 cents/message to send and 10 cents to receive. Monthly Messaging Packs will lower your per-message cost if you use SMS a lot.
• For more information: Virgin Mobile Text Messaging
• Sending email to your phone: Use the address format [10-digit phone number]@vmobl.com
  Example: 5551234567@vmobl.com

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