Information about sending text messages.

Do you have further questions? Please contact us by phone +41 (0)44 787 30 70 or by e-mail info@ecall.ch.

How do I send an SMS

How much does a text message cost?

In most cases it costs one credit. Depending on the provider there can be an additional roaming fee. Please check the roaming list for country and provider specific charges.

Text message to a fixnet phone (CH)

Swisscom discontinues the fixed network SMS service Per 01.07.2018.

How long can a message be?

The maximum length of a text message depends on the message service and on the receiving device. If you use a mobile phone 160 characters are available and with an alphanumeric pager 80 characters are available. In addition eCall is able to split long text messages into multiple short pages. In this way a message can contain up to 1600 characters depending on the type of account.

Note: Regarding the points on your account each transmitted page is treated as a single text message!

In addition please note that free messages cannot be sent to numeric pagers!

Long text messages

Information about "long text messages":

Long text messages will be sent and accounted as multiple text messages.

Newer mobile phones are able to put this text messages together as one again and to show it in the correct order.
If a text message happens to be longer than 160 characters then one part of the message contains 153 characters, which means that 153 characters require points for one text message.
In the log book the multiple text messages appear as one. Compared to the messages parted by eCall the consumption of points will be spent for the entire message.
Older mobile phones show these long text messages as many messages. With very old mobile phones it is possible that the first seven characters won't be visible. However, the rest of the message will be correctly shown.
If a message doesn't get completely shown on a mobile phone's display the problem can also be the phone itself. Some phones set limits to about 740 characters per message. Others can show "unlimited" long messages. You can find out about your phone's limits by reading its manual.
If a long text message reply goes to eCall there's no guarantee that this process may work completely well.
The settings in the eCall sending options apply to the maximum of length/number of a text message. The maximal possible length then is not x times 160 but x times 153.

Flash SMS

You can send a Flash SMS, too. This function directly shows the text message on the mobile phone's display.

Please note: The text message will not be stored in the mobile! The text message will be deleted as soon as a new one comes in. We recommend to use PrioSMS+ if the information is very important.

How can I know whether eCall has sent the message or not (confirmation of transmission)?

By checking the logbook you can easily find out about the status of your transmission orders (Transmission OK/ERROR). The status tells you if eCall has been able to transmit the message to the message service or if there has been a problem. For example: A message may not be accepted by a message service if the recipient's number isn't valid.

How can I know whether the message has reached the recipient (confirmation of receipt)?

Whenever you send an SMS message the status indication shows you "Not yet confirmed" or "Confirmed on ..." in the logbook to indicate whether the mobile phone has received the message or not (supported only for private and business accounts).

While giving the transmission order you can also request a confirmation of receipt from eCall to a pager, mobile phone, or e-mail address.

Important: With most paging services it is impossible to confirm whether the message has arrived at its destination or not, because pagers cannot send back a confirmation of receipt.

Do the transmitted messages get protocolled?

All the messages you send get protocolled in the log book by eCall. You can check the log book at any time via internet.

How can I send a transmission order at regular intervals (standing order)?

Select 'Transmission' -> 'for standing order'. There you can select at what intervals a SMS transmission order is supposed to be sent and which person or group from your address book is supposed to receive the message. You can have a message sent daily, weekly or yearly (for example as a birthday reminder).

Updated on: 03/04/2020