When and why did short numbers for mobile operators appear?
The most laconic definition of the concept of “short number” is given by Wikipedia: “A short number is a telephone number that is shorter in length than standard telephone network numbers.”
Today, most people associate this concept with advertising campaigns and receiving ringtones or pictures on a mobile phone. However, in the literal sense, short numbers have been familiar to us since childhood: telephone numbers for emergency services (ambulance, police), telephone help desks and taxis have always had short numbers - this makes them easier to remember. However, in the landline era, short numbers have not become as widespread as in the mobile era. Landline operators have been reluctant to allocate such numbers because landline numbers are a prefix code, and if a 1234 number exists, then there should be no numbers starting with 1234. Unlike landline networks, any combination of numbers is allowed in mobile networks. Commercial companies and service providers quickly came to the realization that “nice” numbers are not enough for everyone, and even a “nice” phone number, especially if it has seven digits or must be dialed with network and country code prefixes, is quite difficult for the average consumer to remember. The solution was to allocate short numbers (in Russia, as a rule, four-digit numbers), which are easy for customers to remember. Today, all cellular operators provide the opportunity to use short numbers in their networks. With the widespread adoption of mobile communications among the population in the last few years, short numbers have become actively used by companies to sell products, services and self-promotion.
Cost of services
The first thing I would like to note is that in order to connect a Tele2 direct number, you need to pay 100 rubles. In this case, the service center consultant will provide several combinations of numbers to choose from, from which you can choose the most suitable ones. To purchase more beautiful ones, you will need to pay a little more.
How much does it cost to connect beautiful city numbers:
- “bronze” - can cost 300 rubles. In this case, the cellular user will have the opportunity to choose the numbers he likes;
- “silver” - will cost 700 rubles;
- “gold” - 2,000 rubles;
- “platinum” - 10,000 rubles.
Of course, not all residents of Russia have the opportunity to buy a Tele2 direct landline number, for example, for 2,000 or 10,000 rubles. However, for businessmen this is a great opportunity to acquire easy-to-remember combinations of numbers.
It is worth highlighting that the monthly subscription fee is 4 rubles, which is an insignificant amount.
How can you use short codes?
A short number is an integral part of any mobile marketing event, that is, conducting marketing campaigns using a mobile phone. Following Western marketers, their Russian colleagues are enthusiastically mastering such non-standard methods: traditional means of advertising have largely exhausted themselves, and mobile advertising provides a greater effect in comparison with them and the possibility of targeted impact on the audience. In addition, and importantly, mobile marketing is perceived by consumers as a progressive means of promotion and does not cause irritation.
Short numbers as an element of a mobile marketing campaign are used to conduct SMS voting, SMS quizzes and competitions. The purpose of such events is to stimulate sales. For example, when purchasing a product, a subscriber finds a special code on the packaging and, by sending it via SMS, becomes a participant in a competition or prize draw. Companies can also use short numbers to receive feedback from consumers, inform them about new services and products, and conduct surveys. Short numbers can also be used by marketers to organize customer loyalty programs related to the accumulation of points and discounts. For example, after each purchase, a subscriber can register a purchase via SMS, thereby accumulating prize bonuses. In addition to these proven methods, mobile marketing as a new medium also leaves many other, not yet explored, possibilities.
A separate topic is the sale of content for mobile phones through requests for short numbers: ringtones, pictures, java games, and so on. Short numbers can be used for SMS posting, that is, posting messages via SMS on websites, forums and blogs, as well as paying for access to wap sites. In addition, traditionally short numbers are used by various service services - dating, reference, information, and so on.
Using short numbers is beneficial for everyone. This is a new marketing channel for manufacturers of goods and services. Mobile operators increase ARPU (average revenue per subscriber) by implementing additional services on short numbers. Companies that have entered into agreements with operators (content providers) offer paid services to mobile phone owners, and to commercial companies – services for organizing various services on short numbers.
How to get reference data on Tele2
Tele2 short commands to obtain help information:
- if a provider subscriber has forgotten his mobile number, then dialing “*201#” will help him;
- to find out the tariff to which the subscriber is connected, dial “*107#”;
- the combination “*111#” will help you use the operator’s portal and service guide;
- “*202#” will provide settings through which the subscriber can install access to mobile data on the phone. That is, he will be able to use the Internet from a smartphone or tablet;
- “*153#” after sending this command you will receive an SMS with a list of paid services.
Attention! A Tele 2 user will be able to change the tariff plan, subscribe or disable unnecessary services also through USSD commands. Now you don’t need to go to the company office or log into your personal account.
Getting a short code: where to start?
You can get a short mobile number either directly from a mobile operator or from partner companies (content providers or mobile marketing agencies), and there are a number of nuances here.
The first path - direct contact with the mobile operator - seems to be the most thorny. Firstly, there are not many short numbers, and most of them have long been reserved for existing advertising campaigns, dating services, directory services, or are rented by partners of mobile operators “in reserve.” Additionally, if your goal is to run a large campaign or promotion in several regions across all major mobile operators, it will be a lot of work to get the same short code from all operators in all regions, since they allocate them independently of each other.
Secondly, as experience shows, an application for a short number can be considered by a cellular company for up to several weeks, while operators’ partners can provide a suitable number almost immediately from those available in stock or, in extreme cases, obtain the required number from the operator through an affiliate program much faster.
And finally, the third and most important thing: to use a short number you will need a special license (which the same content providers have, but with a low degree of probability - commercial companies planning an advertising campaign). Moreover, an important part of mobile marketing remains the technical side of the issue: requests and calls received to short numbers are processed by a specialized computer system - partners of cellular operators have such a platform at their disposal. Therefore, you should start by choosing a partner company.
Use Cases
It is impossible to list all the areas of successful use of short numbers, and they can be used by companies of various levels both to serve clients and to receive payments from clients, if a fixed payment rate is acceptable.
As we have already said, all numbers of this type are divided into two main ones - voice communication and SMS. However, each of them has subspecies. Thus, voice numbers can be used in the usual number format, consisting only of numbers. In this case, the user can choose a tariff at which the cost of a call to him will be determined for the client.
The second format is numbers with an asterisk. In this case, the “asterisk” symbol is typed in front of the numbers, and calls to such numbers are always free for your clients. If you connect such a short number, a subscriber of any operator (MTS, Beeline, Tele2, etc.) will be able to use the service for free.
But if you decide to get a short number for paid SMS, rather than calls, then you can also choose one of two options. The first is classic, and implies its use both when the client sends SMS of any content, and with text of a given format. For example, you can use renting such a short number to receive paid advertisements.
There are also numbers that can be used by several companies at the same time, but their cost is several times lower. These are short numbers with prefixes. Clients of different companies can send messages to such a number, and in order for it to reach the desired recipient, the required prefix must be specified in the text, which can consist of two characters.
It is enough to set an alphanumeric prefix from among those available for the selected number. For example, if you are conducting a survey, it could be Golos1 and Golos2, or conducting a prize draw with the prefix PRIZ.
Each number, which is divided even among several users, has its own tariff. This can be either free sending of messages, either according to the terms of the subscriber’s tariff, or “premium tariffing” with a set tariff. The last option is convenient if the number will be used for payment.
Short numbers for subscribers of cellular operators with free sending of messages to them are paid for by the customer. Here we can draw a complete analogy with multi-channel 8800 numbers, calls to which are free for callers, but paid for the owner of the number.
Who is your potential mobile contractor?
To obtain a short number, you can contact both mobile marketing agencies and content providers; it all depends on the tasks set within the framework of the campaign/project. Mobile marketing agencies, in addition to the technical stuffing, will help develop and implement a marketing project from start to finish: from identifying the target audience, working methods and the essence of the promotion to its immediate implementation. If you do not need such services and have a clear idea of how you will use the received short number, then you can contact the provider directly, who will take over the technical implementation of the project; fortunately, such services are now available in abundance on the market.
Mobile marketing agencies can help organize a large-scale campaign in several regions; the advantages of working with them are the presence of experience and successful cases. However, for local events, the services of content providers will cost much less. Today, most content providers have mobile marketing departments that can also advise you in your endeavor. When choosing a contractor, you should first of all pay attention to the reliability of the technology platform and the willingness of the provider/agency to customize it to your requirements.
The procedure for working with both a content provider and a mobile marketing agency is approximately the same: the customer provides a description of the project in free form, it is adjusted by the contractor in terms of technical capabilities, after approval of the description of the promotion and agreement on the cost of the work, invoicing and signing of the contract are carried out. Additionally, an agreement is concluded for technical support of the promotion for the duration of the promotion; it provides for the receipt of interim and final reports and a database of telephone numbers of subscribers who took part in the promotion.
legislation
Is there any basis for such claims, strictly speaking? After all, at some point the user voluntarily performed some action that ensured his place as a victim in the chain (relative to the short number 0867). This is precisely the position that telecom operators adhere to when a subscriber, outraged by the loss of money, begins to search for the truth.
The answer is yes, there is
And this is called the federal law of July 23, 2013 N 229-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Communications”.
In it, Article 2 of the Basic Law is supplemented with subclause 34.1, which defines what “content services” are.
The legislator made this definition as general as possible, practically fitting into it everything that is not the actual connection. Those. if the user using the phone and through the telecom operator’s channels receives, quote,
...reference, entertainment and (or) other additionally paid information...", gets the opportunity "... to participate in voting, games, competitions and similar events...,
Then he, the user, receives a content service. And it, in turn, being provided with the participation of third parties, falls under the addition of paragraph 5 of Article 44 of the Federal Law “On Communications”, which prescribes a mechanism for protecting the consumer by:
- firstly, the possibility of creating, at his request, a separate account to pay only for content services;
- secondly, the requirement to obtain explicit consent to receive such services;
- thirdly, about comprehensive information, including prices and names of suppliers, about these services before obtaining consent.
Another addition, established by 229-FZ, to paragraph 5 of Article 54 of the Basic Law, states that services provided in violation of any of the above are not subject to payment. And finally, Article 68 of the main communications law is supplemented by paragraph 8, which directly indicates the operator’s responsibility for the implementation of Article 44 (see above).
Let’s summarize the legislative information, projecting the rights and responsibilities spelled out in it onto the practical side of life.
If the user consciously wants to become a consumer of content services, then you can secure your account for paying for communications by declaring your intention to open a separate content account to cover the costs of mobile subscriptions and SMS from short numbers. If it is exhausted, funds intended for regular conversations and SMS will not be affected.
For telecom operators Beeline and TELE2, this action is automated and is carried out by sending a USSD request, *110*5062# and *160#, respectively. Sets of commands are also provided for replenishment and checking the balance.
Megafon and MTS require a personal appearance at the office and presentation of a passport, and one must understand that regardless of the method of expression of will, the very fact of opening an account confirms voluntary consent to receive content services, and strictly speaking makes it unnecessary to inform about the details (in including price) of the same mobile subscription.
What should you consider when choosing a short number?
First you need to define the concepts. First of all, not a single short number can be purchased; we can only talk about short-term or long-term rental. The same rule applies here as in the case of regular mobile numbers: if you carefully read the text of the agreement between the subscriber and the mobile operator, you will find wording according to which all telephone numbers are the property of the operator company. When paying to rent a short number, you need to decide for what period you intend to use it, whether you need it for a one-time promotion or the ongoing provision of some service.
In Russia, all short numbers are four-digit. Each operator allocates numbers independently of the others, but you can choose the same short code from all operators. For each short number, each operator has a fixed price that the subscriber pays when sending an SMS to a short number; it varies from $0.08 to $5.00 and is assigned to the number. An important role when choosing a number is played by its so-called “beauty”, that is, the ease of remembering the combination of digits of the number: for comparison, number 7777 is much simpler than number 3784. The “beauty” of a number can have a significant impact on the cost of its rent.
When choosing a number from the catalog of a content provider or advertising agency, it is a good idea to inquire about its history. If you are planning a promotion for, say, a dairy product, it is important to find out in advance that the number you like has not previously been used to sell erotic content, which is what many subscribers remember. Otherwise, using such a number may mix up your cards.
Existing combinations for connecting and disconnecting services and tariffs
Useful Tele2 commands will help the user disable additional services or, conversely, connect a new tariff. Their codes are given below:
- to use the “My Tele2” tariff plan, you need to dial “*630*1#”;
- if a person prefers “My Conversation”, then you need to enter the following combination of numbers “*630*2#”;
- TP “My Online” is connected like this: “*630*3#”;
- TP “My Online +” is connected in this way “*630*4#”;
- You can switch to “Classic” by dialing “*630*8#”;
- if the subscriber has favorite mobile phones, then he can turn on their “*110*1*89mobile number#”.
- connecting the “Beep” function, when your favorite music will play instead of a beep, is carried out as follows: “*115*#”.
For your information! The combination “*108#” will allow you to find out the name of the current TP on the user’s phone.
Using the Tele2 short number, the subscriber will always be aware of all events, and will also be able to find out how much traffic is left on the smartphone. Service codes were specially created to make it easier for people to use the mobile network.
Dedicated or shared short code?
The limited number of suitable and convenient short numbers has given rise to the phenomenon of shared short numbers. As opposed to dedicated numbers, which are yours and yours alone for the entire rental period, shared numbers can be used by multiple companies at the same time. How does the system determine which company the request is addressed to? Code words or prefixes are used to identify requests. For example, a message with code word “A” to number 2222 is sent to one provider, and with code word “B” to the same number - to another.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to using shared short codes. Among the advantages are low cost compared to dedicated numbers, speed of receipt (if the provider already has an agreement with the operator, you can use the number immediately). However, restrictions on the request text make the service less convenient for subscribers; the choice of tariffs for such a short number will also be limited. However, shared short numbers are a good solution if little traffic is planned, the project needs to be launched very urgently, or the project is a pilot; its task is to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign as a whole with minimal risks for the invested funds.
An interesting solution to the lack of comfortable rooms was proposed in the West and then began to be used in Russia. Instead of a combination of numbers, you can use a combination of letters: for example, the word beer (beer) is easy to remember. In numerical terms (on the phone keypad) beer will be the number 2337, which at first glance is not the most successful. Using such words can be effective for marketing campaigns for products and services.
How to find out Internet traffic
The combination of numbers: “*155*15#” will let you know how much Internet traffic is available at fast speed. And the next short number “*155*19#” will help a person understand how many megabytes are left for surfing the World Wide Web in the “Internet Package” option.
If a person has connected TPs from the “Black” line, for example, “Black” or “Super Black”, then free SMS and minutes are checked by dialing “*155*0#”.
“Internet Portfolio” can have a large number of megabytes when connected. But after human use, this balance will quickly melt away. The command “*155*200#” will help you find out how much is left.
Attention! The following short combinations of numbers will tell a person how much he can buy content for if he dials “*125#”. For example, the secret combination of numbers “345” will activate the Antispam service. It works as follows: open a set of SMS, register the mobile number of the subscriber who needs to be blocked, send to 345.
Numbers of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Russian operators additionally charge calls to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, despite the fact that Russia previously provided these countries with codes in its seventh worldwide numbering zone. Because of this, some subscribers assumed that they would not have to pay for roaming.
So, a call from a landline phone, depending on the tariff, will cost you 15-20 rubles. per minute of conversation. Russian mobile operators provide communications with Abkhazia at the same rates as calls to CIS countries.
Please check the tariffs on the official websites of Rostelecom, Beeline, MTS, Megafon.
