SMS for an SOS: Beware of charges, deductions

January 31st, 2006

Several tsunami disaster relief funds have set up SMS (short message service) channels for the public to donate money quickly and easily.

However, donors should be aware that SMS charges would be incurred, and that part of their donation might be deducted for such charges.

The tsunamis that ravaged the region on Dec 26, causing more than 100,000 deaths and untold damage, have got Malaysians scrambling to render aid.

Cellular services providers say there has been considerable interest among various parties looking to enable people to donate money via SMS, as the rush to provide aid to victims gathers momentum.

Airtime Media Productions (AMP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astro All Asia Networks Plc, set up the Tsunami 26/12 Fund, to which people can send RM1 donations via SMS.

SMS donations to the fund – being a third-party donation drive – were subject to deductions arising from charges levied by cellular services providers, an AMP official told In.Tech, adding that the charges “vary from telco to telco.”

To make up the difference, AMP will top up the donations.

"Every sen from each ringgit donated will go to the fund," the official said.

The cellular services providers themselves are gearing up for their own SMS donation drives. DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd last week launched its From the Heart campaign. To kickstart the campaign, which ends on Jan 14, DiGi contributed RM200,000.

DiGi customers can contribute denominations of RM3, RM5 or RM10 by keying in the amount (for example RM10) on their mobile phones and sending it to 1996.

Each SMS sent and acknowledged will cost 15sen, which will also go towards the fund.

Morten Lundal, DiGi's CEO, was in Langkawi during the tragedy (see The Star, Jan 1).

Yesterday, Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd launched its month-long RM5 SMS donation campaign, in support of the Malaysian Tsunami Disaster Fund organised by The New Straits Times, Berita Harian, TV3 and 8TV.

Maxis Communications Bhd is planning a similar drive that is expected to be up soon.

A Celcom official told In.Tech last week that its customers can donate RM5 to the Malaysian Tsunami Disaster Fund by typing “derma” and sending the SMS to 33699. The amount would either go on their postpaid cellular bill or be deducted from their prepaid account.

The company assured donors that the entire RM5 would go to the fund, but the normal 15sen charge for sending the SMS would still apply.

A Maxis official told In.Tech the company would eventually waive the SMS charges on its customers for the planned donation drive, but a charge of 15sen – the “transport cost” – would be levied on messages sent via its network for any third-party SMS donation drive.

“At the moment, there are technical issues to be sorted out before we can implement the waiver, but we are confident of resolving them quickly,” said the official.

Maxis would also forgo its 30% cut of the usual 30:70 revenue-sharing agreements it has with third-party content providers for premium SMS services, the official said.