Text message to Russia and Ukraine

[BTalley 0]

Svetlana will be spending much of the next two months in her home country (Ukraine). Her internet access will be very limited.

I have Verizon as my cell phone provider, but it appears they do not offer text message service to many countries (including Russia and Ukraine).

I heard T-Mobile and Cingular were good for text/SMS to foreign countries. Any other suggestions?

[kalapino 0]

Metro PCS....

free unlimited international text with no contracts.

[Neonred 3,553]

Send text from your computer. Find the website for her provider and look for their page for sending text. I did this to Russia on MTS and Beeline and here in the US for Verizon and ATT. It's free too, and you won't have to change you cell phone provider.

[Ana&D 0]

I happen to be from Ukraine and my future hubby is on Verizon I am able to receive text messages from him, but he had to talk to the customer service so they would make it available. Otherwise, advice about using official web pages for your fiance's mobile provider is an excellent one! MTC and Kyivstar (two most used providers) both allow that and have their websites available in English, not just Russian/Ukrainian. Hope it helps

[Ahmed & Sue 0]

My fiance is in Egypt, and my cell phone provider does not cover that country. I use www.ipipi.com and purchase 50 or 100 international text messages at a time. I think 100 text messages cost me $12.50. I use my phone to send the message to ipipi, and ipipi forwards it to his phone for me. I might add, there is no contract I need for this. It is a US number the message is sent to, so I get charged the .05cents to sent to ipipi, and the .125cents for them to send it for a total of seventeen and a half cents per message. I like this because the messages do not have an expiration date.

The service this past 2 and a half years has been very reliable for me. Most messages are delivered immediately. I might add, my mobil phone knowledge is very limited, but the instructions on the site were very easy for me to follow and start useing it. For me, doing it this way is less expensive that paying a monthly charge for international service, and then a per message fee. You might check it out.

Best of luck to you both,

Sue

[NYC Tiger 0]

Svetlana will be spending much of the next two months in her home country (Ukraine). Her internet access will be very limited.

I have Verizon as my cell phone provider, but it appears they do not offer text message service to many countries (including Russia and Ukraine).

I heard T-Mobile and Cingular were good for text/SMS to foreign countries. Any other suggestions?

My fiance happens to be from Ukraine. His cell phone provider over there is MTS. If I need to send him text message, I usually do it from my cell phone (my provider is Sprint) or through MTS' website.

Another option with MTS is that you can send e-mail to the cell phone and it will be converted to a text message (I use this option sometimes too).

Good luck!

[bruc 0]

My fiance is in Egypt, and my cell phone provider does not cover that country. I use www.ipipi.com and purchase 50 or 100 international text messages at a time. I think 100 text messages cost me $12.50. I use my phone to send the message to ipipi, and ipipi forwards it to his phone for me. I might add, there is no contract I need for this. It is a US number the message is sent to, so I get charged the .05cents to sent to ipipi, and the .125cents for them to send it for a total of seventeen and a half cents per message. I like this because the messages do not have an expiration date.

The service this past 2 and a half years has been very reliable for me. Most messages are delivered immediately. I might add, my mobil phone knowledge is very limited, but the instructions on the site were very easy for me to follow and start useing it. For me, doing it this way is less expensive that paying a monthly charge for international service, and then a per message fee. You might check it out.

Best of luck to you both,

Sue

[Liam and Kara 6]

Doesn't "Vonage" have their version of a cell phone? I know with them-it's one set fee to call anywhere at anytime all over the world

[bruc 0]

My fiance is in Egypt, and my cell phone provider does not cover that country. I use www.ipipi.com and purchase 50 or 100 international text messages at a time. I think 100 text messages cost me $12.50. I use my phone to send the message to ipipi, and ipipi forwards it to his phone for me. I might add, there is no contract I need for this. It is a US number the message is sent to, so I get charged the .05cents to sent to ipipi, and the .125cents for them to send it for a total of seventeen and a half cents per message. I like this because the messages do not have an expiration date.

The service this past 2 and a half years has been very reliable for me. Most messages are delivered immediately. I might add, my mobil phone knowledge is very limited, but the instructions on the site were very easy for me to follow and start useing it. For me, doing it this way is less expensive that paying a monthly charge for international service, and then a per message fee. You might check it out.

Best of luck to you both,

Sue

I also use ipipi.com and I find it affordable and have never had any problems. My fiance will sometimes log into my account there and send me a text message also. It goes to my computer and to my cell phone. It also has a translation part added to it so you can send and receive in different languages.

I've tried others but this one seems to be the best of all and works best for us. We also use Skype and have never had any problems with it and have never been disconnected. Sometimes we talk for several hours especially on the weekends. At the price of airfares now everything cheap helps.

bruc

[slim 1,523]

I still do not see the need for instant communication with a fiance(e) on the other side of the world.

But, then again, I talked to mine approximately once a week, so maybe you guys are onto something here.

[bruc 0]

I remember back in about 1978 when I got introduced to the Russian woman mail order bride thingy and got interested. I don't remember having sms, text messages, Skype or anything else but slow to respond letters because none of the girls had computers and expensive phone calls to them.

I had to pay for correspondence and translations through either an agency or a private translator that did have a computer.

When I did finally meet a girl, now my fiance, it was through a friend of hers that was a translator with a business in her city and could use the computer in her office.

My fiance ,then just friend, could not afford a computer on a $75.00 a month salary and a daughter to support. After a LONG correspondence it seems she invited me over for a visit. Her daughter was excellent in English so my thoughts were that if things went well for us on the first visit then why not carry them a laptop, get them connected to the internet and let her daughter help her write letters to me.

I have an IT friend so I discussed the laptop with her and she talked to a computer company and they built me one with Russian Windows and a Russian Keyboard.

I did not tell them about the laptop, I was in shock thinking that I was actually going to Russia to meet a Russian girl and her daughter and was in shock the complete trip, culture shock and just about any other kind of shock there was...sometimes I think I'm still in shock.

It was an amazing trip and one that I'll never forget. I was surprised at how welcomed I was made and felt by everyone I came in contact with especially my girls, her family and friends. I think I was the first American they had ever seen much less stay in their homes.

They were excited about the laptop and we were excited about each other and then I had another shock when I found out their internet connection was going to cost me $2.50 an hour. But, they were more than friends now so there would be no turning back on my part to help them and figure out what to do next. On every return trip to them they always thank me for the laptop again and ask, where would we be in our relationship without this.

So, I found VJ through a friend...the best there is in the internet or anywhere else for help and support. It took more visits to them to make sure all of us were sure about this. As it would happen our paperwork got lost and we had to start all over again but we're getting there now.

I sit many hours a day in my home in front of three computers working in three CAD programs so it's a pleasure to be able to talk to them in Skype at no charge while I work. The text messages are important to them and I send them the messages when they're out and about, at work or school.

Ain't instant communication technology just wonderful when you're 6000 miles apart and want to be together but have to pay the dues of the process.

bruc

[Bobalouie 0]

My fiance is in Egypt, and my cell phone provider does not cover that country. I use www.ipipi.com and purchase 50 or 100 international text messages at a time. I think 100 text messages cost me $12.50. I use my phone to send the message to ipipi, and ipipi forwards it to his phone for me. I might add, there is no contract I need for this. It is a US number the message is sent to, so I get charged the .05cents to sent to ipipi, and the .125cents for them to send it for a total of seventeen and a half cents per message. I like this because the messages do not have an expiration date.

The service this past 2 and a half years has been very reliable for me. Most messages are delivered immediately. I might add, my mobil phone knowledge is very limited, but the instructions on the site were very easy for me to follow and start useing it. For me, doing it this way is less expensive that paying a monthly charge for international service, and then a per message fee. You might check it out.

Best of luck to you both,

Sue

AT&T has an international text plan. $10/month and your first 100 SMS are free. After that, they are 0.20/ea. If you have the unlimited text plan, then all incomming are free.

[slim 1,523]

After a LONG correspondence it seems she invited me over for a visit.

When did you first go over?

[bruc 0]

After a LONG correspondence it seems she invited me over for a visit.

When did you first go over?

October 2004

[slim 1,523]

Wow! From the late '70s til 2004 is a long, long time to be in the process. You definitely get the VJ longevity award if there is such a thing!