We often get questions about enabling access in other countries. In general, we have enabled access in certain regions or countries on the basis of cost and demand. For example, a local access number in the United States costs about $2.00/month, whereas an access number in Hungary costs about $30.00/month. This is not a subscription-based service. We rely on our donors to maintain operation, and cost is an important factor in determining where we will extend the service.
Remote Gateways
It is unclear, at this time, whether remote gateways will be included in the new version. Instead. Ideally, multiple gateways will be hosted by amateur radio clubs or organizations in various regions. Filtering by phone number or callsign prefix could be used for gateway selection, allowing the same destination callsign to be used.
In addition to direct access via the SMS provider, one option is to expand service is to establish a remote gateway in a given region. A remote gateway operates using an cellular modem (usually used for cellular internet access) attached to a Windows PC that communicates with the SMSGTE server. The remote gateway then handles the local SMS traffic, relaying it to the server. These gateways are established in partnership with local users or clubs allowing us to expand service into regions that are cost prohibitive using the SMS service provider.
Accessible Countries
| Country | Type | Local Number | Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Direct SMS | To resume soon | |
| United States | Direct SMS | To resume soon |