There are many Seychellois students studying in China, and it is one of those countries that Seychelles local networks cannot send text messages to and vice versa. I.e. someone in China using a Chinese telecom network cannot send text to a phone in Seychelles using a Seychelles telecom network. This really sucks because sometimes your friend or family member there isn’t at home and you want to send them a text message because undoubtedly, they are with their mobile phone. I have 2 solutions for this. One will cost you, the other will cost them (but not much).
There are 2 solutions known to me. Both of which I use, to text my twin sister there.
First solution is Skype.
If you credit your Skype account (minimum is $10) you will be able to verify your mobile phone number and then text anyone you want to in the world. So when the text message is sent, the person will be able to read your SMS. Unfortunately, if they reply you will not receive it because there is no connection to the Chinese and Seychelles networks. So if they want to reply, they too will have to credit their Skype account. Unless of course one of you pays for a Skype online number – a feature that Skype offers – e.g. a Hong Kong number then you can both text as often as you wish. Although a phone number costs about $18 every 3 months, less if you are on subscription.
The good news however, is for people who can read some Chinese. Because the second solution is using Fetion.
It requires the assistance of your friend or family member there in China. What they need to do is obtain a phone number especially for you. In Shanghai, it costs about 50 RMB (100 rupees) for a SIM card with about 50 RMB credit. Cost in other cities and provinces may vary. Download and install Fetion, and then register using your number. You will need to verify it, and the verification code expires within 5 minutes so your loved one has to be quick in sending you that verification code.
Once you receive it, you will be able to text the person anytime you want through Fetion, and they will be able to reply (replies will be received through Fetion messenger). Best of all, Fetion is a free service by China Mobile. It also doubles as an IM, so if the person is online you will be able to chat, send messages, etc. In fact, it’s actually a very cool IM with excellent features.
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WYSIWYG! I'm a simple person trying to live the simplest life possible - it seems to be the most difficult thing to achieve! I'm an internet enthusiast and I've been a webmaster since early 2007. I like: blogging, developing sites using open source software, social media, computer games, '80s music, comedy & horror, animals, crunching on M&Ms peanut and Smarties!
