SVT first to test Telia’s new SMS service at Sports Gala

During the live broadcast of the Swedish Sports Gala (Idrottsgalan) on Monday (Jan. 17), on Sveriges Television (SVT), the Swedish public service television channel, Telia’s mobile customers will be able to vote by a new mass call service for SMS. What’s new for television viewers is that, for the first time ever, they can use the same number whether they can choose to call in their vote, or vote by SMS.

During the Sports Gala, television viewers will be able to vote for their favourite candidate for the Jerring Prize, one of the most prestigious Swedish sports awards. The big difference will be that those who want to vote will only need to remember one phone number. Before, different numbers were used for phone calls and SMS. Now voting will be simpler for viewers. “The new SMS service has been wanted for a long time and will make things easier for television audiences. The new service will prove its true value when all mobile operators can use it,” says Hans Hernborn, who is responsible for telephone and SMS voting at SVT. The number to call to vote by phone or SMS during the Sports Gala is 099-429 XX (xx = the last two digits vary, depending on the candidate). The cost is SEK 5.70 per call/SMS message, plus the current traffic charge. Because this is the first major test of the new SMS service, which is still under development, only Telia’s 4.2 million mobile customers, as well as the subscribers of mobile operators that use Telia’s network, will be able to vote by SMS during the Sports Gala. However, all television viewers can still vote by calling. Telia MegaCall is the service that makes it possible to answer a large number of phone calls or SMS messages in a short time. In one hour, Telia MegaCall can answer up to five million phone calls and half a million SMS messages. The service is used for fund raising events, such as telethons, and contests with phone voting.