Where's twitter gone?

Recently and unexpectedly I ceased receiving Twitter updates from the people and organizations I follow on Twitter...and it left me puzzled and wondering...where's twitter gone?

So the bad news is, as stated on the Twitter blog, "Twitter is no longer delivering outbound SMS over our UK number. If you have been receiving SMS updates from Twitter via +44 762 480 1423, you'll notice that they've stopped and you may want to explore some of the alternatives we're suggesting." Ok, so what are the alternatives then...??!

Alternatives;

"If you don't live in Canada, India, or the US, then we recommend receiving your Twitter updates via one of the following methods.
m.twitter.com works on browser-enabled phones
m.slandr.net works on browser-enabled phones
TwitterMail works on email-enabled phones
Cellity works on java-enabled phones
TwitterBerry works on BlackBerry brand phones
Twitterific works on iPhones"

Now, I want to know WHY??!!

Twitter said that it simply can’t afford to support outbound long-distance SMS Twittering anymore and the company claims “it could cost Twitter about $1,000 per user per year to send SMS outside of Canada, India, or the US.”

Possible wisdom gained??!!

The potential of using services like Twitter for mobile CRM are definitely evident and promising, however at present maybe it is not wise to rely on a service that hasn't established a sound system or business model for that fact. Maybe, its better to try the wait and see approach for the service to be tried and tested in the market first or if still intending to use the service for mobile CRM, definitely have a contingency plan of B, C & D.

Australian Chris