Can I send UK SMS to JP ezweb mobile?

Hey folks
My friend in Japan is sending me text messages from her ezweb account, I guess they are really emails coming from mobile if I understand correctly? They show her ezweb ID not a number anyway...

I tried putting her mobile number on my phone in the form 008190-XXXX-XXXX, I think this is right because in the UK we use '00' to call internationally, then '81' for Japan, and she has a mobile with the prefix 090, so I am pretty sure it's correct... Anyway no response to my text so far so I don't think she got it...

So I can't send sms to an ezweb ID, only email, correct? Any help appreciated, thanks

As far as I understand, the way Japanese sms works is that the messages can't be sent across different carriers, i.e. my au phone can only sms other au phones, docomo to docomo, etc. It's not even referred to as sms, but c-mail, shortmail, etc, which also varies by carrier.

So, I think email may be your only option.

While I'm not an expert on SMS and sending messages across carriers, I've successfully sent SMS messages via SKYPE to my Softbank phone as a test.

interesting idea. I just tried skype sms to my au phone and no luck. Anybody able to try a docomo phone?

Though it's a bit costly (I'm poor in this economy) I will check with my friend later today.

Though with skype you can't receive SMS messages, only send them out. Go figure...
The best thing to do is get their mobile phone email address and send them regular emails.

I can send SMS from my softbank phone to my partners docomo phone regarding the cross carrier issue. Special characters do not show cross carrier however. Not like I would use sms over mail anyway.

I do not know anyone using AU to test :( besides, I'm out of country at the moment.
Outside Japan using Australian sim's from Optus and telstra (carriers) I can SMS both Softbank and docomo as well.

You can only send Skype SMS to Softbank phones and not Docomo or AU (no idea why...)
Strangely, when you send Skype SMS to Softbank phones the sender comes up as a Hong Kong phone number (!!) whereas Skype SMS to foreign cell phones the sender comes up as the sender's Skype name (e.g. kyotoamigo in my case).

AU phones do not support SMS, but you can use an SMS gateway to send SMS to from AU phones as well as Docomo/Softbank at reasonable rates-
Brastext -
http://www.brastel.com/Pages/eng/SPC_sms/
Maritex -
http://www.maritex.jp/

You can also send e-mail to US phones (and they can reply), and those of some other countries, as long as your know which carrier the recipient use.
The major ones are-
USA
AT&T phonenumber@txt.att.ne
Sprint phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile phonenumber@tmomail.net
Verizon phonenumber@vtext.com
Virgin Mobile USA phonenumber@vmobl.com

UK
O2 phonenumber@o2imail.co.uk
Orange phonenumber@orange.net
T-Mobile phonenumber@t-mobile.uk.net
Vodafone phonenumber@vodafone.net

Canada
Rogers phonenumber@pcs.rogers.com
Virgin Mobile phonenumber@vmobile.ca

Australia
Optus phonenumber@optusmobile.com.au

For a fuller list of carriers, see-
www.notepage.net/smtp.htm
www.tech-faq.com/send-text-messages-free.shtml

way to bump a two year old thread, but i'll provide a correct answer;

AU DOES NOT SUPPORT SMS.

Softbank and docomo do, but au does not. Therefore, email through to the ezweb address, use a sms-email gateway if you must, be wary of issues with encodings.

As other have pointed out, AU does not support international SMS.

Your friend in Japan can use the many alternatives though, such as WorldDyne or even Brastel (WorldDyne does not have an english page though).

I'm in Japan using AU and currently using this service called MARITEX (http://www.maritex.jp/en/) to send to UK and Singapore. It covers a lot of carriers in the UK (http://www.maritex.jp/en/faq/outgoing-networks-and-countries/)

Thanks Joe - didn't know World Dyne.
They DO now have an English version of their site !
Comparing to Maritex :
* World Dyne supports more US carriers Verizon + Sprint as well as AT&T + T-Mobile ; but some other countries Maritex supports more, e.g. NZ Maritex supports Vodaone which World Dyne does not (this is going by their websites)
* World Dyne is fixed 20 yen / text ; Maritex is 50 yen / text if you buy 10, but 10 yen / text if you buy 500.

Also, Skype SMS does indeed now support Docomo - didn't before.