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Google has extended its free SMS service to more Nigerian mobile operators. The mobile operators now supported are Visafone, Starcomms, Airtel and MTN. Previously, only Globacom users could access the service. Looks like Etisalat users will have to wait a little more.

Sending messages and receiving them via Gmail is free. Normal SMS rates are charged when you send an SMS from your phone to a Gmail user who has linked his phone to the service. All messages will appear as conversations in your Gmail chat history. They’ll also show up in GTalk.

We’re not sure how long this will last but Google has offered 50 free messages.  For every SMS received, users will get an additional 5 messages with a maximum of 50. If you should exhaust your SMS credit, all you have to do is send a message to your phone via Gmail and then reply that message, increasing your quota by 5 for each reply.

In order to prevent people from spamming random numbers and using it for Bulk SMS systems, the 50 messages limits have been added. Also the fact that messages cost 5Naira initially will help reduce SMS spam.

To set this up, head to Labs under Settings in Gmail. Scroll to “Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat” and select Enable. You also have to enable  “SMS in Chat gadget” and then Save Changes.

How To Send  Free SMSes in GMail

Log into your Gmail account. In the Send SMS box above Chat, enter the phone number you want to send a SMS to.

In the dialog box, enter Contact name of the SMS recipient and check that country and phone number are correct. Then, click Save.

Type your message in the chat window and hit Enter.

Your message will be sent to the phone number you entered.

Binjo

Binjo is passionate about(some say he's obsessed with) technology and the web. . In his spare time, Binjo runs UP NEPA! Where he blogs on a wide range of issues. Circle Him on Google+

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