Twitter and Vodafone have struck a deal to see SMS updates and notifications back free of charge on UK handsets once more. The two catches, and they are whompingly large ones, are that you have to be a Vodafone customer and that the offer is only free for an unspecified limited period of time quoted as being “the first few weeks”.

You can use @replies and navigate straight to the site by the URL included in the message and the deal will be bundled for free into a number of Vodafone text packages. If not in your bundle, you’ll still be able to use it, but you’ll have to start paying when the limited period finishes.

It’s all reasonably good news if you’re on Vodafone but there’s still something of a bad taste in my mouth when the whole thing used to be free for all anyway. Despite being a Vodafone customer, I might go with my esteemed colleague, Duncan Geere, on this one and just not bother going back.

Vodafone