Customers in Australia using Optus and Telstra will now be able to use Twitter (News - Alert) without having access to their 3G networks because of a partnership between Twitter and the two satellite providers. The social networking company puts emphasis on the fact that users can now communicate in the event of a war or disaster when Internet and mobile cellular services are no longer available.

Satellites proves to be one of the most reliable forms of communication in times of disaster, particularly because they float several miles above the earth's surface, making it possible to resume communications even in the event of an earthquake or major hurricane. If you want satellite communications, though, the price tag (News - Alert) might burn through your pocket a bit. Telstra offers a basic satellite plan at $30 per month through a two-year contract. If you want to send an SMS, you have to shell out $1.50 for each one. Optus (News - Alert) customers have to buy a satellite phone, the cheapest one offered by the service costing just under a thousand dollars. The service costs $49 per month, although the SMS price isn't so hefty, costing around half a dollar each message.

"We've partnered with the two largest satellite operators, Iridium and Thuraya, to give their subscribers access to Twitter SMS. Now, even if phone lines and the Internet are inaccessible -- for example, in a war zone or after a natural disaster -- people will be able to share news and stay informed via Twitter," says Twitter's blog post regarding the partnership.

As an option, if your phone provider doesn't support Twitter's satellite service, you can follow "@twittermobile" for information regarding new carriers that enter Twitter's list. Perhaps your carrier will start offering satellite services and implement Twitter SMS. You can still use Twitter's "long codes" if you want to send a Twitter SMS to tweet something.