# SMTP Delivery Failures: email-to-SMS Gateways

## AT&T Gateway Shutdown
AT&T shut down its email-to-SMS and SMS-to-email gateways (`@txt.att.net`, `@sms.att.net`) as of 2026. Messages to `number@txt.att.net` bounce with:
```
554 5.7.1 <recipient>: Recipient address rejected: MXroute has blocked this recipient
```

Tested and confirmed bouncing from MXroute (mail.germainebrown.com) on July 4, 2026.

## Affected Cron Jobs
- Daily brotherly-torment SMS to Tony (7853752998@txt.att.net) — silent failure since July 4

## Recommendations
- Use Twilio (~$0.0079/SMS, ~$1/mo per number) for reliable programmatic SMS
- Google Voice (free) if you already have a Google Voice number
- TextBolt (~$3-5/mo) or TXTImpact (~$10-15/mo) as alternatives
- If using a carrier gateway for personal cron jobs, verify quarterly by sending a test message and checking for a bounce-back in the inbox
