C#.NET SMS final project

I am currently taking a C# web services class. As a final project, I wrote an Amazon web service that receives an ISBN number via email and sends an email back to the sender's email address with the book info. I want to be able to do the same thing with text messaging. A cell phone user would type in an ISBN number using their SMS account and send it to my web service. It is easy enough to send the response back using publically available SMS web services, however receiving the SMS message on my web server has led me to a dead end. It seems that if I lived in the UK or Europe, there are many solutions that might work. But in the U.S. we seem to be lagging behind on SMS text messaging capabilities. The solution I've found that would work involves purchasing a GSM gateway and buying SMS enabled phone numbers, but this would cost thousands of dollars and out of the scope of a final project. My hope is that one of you will know a free or close to free way that I can receive an SMS text message to my web server. Ideas that I am currently researching are: 1. Sending the SMS message to an email account. If I can do this, I can parse the email for the SMS number and use a free SMS sending service to reply to the text message. 2. Setting up a skype softphone on the server. I understand that skype might have a way to receive text messages. If so the message might be stored in a directory on the computer somewhere. If I can access the message folder, I could read any incoming messages and again, use a free SMS sending service to reply to the message. 3. I have an asterisk box connected to a vonage linksys router using VOIP. Perhaps there is a way to configure asterisk to receive a text message. Thank you . I look forward to receiving your help on this project. ## Deliverables 1) Complete and fully-functional working program(s) in executable form as well as complete source code of all work done. 2) Deliverables must be in ready-to-run condition, as follows (depending on the nature of the deliverables): a) For web sites or other server-side deliverables intended to only ever exist in one place in the Buyer's environment--Deliverables must be installed by the Seller in ready-to-run condition in the Buyer's environment. b) For all others including desktop software or software the buyer intends to distribute: A software installation package that will install the software in ready-to-run condition on the platform(s) specified in this bid request. 3) All deliverables will be considered "work made for hire" under U.S. Copyright law. Buyer will receive exclusive and complete copyrights to all work purchased. (No GPL, GNU, 3rd party components, etc. unless all copyright ramifications are explained AND AGREED TO by the buyer on the site per the coder's Seller Legal Agreement). ## Platform My Amazon web service is running on Server2003 I can check pop3 email accounts on any platform.