CANADA SMS: Products and Compliance

Canada

All SMS programs must be in English and French. If they are primarily in Canada, using only French is acceptable.

Sender ID	Numeric
Dialling code	1
Major Carriers	Bell Mobility, Telus, Fido Solutions, and Rogers Wireless
Number portability	Yes
Message length	160 characters.
Support for Concatenated message	No
Sender ID Supported	- Long Code (dedicated number) standard 10-digit phone numbers that are used to send and receive text messages and handle voice calls - Dedicated/FTEU Short Code - Toll-Free
Setup Time	Within 7 business Days for Long Code & Toll-Free 8 to 12 weeks for Dedicated Short Code
Sender ID Supported	- Long Code (dedicated number) standard 10-digit phone numbers that are used to send and receive text messages and handle voice calls - Dedicated Short Code - Toll-Free
Support for Two Way SMS	Within Canada and the US only (Both USA and Canada are able to send and receive Two Way SMS)
Extra Information	All programs must be in both English and French If they are primarily in Canada, using only French is acceptable.

8x8 currently offers 3 types of Sender ID channels: Short/TFEU Codes, Long Codes, and Toll-Free

Dedicated Short Code	Short Codes are carrier approved programs, all short code programs are verified and tested by the carriers before they are live.  Short Codes offer superior speed and reliability. Short Code routes support binary and Unicode encoding, and delivery receipts. Short Codes are short 5+ numeric codes (ex. 11111), easy to remember and dedicated.  Short Code supports GSM 7-bit default alphabet and extension table - 3GPP TS 23.038
Free To End User Short Code (FTEU)	Offers the same feature as Dedicated Short Code. The owner of the Free to End User Short code will be responsible for all costs (inbound and outbound).
Long Code	Long Codes are standard 10 digit numbers that are text enabled for SMS Long Codes are best used for one to one messaging or services messages.  When used for high volume, more Long Codes may be required in order to process all messages.  Special characters are not supported. Repeated Links and prohibited content are blocked by the carriers. Long Code supports binary and Unicode encoding Long Code does not support delivery receipts. Long Code supports GSM 7-bit default alphabet and extension table - 3GPP TS 23.038
Toll-Free	Toll-Free support binary and Unicode encoding, and delivery receipts. Both inbound and outbound SMS will be billed.  Toll-Free has higher speeds and throughputs over Long Codes. Toll-Free content must be whitelisted before a number can go live. Public URL shorteners are not allowed and will be blocked by the carriers.  Rotation of Toll-Free numbers will result in carrier blocks.  Toll-Free supports GSM 7-bit default alphabet and extension table - 3GPP TS 23.038

Canada Delivery Options

Canada SMS Sending Options	Long Code	Dedicated/ FTEU Short Code	Toll-Free
Example	12013511943	12345	1-888-555-5555
Daily Send Limit	1 MPS	100 MPS	30 MPS
United States Supported	Yes	No (Customer must purchase a US Dedicated Short Code)	Yes
2 way SMS support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Suggested Use Case	1 to 1 Messaging, Notification Alerts Non-Marketing, Customer Service, and Chat Applications	High Volume Messaging, Marketing	High Volume Messaging,  2FA, OTP, Notifications
Setup Time	Within 7 Business Days	8-12 Weeks	Within 7 Business Days
Delivery Receipts (Selected Carriers*)	No (carrier will send a received status code, but there will be no confirmation receipt)	Yes	Yes

*Bell Mobility, Telus, Fido Solutions, and Rogers Wireless

SMS Compliance

Opt In Requirements: 

All receiving recipients must be opted in to receive the content they have signed up for. Senders must be able to provide opt in methods if there is a carrier request.

Sending to purchased/imported lists of recipients who have not opted in is not allowed.

Opt Out and Help Requirements:

Customers will be responsible for all opt out, “STOP, END, INFO, AIDE, ARRET, CANCEL” and “HELP”, commands that are sent from their clients.

If “STOP, END, CANCEL, and ARRET” is received, the number must be blocked from receiving additional SMS from the sender id. 

If “HELP, INFO, or AIDE” is received, the sender must respond with an email or contact number of the sender id. 

Sender ID Header Requirement:

All SMS must have their identification name in the header of the message.

Example: If “8x8” is the brand name, the messaging format must be:

“8x8: Hello this is a message from 8x8.”

Prohibited Content:

Carriers prohibit SMS messaging when it is unsolicited commercial content and considers this content to be "spam".

The following types of messaging on all SMS messaging products (Long code, Toll-Free, Dedicated/FTEU Short Codes) are all prohibited:

• Content or links to content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco

Fraud and Phishing:

• Attempts to gain unauthorized access or username/password data
•  Password or PII (Personally Identifiable Information) gathering
•  If it's illegal, it's not allowed

Impersonation:

• Impersonating a brand and/or identity of someone or something
• Using brand names or marks without the consent of the brand

Industry Reference(s):

CWTA Guidelines (Canada)