SMS Features & Information

General information and help articles on SMS, SMS Engage, and other SMS features.

• What is an SMS sender ID?

  The SMS sender ID is the display name that you see at the top of your phone’s screen when you open a SMS. The sender ID is sometimes referred as the brandname or originator. Sender ID is a reference of who a text is from. 

  Sender ID comes commonly in two forms either as numeric (numbers) or alphanumeric (up to 11 Characters*). Alphanumeric Sender IDs may be up to 11 characters* long. Accepted characters include both upper- and lower-case Ascii letters, the digits 0 through 9, and the space character. They may not be only numerals. Alphanumeric Sender ID is country specific and some destinations may not support Alphanumeric Sender ID.

   

  *Country dependent. If in doubt, please reach out to your account manager or email
  cpaas-support@8c8.com

   

• What is the difference between A2P and P2P messaging?

   

  A2P and P2P messaging are two different approaches to SMS messaging. 

   

  P2P, or Person-to-Person messaging, is when one mobile phone user sends a mobile message to another. This is typically seen in conversational messages sent between people. 

   

  A2P, or Application-to-Person messaging, is when mobile users receive messages from an application. This includes but limited to multi-factor authentication messages, notifications, reminders, and marketing messages.

   

  Different countries impose specific restrictions on A2P and P2P traffic. For example, P2P messages in the US and Canada should be sent via long codes, while A2P messages in APAC should be sent generally via short codes or Alphanumeric Sender IDs. 

  
  Learn more about country-specific guidelines here, reach out to your account manager. If you would like to know more about our product, please write in to cpaas-support@8x8.com. 

• Step by Step Guide to Register Your Alphanumeric Sender ID in Thailand

  Introduction: 

  The Purpose of the below article is to describe the requirements for an Alphanumeric Sender ID pre-registration across all operators in Thailand following the local regulatory requirements. 

  Thailand regulation makes a clear distinction between Marketing traffic and transactional / OTP / Notification traffic. As such, a unique Sender ID should be used for Marketing and transactional traffic. If you need to send both Marketing type messages and transactional / OTP / Notification, then, you will need to register two distinct Sender IDs, one for Marketing traffic, and the other one for other types of traffic. 

  For more information related to SMS compliance in Thailand, click here

  Registration Process

  To register your Alphanumeric Sender ID for all networks in Thailand, you first need to understand the type of traffic that you will send (refer to the introduction paragraph for more information).

   

  If you are sending Marketing traffic only:

  Please complete the following Letter Of Authorization: 

  • Letter of Authorisation - Thailand

  Additionally, please provide us with the below information when you raise the SID registration request. 

  1. State your Company Name
  2. State your Website URL

   

  If you are sending OTP / Notification / Transactional traffic only:

  Please complete the following documents:

  • Letter of Authorisation - Thailand
  • Whitelist Request Form

  Additionally, please provide us with the below information when you raise the SID registration request. 

  1. State your Company Name
  2. State your Website URL

   

  If you are sending both OTP / Notification / Transactional traffic and Marketing Traffic:

  Please complete the following documents: 

  • Letter of Authorisation - Thailand
  • Whitelist Request Form

  Additionally, please provide us with the below information when you raise the SID registration request. 

  1. State your Company Name
  2. State your Website URL

   

  Template Explanation: 

   

  Insert Client Letterhead: This should include your company name and the company logo

  

  Client Authorised person: This refers to the physical person filling the letter. It needs to be his/her full name including first name, middle name, and surname.  

  

  Client Authorised person position: This refers to the title of the client. For example "head of Operation" or "Marketing Director"

  

  Client Company Name: This refers to your official company name like "8x8 Pte, Ltd". Please replace "Short Name of the Company" with your legal company name. 

  

   

• Step by Step Guide to Register Your Alphanumeric Sender ID in The Philippines

   

  Introduction: 

  The Purpose of the below article is to describe the requirements for an Alphanumeric Sender ID pre-registration across all operators in the Philippines following the local regulatory requirements. 

  For more information related to SMS compliance in the Philippines, click here

   

  Registration Process

  To register your Alphanumeric Sender ID for all networks in the Philippines, it requires that you provide the following documents depending on your registration criteria: 

  • LOA - Smart (Direct) Ver2
  • LOA - Smart (Non-Direct) Ver2
  • NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Direct Client to 8x8)
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Authorised Agent to 8x8)
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Aggregator to 8x8)
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (End-client to Aggregator_Authorised Agent)
  • *LOA Intl Smart - End Client to Aggregator
  • Corporate Secretary's Certificate

  To ensure that your SID registration goes smoothly and to reduce the turnaround, please, complete each document accurately with all the required information (highlight in yellow). 

  The above documents authorize 8x8 (8x8 Philippines Inc) to register and send branded messages to end-users in the Philippines on your behalf. 

   

  IMPORTANT NOTE:

  • Sender IDs may be considered as Premium/International by the partners, this is when the team in-charge of registration will reach out to you to provide *LOA Intl Smart - End Client to Aggregator.
  • Sender IDs are usually considered as Premium/International if there is an entity located overseas (outside of Philippines).
  • 8x8 does not have the authority to classify the Sender ID as Premium/International, the power is with the Philippines networks.

  You are the owner of the Sender ID:

  • LOA - Smart (Direct) Ver2
  • NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Direct Client to 8x8)
  • Corporate Secretary's Certificate
    
    • If Sender ID differs from Company Name

  You are an aggregator, and you are authorised to send traffic on behalf of your client:

  • LOA - Smart (Non-Direct) Ver2
  • NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Direct Client to 8x8)
    
    • You may change "8x8 Philippines Inc" to your Company Name
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Aggregator to 8x8)
  • Corporate Secretary's Certificate
    
    • If Sender ID differs from Company Name

  You are an authorised agent, and you are authorised to send traffic on behalf of your client:

  • LOA - Smart (Non-Direct) Ver2
  • NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Direct Client to 8x8)
    
    • You may change "8x8 Philippines Inc" to your Company Name
  • m360 LOA Template for Access Code & Sender ID (Authorised Agent to 8x8)
  • Corporate Secretary's Certificate
    
    • If Sender ID differs from Company Name

  Template Explanation:

  Click here to download guide on filling up LOA towards the Philippines

   

  Information to provide together with documents:

  1. Sender ID
  2. Content
  3. URL
  4. Company Name
  5. Purpose

  Additional Requirements for Loan Company:

  1. Securities and Exchange Commission Document

  Additional Requirements for BFSI Company (Globe):

  1. Business Registration OR Articles of Incorporation
  2. Business Permit OR Mayor's Permit from the local government unit's BPLO (Business Permit and Licensing office) NEW
  3. Specific regulatory agency licenses (example: Banks require BSP licenses)
  4. Only if Sender ID to be registered has no clear relevance to business:
     • Intellectual Property Rights to the Brand Name OR
     • Secretary's Certificate specifying the proof of Sender ID relevance to the business

   

  Additional Requirements for Online Gaming Company (Globe):

  1. Understanding PAGCOR Licenses:

  The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) issues two distinct gaming licenses:

  • Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) License: Grants operators permission to offer online gaming services exclusively to authorized offshore players (excluding Filipinos abroad).
  • Philippines Inland Gaming Operator (PIGO) License: Permits operation of Remote Gaming Platforms (RGPs) located domestically.

  2. Restrictions for Globe SID Registration:

  • POGOs: NOT ALLOWED to register Sender ID on Globe.
  • PIGOs: ALLOWED to register Sender ID on Globe providing below requirements:
  • POGO and PIGO: ALLOWED to register Sender ID on Globe if you have both License and below requirements:

  3. Enhanced Requirements for New SIDs: All partners registering for online gaming SIDs must submit the following documents:

  1. Globe LOA specifying content (chain LOAs required for agents)
  2. Written confirmation of client consent for database usage
  3. Updated Business Permit
  4. Mayor's Permit
  5. SEC Business Registration & Articles of Incorporation (AOI)
  6. PAGCOR Inland Gaming License/s with:
     • License number
     • Full company name & address (matching SEC & Permit documents)
     • Validity period
     • Issuance date
     • PAGCOR signatures & seal
     • Specific allowed operations

   

• What is the best file format to upload your contacts and other data?

  The best and safest format is a comma-separated value(.csv) file with a UTF-8 encoding.  Why? Because it will support different unicode characters such as a Chinese, Thai and other characters.

• How long is the shortened URL?

  The shortened URL is 23 characters long which includes the https:// hyper prefix.

• How is the URL-Shortener structured?

  By default, the URL is https://2g.to/ followed by three (3) alphanumeric characters and then another set of three (3) alphanumeric characters. E.g. https://2g.to/8yu/9yT.

• How does the URL Shortener works?

  Any URLs detected on your SMS will be shortened automatically when you send or submit your message.

• How does SMS Engage work?

  You send SMS to your customers. They will respond to that message by clicking on a link in the SMS. The link will redirect them to a mobile-optimised landing page. On this page, they will respond to any question, inquiry or survey by submitting their answers. You will be able to see your customers' responses on the customer portal under Analytics->SMS Engage, per campaign, down to the mobile numbers.

• What is the maximum length of an SMS? What is a concatenated message?

  SMS Length

  A standard SMS length has a limit of 160 characters. If you use unicode characters or UCS2 (e.g. for Thai, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese), it will decrease to 70 characters.
  
  

  Concatenated messages

  Every additional SMS after the first 160 characters (or 70 unicode characters) is referred to as a concatenated message part.  The maximum number of concatenated message parts in a single text message is 10 parts.

  Additionally, do note that the maximum length per concatenated message part is slightly reduced due to the inclusion of concatenation headers:
  - 153 characters for ASCII
  - 66 characters for Unicode