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 |
Rogers Wireless, Telus Canada, Bell Canada, Sasktel Canada, Freedom Mobile, Dryden Mobility, MTS Mobility, Telecom Videotron |
Message length |
160 characters |
Support for Concatenated message |
Not supported |
Setup time |
5-10 Business Days |
Support for Two Way SMS |
Yes (Long Code, Toll-free number and Short code) |
Country regulations |
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 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
|
Country restrictions |
Discouraged A2P Sending:
- Spam, phishing or malicious Messaging
- Number Sharing
- Number/URL Cycling
- Snowshoe Messaging
- Grey Route Messaging
- Artificial Traffic inflation fraud
- Spoofing
DND is enabled.
Compliance with mandatory keywords in CA as well as bi-lingual support of mandatory keywords.
You can send promotional advertisements and other broadcast messages only to subscribers who have specifically opted-in to receive such messages. |
Extra Information |
- 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 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
Industry Reference(s):
CWTA Guidelines (Canada)