Country Summary

To send and receive SMS in United Kingdom, you need a sender ID, credits and user license. Sender ID for United States can be long code, short code, and alphanumeric sender IDs.

Long code and toll free number are used for general use cases while short code is used for higher volume messaging. Please talk to our expert before choosing type of sender ID.

Short Code – Shortcodes are ideal for marketing messages, any form of bulk messaging, or messages containing URLs. The regulations for US shortcodes will be provided to you once your application is approved.

Long Code – These sender IDs are typically used for sending person-to-person communication like appointment reminders, alerts, and announcements. That means you may use it to send messages to customers, employees, and other individuals with an interest in your business.

Alphanumeric Sender IDs- Use a custom name as the sender ID instead of a phone number for your outbound SMS. it can be used for outgoing SMS only. On these sender IDs, incoming cannot be received. 

SMS Pricing

SMS pricing is based on the destination and type of message you’re sending. Text messages are charged 1 credit per segment of 160 characters outgoing SMS.

Outgoing SMS price per credit- $0.07

Outgoing MMS price per credit- $0.28

Incoming SMS price- Free

Incoming MMS price- Free

1 Long Code price – $2/month (Good for 10 SMS per second)

1 Alpha Numeric Sender ID price – $2/month (Good for 10 outgoing SMS per second)

1 Dedicated Short Code price- $2000/month (100 SMS per second)

Compliance Guidelines

Text Messaging Cloud customers, including their end-users and clients, must comply with applicable laws and regulations.

SMS-to-voice functionality is widely available in the UK, so Text Messaging Cloud will not reject messages sent to landlines. 

The following are some general best practices:

• Get opt-in consent from each end user before sending any communication to them, particularly for marketing or other non-essential communications. It’s a legal requirement under the new GDPR coming into force in May 2018.
• Unless it is a real emergency, it is best to only communicate with the end-user during their working hours.
• Text Messaging Cloud can support HELP/STOP messages, and similar messages, in the end, user’s local language.
• It is against the law to contact end-users who are registered on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.