UAE SMS Features and Restrictions UAE SMS Features and Restrictions

UAE SMS Features and Restrictions

Divya Manjunath

Country Summary

Country Name United Arab Emirates (UAE)
ISO AE
Country Code 971
Region Middle East & Africa
MCC (Mobile country code) 424

 

Sender ID Guidelines

Alphanumeric Sender ID

To reduce SMS spam risk, the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) requires that organizations register all traffic for sending SMS to customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Alpha sender IDs are case-sensitive and must contain the brand name.
Numeric Sender ID Numeric sender IDs are not supported unless offered by Vonage's 2-way service.
Generic Sender ID Generic sender IDs such as INFO, SMS, QSMS, NOTICE etc are prohibited.

 

As per the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) regulatory policy, the Sender IDs that remain dormant for more than 6 months will be deactivated.

 

*To initiate the Sender ID registration process, please check Global Sender ID Portal or contact your account manager or support

 

Use-Case & Content Guidelines

Marketing Traffic
  • Marketing/Promotional SMS is ONLY allowed on local brands
  • All marketing SMS require prior consent with the date, time, content of the consent, and the recipient’s signature.
  • Consent may not be sought via SMS or voice call.
  • Effective unsubscribe facilities must be made available. Marketing SMS should contain only the code 7726 as an opt-out mechanism.
  • Marketing SMS may not be sent to mobile users between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. UAE time.
  • No SMS shall be sent to subscribers encouraging them to call or send an SMS or other electronic communication to a premium rate number.
  • All registered marketing SMS traffic must be sent in the correct format with the prefix of “AD-” included with the Sender ID.
  • Sender IDs should be no more than 11 characters, inclusive of the “AD-” prefix.
  • Any marketing SMS for medical centres requires prior Ministry of Health approval.

 

Additional Information

Format violations will result in the TRA charging a significant penalty of up to 400,000 AED (roughly $108,900 USD) per non-compliant message, which you shall bear responsibility for in accordance with our Acceptable Use Policy. Suspected violations may also result in account suspension or termination.

P2P traffic is prohibited.

No political, religious, unsolicited promotion, or gambling content.

There are no additional content restrictions beyond those in our Acceptable Use Policy.

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