Question
Why do I need to provide a category field when sending RCS messages, and what are the rules for France?
Applies To
- Rich Communication Services
- Messaging
Answer
The category field describes the type of content in your RCS message and is required in certain countries to comply with local telecom regulations and contractual agreements.
For France, specific telecom compliance rules apply:
- Promotional messages sent outside of permitted hours are automatically blocked.
- If the category is set to promotion, or if the field is missing, any messages sent outside the allowed hours will be rejected.
- For all other categories (e.g., transactional or service-related), traffic is accepted without restriction.
⚠️ Important: If you are terminating traffic in France, you must provide the correct category value. Otherwise, messages sent outside the permitted window will be rejected by the Messages API.
If you are unsure about restrictions or required categories in France (or any other country), please contact your Vonage Account Manager.
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