India SMS messaging regulations and restrictions

India regulations and restrictions

Several restrictions are in place regarding SMS messaging in India, particularly when it comes to the country is National Do Not Call (NDNC) list (see more in the table below). There are other restrictions in place regarding sending times and volumes, which you can also see below.

Alternatively,

Several restrictions are in place regarding SMS messaging in India, particularly when it comes to the countrys National Do Not Call (NDNC) list (see more in the table below). There are other restrictions in place regarding sending times and volumes, which you can also see below.

Alternatively, read more at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

It is a good idea to work with a sales advisor to ensure compliancy with all SMS regulations. 

Restriction	Description
Sender ID	- Sender IDs (the from address displayed on recipients phones) to be used must be pre-registered beforehand, along with the template of the  message to be sent to India. Any message sent outside of these Sender IDs and message templates may be dropped before delivery and may still  be charged to the sender.  - To manage Sender ID in India, we send all messages with a pre-approved six-digit alpha numeric sender. Numeric senders are not allowed.
National Do Not Call list    (NDNC)	A substantial portion of mobile numbers are registered on the NDNC, and if you send  marketing or promotional messages to these numbers, your  message will be blocked  (you  can still send transactional and manually approved messages to these numbers).     It is a good idea to check the NDNC by    visiting http://www.nccptrai.gov.in/nccpregistry/search.misc to see if the number you  want  to send to  is registered (remember to omit the international dialing prefix of 91  before  searching).
Promotional and  transactional SMS	- Sender ID for transactional SMS messages must contain six alphanumeric characters and must be pre-registered.  - Sender ID for promotional SMS messages: For promotional accounts, Sender ID will be replaced with assigned short code from the operator.    NOTE: No promotional content should be routed through the transactional route.
Time restriction	Promotional SMS messages may only be sent between 9am and 9pm standard India  time. This means your messages could be blocked or  delayed if you send outside of  these times, depending on the operator.
Volume restriction	You may not send more than six messages per hour with the same content, from the  same sender, to the same number
Restrictions on messages  with stock-  related  information	Transactional routes cannot be used for sending any messages relating to stocks    and/or shares. To use transactional routes for stock market  activities, you will need to get  certification from stock brokers and/or entities registered with the Securities and  Exchange Board of India (SEBI).   The certification must follow the guidelines below: Certification must be written on the entitys company letterhead. The entity should be registered with SEBI. Entity should mention the command line interfaces (CLIs) to be used by them and the nature of the messages/content to be used. Purchase order validity.
Restrictions on opt-in  messages	- No opt-in messages should be sent via transactional routes.  - An opt-in message can be sent to the end user only if s/he has submitted a documented  approval.  - Web opt-ins are not accepted as approved opt-ins.
Restriction on social invites	Any invitations related to social media/websites/OTTs need to have their content  confirmed and whitelisted prior to being sent via transactional  accounts, and violating  this can result in heavy fines.