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SMS Guidelines for Afghanistan: Best Practices and Compliance

When sending SMS messages to recipients in Afghanistan, understanding the specific guidelines and compliance requirements is crucial. This guide covers essential aspects such as message limitations, support for two-way SMS, and best practices to ensure legal compliance.

Locale Overview

Afghanistan, represented by the ISO code "AF," is part of the Asia region and uses the mobile country code (MCC) 412. The dialing code to reach Afghanistan from other countries is +93. However, the mobile messaging ecosystem in Afghanistan has some unique characteristics that businesses must be aware of.

Two-Way SMS Support

One of the key limitations for SMS communication in Afghanistan is the lack of support for two-way SMS. This means that while you can send messages to recipients, they won’t be able to respond via SMS. This is an important consideration for businesses that rely on interactive messaging campaigns, as alternative methods of engagement may need to be explored.

Concatenated Message Support

Afghanistan does support concatenated messages. Concatenation allows long messages to be split into smaller segments and reassembled on the recipient’s device. This ensures that users receive the entire message as intended, even if it exceeds the standard SMS character limit.

Message Length and Encoding

The specific message length for SMS in Afghanistan depends on the encoding used. While the exact character limit isn’t specified in this guide, it's important to remember that exceeding the limit will result in the message being split into multiple segments.

MMS Support

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is not fully supported in Afghanistan. Instead of delivering MMS directly, Sent converts multimedia content into SMS with an embedded URL. This allows users to access the content via a link, ensuring that the message is still delivered, albeit in a different format.

Sending SMS to Landline Numbers

It is not possible to send SMS messages to landline numbers in Afghanistan. If an attempt is made to send an SMS to a landline, the Sent REST API will return a 400 error (error code 21614), and the message will not be logged or charged. This limitation should be considered when planning SMS campaigns.

Compliance Considerations

Compliance with local regulations is critical when sending SMS messages to Afghanistan. Sent strongly recommends reviewing all use cases with legal counsel to ensure adherence to applicable laws. Below are some general best practices:

  • Obtain Opt-In Consent: Always get explicit consent from users before sending any communication, especially for marketing or non-essential messages.
  • Respect Local Time Zones: Only send messages during an end user's local daytime hours unless the communication is urgent.
  • Support HELP/STOP Messages: Ensure that your SMS campaigns support common commands like HELP and STOP in the local language. This is essential for user experience and legal compliance.
  • Avoid Contacting Users on Do-Not-Call Registries: Ensure that you do not contact users who are on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.

Conclusion

Understanding the SMS guidelines for Afghanistan is essential for any business looking to engage with users in the country. From compliance considerations to technical limitations like the lack of two-way SMS and MMS support, adhering to these guidelines will help ensure successful and legally compliant messaging campaigns.

For more information on international SMS guidelines, visit the International Telecommunication Union.