Israel SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features

Israel SMS Market Overview

Market Conditions: Israel has a highly developed mobile market with near-universal smartphone penetration. While OTT messaging apps like WhatsApp are extremely popular, SMS remains crucial for business communications and authentication. The market is served by major operators including Partner Communications, Cellcom, and Hot Mobile, with strong competition driving innovation in messaging services.

Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Israel

Israel offers comprehensive SMS capabilities including two-way messaging, concatenation support, and number portability, though MMS is handled through SMS conversion with URL links.

Two-way SMS Support

Two-way SMS is fully supported in Israel, allowing for interactive messaging campaigns and customer engagement. There are no specific restrictions beyond standard compliance requirements for commercial messaging.

Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)

Support: Yes, concatenation is supported across most networks, though availability may vary by sender ID type.
Message length rules: 160 characters per segment for GSM-7 encoding, 70 characters for UCS-2 encoding.
Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encodings are supported, with UCS-2 recommended for Hebrew characters and special symbols.

MMS Support

MMS messages are automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link to the media content. This ensures compatibility across all devices while maintaining the ability to share rich media content.

Recipient Phone Number Compatibility

Number Portability

Number portability is available in Israel, allowing users to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. The system includes real-time routing table updates and automatic carrier detection to ensure reliable message delivery.

Sending SMS to Landlines

Sending SMS to landline numbers is not supported in Israel. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in a failed delivery and an error response (400 error code 21614 for Twilio API), with no charges applied to the sender's account.

Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Israel

Israel maintains strict regulations for commercial SMS messaging, governed by the Ministry of Communications and the Privacy Protection Authority. Businesses must comply with the Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasting) and Privacy Protection Law.

Consent and Opt-In

Explicit Consent Requirements:

• Written or digital consent must be obtained before sending marketing messages
• Consent records must be maintained and easily accessible
• Purpose of messaging must be clearly stated during opt-in
• Separate consent required for different types of communications

Best Practices for Documentation:

• Store timestamp and source of consent
• Maintain detailed opt-in records for at least 7 years
• Use double opt-in for marketing lists
• Provide clear terms and conditions during signup

HELP/STOP and Other Commands

Required Keywords:

• Must support both Hebrew and English opt-out commands
• Hebrew: "הסר" (HASER)
• English: "STOP"
• HELP command must provide contact information and opt-out instructions

Language Requirements:

• All automated responses must be in both Hebrew and English
• Opt-out confirmation messages are mandatory
• Keywords must be case-insensitive

Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries

Israel maintains a national "Do Not Call" registry ("Do Not Call Me" - אל תתקשר אלי) administered by the Ministry of Communications.

Compliance Requirements:

• Regular checks against the registry (minimum monthly)
• Immediate removal of registered numbers
• Maintenance of internal suppression lists
• Documentation of opt-out requests for 3 years

Time Zone Sensitivity

Messaging Hours (Israel Standard Time - IST):

• Permitted: 08:00-22:00 Sunday-Thursday
• Restricted: Friday afternoon through Saturday evening (Shabbat)
• Emergency messages exempt from time restrictions
• Consider religious holidays and national observances

Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Israel

Alphanumeric Sender ID

Operator network capability: Supported with pre-registration
Registration requirements:

• Domestic pre-registration required
• 1-week approval process
• Business documentation needed
• Brand name verification required

Sender ID preservation: Yes, displayed as registered

Long Codes

Domestic vs. International:

• Domestic: Fully supported
• International: Supported with limitations
• Local presence recommended for high-volume sending

Sender ID preservation:

• Domestic: Yes
• International: No, may be modified by carriers

Provisioning time: Immediate for domestic numbers Use cases:

• Two-way communication
• Customer support
• Transactional messages

Short Codes

Support: Not currently supported in Israel Provisioning time: N/A Use cases: N/A

Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases

Prohibited Content:

• Gambling and betting
• Adult content and pornography
• Illegal drugs and substances
• Political messaging without proper disclosure
• Misleading financial offers

Regulated Industries:

• Financial services require regulatory disclaimers
• Healthcare messages must maintain patient privacy
• Legal services must include license information

Content Filtering

Carrier Filtering Rules:

• URLs must be from approved domains
• Message content screened for prohibited terms
• Sender ID must match registered business name

Best Practices:

• Avoid URL shorteners
• Limit special characters
• Include clear business identifier
• Use approved templates for sensitive content

Best Practices for Sending SMS in Israel

Messaging Strategy

• Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
• Include clear call-to-action
• Use personalization tokens thoughtfully
• Maintain consistent sender ID

Sending Frequency and Timing

• Maximum 4 marketing messages per month per user
• Respect religious observances and holidays
• Avoid sending during Shabbat
• Space messages appropriately

Localization

• Primary content in Hebrew
• Consider including English translations
• Use proper right-to-left (RTL) formatting
• Support both Hebrew and Latin character sets

Opt-Out Management

• Process opt-outs within 24 hours
• Maintain centralized opt-out database
• Confirm opt-out requests immediately
• Regular audit of opt-out lists

Testing and Monitoring

• Test across major carriers (Partner, Cellcom, Hot Mobile)
• Monitor delivery rates by carrier
• Track engagement metrics
• Regular testing of opt-out functionality

SMS API integrations for Israel

Twilio

Twilio provides robust SMS capabilities for Israel through their REST API. Authentication uses your Account SID and Auth Token.

Key Parameters:

• from: Your Twilio phone number or approved sender ID
• to: Recipient number in E.164 format (+972)
• body: Message content (supports Hebrew UTF-8)

import { Twilio } from 'twilio';

// Initialize Twilio client
const client = new Twilio(
  process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID,
  process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
);

async function sendSMSToIsrael(
  to: string,
  message: string
): Promise<void> {
  try {
    // Send message with Hebrew support
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      body: message,
      to: to,  // Format: +972XXXXXXXXX
      from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER,
      // Optional: Specify validity period
      validityPeriod: 3600  // 1 hour in seconds
    });
    
    console.log(`Message sent! SID: ${response.sid}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error);
  }
}

Sinch

Sinch offers direct operator connections in Israel with support for Hebrew characters and delivery reporting.

Key Parameters:

• from: Registered sender ID or number
• to: Array of recipient numbers
• text: Message content in UTF-8

import { SinchClient } from '@sinch/sdk-core';

// Initialize Sinch client
const sinchClient = new SinchClient({
  projectId: process.env.SINCH_PROJECT_ID,
  keyId: process.env.SINCH_KEY_ID,
  keySecret: process.env.SINCH_KEY_SECRET
});

async function sendSinchSMS(
  recipients: string[],
  message: string
): Promise<void> {
  try {
    const response = await sinchClient.sms.batches.send({
      sendSMSRequestBody: {
        to: recipients,  // Array of numbers
        from: process.env.SINCH_SENDER_ID,
        body: message,
        // Optional: Delivery report URL
        deliveryReport: 'none'
      }
    });
    
    console.log('Batch ID:', response.id);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Sinch SMS Error:', error);
  }
}

MessageBird

MessageBird provides reliable SMS delivery in Israel with support for Unicode messages.

Key Parameters:

• originator: Your sender ID
• recipients: Array of phone numbers
• content: Message content
• encoding: Auto-detected based on content

import { MessageBird } from 'messagebird';

const messagebird = MessageBird(process.env.MESSAGEBIRD_API_KEY);

async function sendMessageBirdSMS(
  to: string,
  message: string
): Promise<void> {
  const params = {
    originator: process.env.MESSAGEBIRD_SENDER_ID,
    recipients: [to],
    body: message,
    // Optional: Schedule message delivery
    scheduledDatetime: null
  };

  messagebird.messages.create(params, (err, response) => {
    if (err) {
      console.error('MessageBird Error:', err);
      return;
    }
    console.log('Message sent:', response.id);
  });
}

API Rate Limits and Throughput

Rate Limits by Provider:

• Twilio: 100 messages/second
• Sinch: 30 messages/second
• MessageBird: 60 messages/second

Throughput Management:

• Implement exponential backoff
• Use batch APIs for bulk sending
• Queue messages during peak hours
• Monitor delivery rates by carrier

Error Handling and Reporting

Best Practices:

• Log all API responses
• Implement retry logic for failed messages
• Monitor delivery receipts
• Track carrier-specific errors

// Example error handling utility
interface SMSError {
  code: string;
  message: string;
  timestamp: Date;
  provider: string;
}

class SMSErrorHandler {
  static async handleError(error: SMSError): Promise<void> {
    // Log error to monitoring system
    await logger.error('SMS Error', {
      ...error,
      market: 'Israel'
    });

    // Implement retry logic based on error type
    if (this.isRetryableError(error.code)) {
      await this.queueForRetry(error);
    }
  }
}

Recap and Additional Resources

Key Takeaways

1. Compliance First:

   • Obtain explicit consent
   • Respect time restrictions
   • Maintain opt-out records

2. Technical Considerations:

   • Support Hebrew character encoding
   • Implement proper error handling
   • Monitor delivery rates

3. Best Practices:

   • Use registered sender IDs
   • Test across all carriers
   • Maintain clean contact lists

Next Steps

1. Review the Ministry of Communications guidelines
2. Register sender IDs with chosen provider
3. Implement proper error handling and monitoring
4. Test messaging flows with small user groups

Additional Resources

• Ministry of Communications
• Privacy Protection Authority
• SMS Compliance Guidelines

Local Laws and Regulations:

• Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasting)
• Privacy Protection Law
• Consumer Protection Law