Lesotho SMS Guidelines: Key Considerations for Mobile Messaging
When sending SMS messages to Lesotho, understanding the local guidelines and technical requirements is crucial for effective communication. This guide provides essential details on SMS support, message limitations, and compliance best practices for businesses and developers targeting this region.
Two-Way SMS Support
Two-way SMS is not supported in Lesotho. While you can send messages to users, they cannot reply via the same channel. This limitation is important for campaigns that depend on customer feedback or interaction.
Number Portability
In Lesotho, number portability is unavailable. Users cannot retain their mobile numbers when switching carriers, which may affect the continuity of your SMS communications if your audience changes providers.
Message Concatenation
Lesotho supports concatenated messages, allowing messages exceeding the character limit to be split and reassembled on the recipient's device. Note that concatenation may not be supported for certain sender ID types, and the process can vary based on character encoding.
MMS Support
Direct MMS support is not available in Lesotho. Instead, multimedia content is converted to SMS with an embedded URL, enabling recipients to view the content by clicking the link.
Sending SMS to Landlines
SMS to landline numbers is not supported in Lesotho. Attempts to send such messages will result in a 400 error response, and the message will not be delivered or logged. No charges apply for undelivered messages.
Compliance Considerations
To ensure compliance with local regulations when sending SMS messages to Lesotho, consider the following best practices:
- Obtain opt-in consent from users before sending any communications, especially for marketing purposes.
- Respect local time zones by sending messages during daytime hours unless urgent.
- Ensure your campaigns support HELP/STOP messages in the local language.
- Avoid contacting users on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.
For more detailed legal guidance, consult with qualified legal professionals.
FAQs
Is two-way SMS supported in Lesotho?
No, two-way SMS is not supported. Users cannot respond to messages via SMS.
Does Lesotho support number portability?
No, users cannot retain their mobile numbers when switching carriers.
Can I send SMS to landlines in Lesotho?
No, SMS cannot be sent to landline numbers. Attempting this will result in an error response.
For more information on global SMS guidelines, consider visiting ITU's official resources.