Monaco SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features

Monaco SMS Market Overview

Market Conditions: Monaco has a highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with near-complete mobile coverage. As a wealthy principality closely integrated with France, Monaco's mobile market features advanced SMS capabilities and widespread smartphone adoption. The primary mobile operator is Monaco Telecom, which maintains partnerships with international carriers to ensure reliable service coverage. While OTT messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are popular among residents and tourists, SMS remains crucial for business communications, authentication, and official notifications due to its reliability and universal reach.

Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Monaco

Monaco supports standard SMS features including concatenated messages and alphanumeric sender IDs, though two-way messaging capabilities are limited.

Two-way SMS Support

Two-way SMS is not supported in Monaco through major SMS providers. This means businesses cannot receive replies to their messages through standard SMS APIs.

Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)

Support: Yes, concatenation is supported for messages exceeding standard length limits.
Message length rules: Standard 160 characters for GSM-7 encoding, 70 characters for Unicode (UCS-2).
Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encodings are supported, though concatenation support may vary based on sender ID type.

MMS Support

MMS messages are automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link. This ensures compatibility while still allowing rich media content to be shared through linked web pages.

Recipient Phone Number Compatibility

Number Portability

Number portability is not available in Monaco. This means mobile numbers remain tied to their original carrier.

Sending SMS to Landlines

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

Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Monaco

As part of the European Economic Area (EEA), Monaco adheres to GDPR and European telecommunications regulations. While Monaco maintains its sovereignty, it closely aligns with EU digital privacy standards. The Commission de Contrôle des Informations Nominatives (CCIN) oversees data protection and privacy matters in Monaco.

Consent and Opt-In

Explicit Consent Requirements:

• Written or electronic consent must be obtained before sending marketing messages
• Consent must be specific, informed, and freely given
• Records of consent must be maintained and easily accessible
• Purpose of messaging must be clearly stated during opt-in

HELP/STOP and Other Commands

• All marketing messages must include clear opt-out instructions
• STOP commands must be honored immediately
• Support for both French and English keywords:
  • STOP/ARRÊTER
  • AIDE/HELP
  • DÉSABONNER/UNSUBSCRIBE

Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries

While Monaco doesn't maintain a specific Do Not Call registry, businesses must:

• Maintain their own suppression lists
• Honor opt-out requests within 24 hours
• Regularly clean contact databases
• Document all opt-out requests and their execution

Time Zone Sensitivity

Monaco observes Central European Time (CET/CEST)

• Recommended Sending Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time
• Avoid Sending: Sundays and local holidays
• Exception: Critical alerts and authentication messages

Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Monaco

Alphanumeric Sender ID

Operator network capability: Fully supported
Registration requirements: No pre-registration required, dynamic usage allowed
Sender ID preservation: Yes, sender IDs are preserved and displayed as sent

Long Codes

Domestic vs. International:

• Domestic long codes not supported
• International long codes fully supported

Sender ID preservation: Yes, original sender ID is preserved
Provisioning time: Immediate to 24 hours
Use cases:

• Transactional messages
• Customer support
• Two-factor authentication

Short Codes

Support: Available through Monaco Telecom
Provisioning time: 8-12 weeks for approval
Use cases:

• High-volume marketing campaigns
• Premium services
• Emergency alerts

Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases

Restricted Industries:

• Gambling (requires special authorization)
• Adult content (prohibited)
• Cryptocurrency (requires financial authority approval)
• Financial services (require regulatory compliance)

Content Filtering

Known Carrier Filters:

• URLs from unknown shorteners
• Excessive punctuation
• All-capital messages
• Known spam phrases

Best Practices to Avoid Filtering:

• Use registered domains
• Maintain consistent sending patterns
• Avoid excessive special characters
• Include clear sender identification

Best Practices for Sending SMS in Monaco

Messaging Strategy

• Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
• Include clear call-to-action
• Personalize using recipient's name or preferences
• Maintain professional tone and branding

Sending Frequency and Timing

• Limit to 4-5 messages per month per recipient
• Respect Monaco's business hours (9:00 AM - 6:00 PM)
• Consider Monaco's holiday calendar
• Space out campaign messages

Localization

• Primary languages: French and English
• Consider Italian for specific demographics
• Use proper local date/time formats
• Respect cultural sensitivities

Opt-Out Management

• Process opt-outs within 24 hours
• Maintain centralized opt-out database
• Confirm opt-out with final message
• Regular database cleaning

Testing and Monitoring

• Test across major device types
• Monitor delivery rates
• Track engagement metrics
• Regular performance reporting
• A/B test message content

SMS API Integrations for Monaco

Twilio

Twilio provides robust SMS capabilities for sending messages to Monaco recipients. Integration requires an account SID and auth token for authentication.

import { Twilio } from 'twilio';

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

// Function to send SMS to Monaco
async function sendSMSToMonaco(
  to: string,
  message: string,
  senderId: string
) {
  try {
    // Ensure number is in E.164 format for Monaco (+377)
    const formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+377') ? to : `+377${to}`;
    
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      body: message,
      from: senderId, // Alphanumeric sender ID or phone number
      to: formattedNumber,
    });
    
    console.log(`Message sent successfully! SID: ${response.sid}`);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Sinch

Sinch offers direct carrier connections for reliable message delivery to Monaco numbers.

import axios from 'axios';

class SinchSMSService {
  private readonly apiToken: string;
  private readonly serviceId: string;
  private readonly baseUrl: string;

  constructor(apiToken: string, serviceId: string) {
    this.apiToken = apiToken;
    this.serviceId = serviceId;
    this.baseUrl = 'https://sms.api.sinch.com/xms/v1';
  }

  async sendSMS(to: string, message: string) {
    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        `${this.baseUrl}/${this.serviceId}/batches`,
        {
          from: 'YourBrand', // Alphanumeric sender ID
          to: [to],
          body: message,
        },
        {
          headers: {
            'Authorization': `Bearer ${this.apiToken}`,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          },
        }
      );
      
      return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Sinch SMS error:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

MessageBird

MessageBird provides a straightforward API for sending SMS to Monaco recipients.

import messagebird from 'messagebird';

class MessageBirdService {
  private client: any;

  constructor(apiKey: string) {
    this.client = messagebird(apiKey);
  }

  sendSMS(to: string, message: string, senderId: string): Promise<any> {
    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
      this.client.messages.create({
        originator: senderId,
        recipients: [to],
        body: message,
        datacoding: 'auto', // Automatic encoding detection
      }, (err: any, response: any) => {
        if (err) {
          reject(err);
        } else {
          resolve(response);
        }
      });
    });
  }
}

Plivo

Plivo offers reliable SMS delivery to Monaco with detailed delivery reporting.

import plivo from 'plivo';

class PlivoSMSService {
  private client: any;

  constructor(authId: string, authToken: string) {
    this.client = new plivo.Client(authId, authToken);
  }

  async sendSMS(to: string, message: string, senderId: string) {
    try {
      const response = await this.client.messages.create({
        src: senderId, // Your sender ID
        dst: to, // Destination number
        text: message,
        url_strip_query_params: false, // Preserve URL parameters if any
      });
      
      return response;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Plivo SMS error:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

API Rate Limits and Throughput

• Twilio: 100 messages per second
• Sinch: 30 messages per second
• MessageBird: 60 messages per second
• Plivo: 50 messages per second

Batch Processing Strategies:

• Implement queue systems for high-volume sending
• Use bulk SMS endpoints where available
• Add exponential backoff for rate limit handling
• Monitor delivery rates and adjust sending speed

Error Handling and Reporting

• Implement comprehensive error logging
• Monitor delivery receipts (DLRs)
• Track common error codes:
  • Invalid number format
  • Network errors
  • Rate limit exceeded
  • Invalid sender ID

Recap and Additional Resources

Key Takeaways

1. Compliance First:

   • Obtain explicit consent
   • Honor opt-out requests
   • Maintain proper documentation

2. Technical Considerations:

   • Use E.164 number formatting
   • Implement proper error handling
   • Monitor delivery rates

3. Best Practices:

   • Respect sending hours (8:00 AM - 8:00 PM)
   • Use appropriate language (French/English)
   • Keep messages concise and relevant

Next Steps

1. Review Monaco's CCIN guidelines
2. Implement proper consent management
3. Set up monitoring and reporting
4. Test thoroughly before full deployment

Additional Resources

• Monaco CCIN Official Website
• Monaco Telecom Guidelines
• GDPR Compliance Framework

Contact Information:

• Monaco Telecom Support: +377 99 66 33 00
• CCIN Office: +377 97 70 22 44