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Complete SMS Guidelines for Turkmenistan: Compliance, Technicalities, and Best Practices

Sending SMS messages to Turkmenistan requires understanding the country's mobile communication regulations, technical limitations, and compliance requirements. This guide offers a detailed overview of essential factors for sending SMS to Turkmenistan, including dialing codes, message concatenation, and compliance with local laws.

Key Information for SMS in Turkmenistan

Dialing and Mobile Codes

  • Country Dialing Code: +993
  • Mobile Country Code (MCC): 438

These codes are crucial for correctly routing messages to mobile networks in Turkmenistan.

Two-Way SMS Support

Two-way SMS is not supported in Turkmenistan. This means direct SMS conversations, where recipients can reply in real-time, are not possible.

Number Portability

Number portability, which allows users to retain their mobile number when switching carriers, is not available in Turkmenistan. This may impact communication consistency with users changing providers.

Message Concatenation

Turkmenistan supports message concatenation, allowing long SMS messages to be split into segments and reassembled on the recipient’s device. However, availability may vary based on sender ID types. The message length before splitting depends on character encoding.

MMS Support

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is not supported in Turkmenistan. MMS messages convert to SMS with an embedded URL, enabling users to access multimedia content via a link.

Sending SMS to Landlines

Sending SMS messages to landline numbers in Turkmenistan is not possible. Attempts will result in a 400 error with code 21614, and the message will not be delivered or charged.

Compliance Considerations and Best Practices

Content Filtering

Turkmenistan's mobile operators actively block SMS content containing URLs. To avoid delivery failures, register your SMS content with URLs through Sent customer services. Registered messages should use an International Long Code Sender ID or an Alphanumeric Sender ID. Using a Domestic Long Code Sender ID may lead to message filtering.

Sent encourages reviewing SMS campaigns with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws. Best practices include:

  • Opt-in Consent: Obtain opt-in consent from users before sending communications, especially for marketing.
  • Timing: Send messages during the recipient’s local daytime hours unless urgent.
  • HELP/STOP Support: Ensure SMS campaigns support HELP and STOP messages in the recipient’s local language.
  • Do-Not-Call Registries: Avoid messaging users on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries.

Conclusion

Navigating technical and legal challenges is essential for sending SMS messages to Turkmenistan, from blocked URLs to unsupported two-way SMS. By following the guidelines in this article, including registering content and ensuring legal compliance, you can effectively reach your audience in Turkmenistan and avoid potential delivery issues.

Optimize Your SMS Campaigns for Turkmenistan

To optimize SMS campaigns for Turkmenistan, ensure to:

  • Register content containing URLs.
  • Use appropriate sender ID types.
  • Follow compliance best practices and obtain opt-in consent.

Following these steps maximizes SMS communication effectiveness in Turkmenistan while adhering to local regulations.

For more information on international SMS guidelines, visit ITU's official site.