sent.dm
Sign In

South Africa SMS Guidelines: Best Practices and Compliance

When sending SMS messages to South Africa, understanding local guidelines and compliance regulations is crucial for successful delivery and avoiding legal issues. This guide outlines key aspects of SMS messaging in South Africa, including two-way SMS support, message length considerations, and compliance with local marketing regulations.

Key SMS Features for South Africa

Two-Way SMS Support

In South Africa, two-way SMS is fully supported, allowing businesses to engage in interactive conversations with customers, enabling replies and further engagement.

Number Portability

Number portability is available, allowing end users to retain their mobile numbers even when switching between mobile network operators, ensuring uninterrupted communication.

Concatenated Message Support

Message concatenation is supported, allowing longer messages to be split into multiple SMS segments and reassembled on the recipient’s device. This process may vary depending on character encoding and specific sender ID types.

MMS Support

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is not directly supported. Instead, MMS messages are converted to SMS with an embedded URL, allowing recipients to view multimedia content via a web link.

Sending SMS to Landline Numbers

Sending SMS to landline numbers is not supported. Attempting to send an SMS to a landline number will result in a 400 response with error code 21614, and the message will not be delivered.

Compliance Considerations

To comply with local laws and regulations, adhere to the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association (WASPA) Code of Conduct, particularly Article 16, which regulates direct marketing messages.

  1. Direct Marketing Restrictions: Avoid sending marketing messages on Sundays, public holidays, Saturdays before 9am and after 1pm, or any day between 8pm and 8am, unless the recipient agrees.

  2. Opt-In Consent: Obtain opt-in consent from each end user before sending any marketing or non-essential communications to comply with privacy laws.

  3. HELP/STOP Support: Ensure SMS campaigns support commands like HELP and STOP, recognized in the end user’s local language for easy management of communication preferences.

  4. Do-Not-Call Registries: Do not contact users listed on do-not-call or do-not-disturb registries to avoid legal penalties.

Best Practices for SMS Messaging in South Africa

To ensure a successful SMS campaign, follow these best practices:

  • Respect Time Zones: Send messages during the recipient’s daytime hours unless urgent or agreed otherwise.
  • Message Length: Be mindful of message length as longer messages may be split into multiple segments, affecting user experience. Use concise language.
  • Legal Compliance: Consult legal counsel to ensure SMS campaigns comply with South African laws, especially for marketing messages.

Conclusion

South Africa offers excellent opportunities for SMS communication with full support for two-way messaging and number portability. However, compliance with local regulations is essential, particularly for marketing messages. By following the best practices outlined in this guide, you can maximize the effectiveness of your SMS campaigns while ensuring legal compliance.

For more information on compliance, visit the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association website.