A Guide to SMS Traffic & Best Practices
Hello! We're excited to have you join our SMS Gateway service. To ensure a smooth start, we've compiled essential information about SMS traffic and guidelines for sending messages worldwide, with a special focus on Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
1. One Long Message, Many Message Parts
If your message is long, we'll split it into multiple SMS parts so it's delivered in full and reads as one seamless message for your recipient. Keep in mind that longer messages will cost more as they are sent as multiple parts. You can use our SMS character counter tool to check how your own messages will end up. This page also has more information about how multipart SMS messages work.
2. Worldwide Guidelines
SMS rules differ from country to country and can change now and then. We try to keep our Country Restrictions page fresh and up to date, so you'll always have the latest info on any limits, conditions, or requirements for the places you're messaging.
3. Sender (Sender Address, Sender ID, SID)
The Sender, also known as the Sender ID or SID, is the name or number that appears to the recipient as the sender of a message. It may be a number or alphanumeric text of up to eleven characters. There are numerous restrictions on sender usage worldwide as outlined in detail on our Country Restrictions page.
While it's not always required, we recommend registering your Sender in our system before use. During the approval process, we'll check for any restrictions, reach out if anything needs to be adjusted, and test the Sender to ensure everything works smoothly. We'll also run periodic checks on registered Senders to make sure they continue to function as expected.
Senders can be managed from our Gateway Administration pages found by logging in at https://www.teletopiasms.no:
https://www.teletopiasms.no ➡️ Sender / URL4. Sender in the Nordics
This section focuses on Senders in the Nordic region. In contrast to countries such as the UK and Turkey, where senders must be registered before use, Senders in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland are largely unrestricted, with far fewer requirements for prior approval. But there are exceptions.
Special senders
Some sender IDs are protected and will be blocked by us or by the operator unless they are properly registered and approved. These typically include names of public services, banks, insurance companies, and other senders that are frequently targeted or misused in scams and fraud. You are likely aware of which senders fall into this category, but here are some examples to point you in the right direction: Sparebank1, BankID, Altinn, Telenor, Posten, Vipps, Helsenorge, PostNord and Nordea. If in doubt, register the sender in our system.
Telenor Norway
Telenor in Norway applies special pricing when you use a foreign number or a Norwegian mobile number as the sender. Messages sent with a foreign number cost almost twice as much, while Norwegian mobile numbers have a small surcharge of NOK 0.04 (about €0.004) per message. Norwegian geographic numbers and virtual numbers are not affected.
To help prevent unexpected costs, we automatically convert these numbers to a text sender by default. If you'd prefer to keep the original number unchanged, you can register the sender or contact us, and we'll disable this feature for either international or Norwegian mobile numbers. Just keep in mind the additional charges that may apply.
Telenor Sweden and Denmark
An international number used as a sender is always converted to text. You can use a Swedish numeric sender to Sweden or a Danish numeric sender to Denmark. If you try to send a Danish or UK sender to Sweden, it will be converted to text.
5. SMS Traffic Pumping Scam
SMS pumping scams, also known as "artificial inflation of traffic (AIT)", are a growing threat in SMS communication. At its core, an SMS-pumping scam involves a malicious actor flooding a company's SMS system with a massive number of fraudulent messages. These scams exploit vulnerabilities to send a one-time passcode (OTP) and other notification messages by exploiting a phone number input field in a website or an app.
The attacker doesn't play favorites. Big or small, they'll go after anyone! Companies and systems of every size have been targeted.
Please read our SMS Traffic Pumping Scam article for more about this.
7. Local laws
Always adhere to local laws and regulations regarding SMS messaging.
8. Gateway
You are probably receiving a link to this introduction page because we have configured an API or SMS-Gateway for you. You can find information about our APIs on our API documentation page.
Quick example if you plan to send a message with the easiest API, by making an HTTP request to:
https://api1.teletopiasms.no/gateway/v3/plain?username=USERNAME&password=PASSWORD&recipient=4700000000&text=Hello+WorldYou will need to replace USERNAME and PASSWORD. They are different from your personal username and password for logging in to https://www.teletopiasms.no.
But if you login to https://www.teletopiasms.no, you will find the correct username and password for API at:
https://www.teletopiasms.no ➡️ Gateway ➡️ Credentials9. Need Help?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.