SMS Terms to Know

A2P (Application-to-Person) Messaging

An SMS message sent from an application or platform to a phone/person. A2P messaging is a one-way SMS type to which recipients are not expected to reply. Everything sent from our platform is A2P traffic and goes through an A2P connection.

Alphanumeric Sender Name/ID

The alphanumeric sender ID technology allows the sender to send messages using a custom, recognizable sender ID constructed from any combination of numeric and alpha characters (0-9, a-z, A-Z, _). Therefore, an alphanumeric sender ID is much more recognizable to users, which means that they can identify the sender more easily. This way, the sender ID can be used to present anything from a company name to the name of any governmental organization. However, the receiver of the message can’t reply to a message sent with an alphanumeric sender ID.

• Please keep in mind that in some countries, alphanumeric sender names are not allowed. Instead, a shortcode or long code can be used.
• As alphanumeric sender names need to be registered for each country separately, some company documents will be required.

Country Codes

Short numeric geographical codes (geocodes) developed to represent countries and dependent areas, used in data processing and communications. The term ‘country code’ frequently refers to international dialing codes.

Dedicated Shortcode

A unique number, used exclusively by your brand.

E.164

A universal phone number formatting, for example: +14155550101 or +905554443322. E.164 numbers are internationally standardized to a 15-digit maximum length. Learn more about the subject here. Insider accepts phone number data in  E.164 format only.

Inbound Messages

An inbound message is a mobile message routed from an end user’s mobile device and delivered to a mobile phone or application. It may also be referred to as a ‘Mobile Originated message’ or ‘MO’ signifying that the starting point of a message is a mobile phone.

Keyword

A unique text specified by your brand that enables end-users to send an opt-out message that features the keyword. It is sent by the user to the specified shortcode or long code to opt the user out of future promotional messages from your brand. For example, they can send STOP MY BRAND or UNSUBSCRIBE MY BRAND.

Long Code

Long Codes, also known as virtual numbers, are full mobile telephone numbers (e.g. 1408 7654321 or 447624803588) that can be used for two-way SMS applications. While they look like normal subscriber numbers, they are virtual and assigned to an application that ensures the correct delivery of messages. When you use long codes, you can provide a reply option for opt-out.

Opt-out

The opt-out function is an action where a user requests that they no longer receive messages to their mobile phone inbox.

Outbound Messages

An outbound message is a message routed from a brand or application and delivered to the end user’s mobile phone. It may also be referred to as a ‘Mobile Terminated message’ or ‘MT’, signifying that the endpoint of the message is a mobile phone.

P2P (Person-to-Person) Messaging

P2P SMS is the process of sending mobile messages from one user to another, where an SMS message travels between two mobile subscribers.

Sender Name/ID

A ‘from’ address you are sending SMS messages from. It will be displayed as a header in end-users' SMS inboxes. The SMS originator is the label describing who or where the SMS is sent from. The most common originator is a mobile number, as this is what is displayed when an SMS is sent from a mobile handset.

Shared Shortcode

A number that can also be used by another brand. It is more commonly used as it is cheaper than a dedicated shortcode.  Also, the registration process is faster than in the case of a dedicated code. Keywords are used to differentiate incoming SMS messages (for opt-out).

Shortcode

A shortcode is a 3-6 digit number that enables the sending and receiving of SMS messages. It is commonly used in SMS sweepstakes, polling, TV voting, etc. With a shortcode, sending and receiving messages is limited to national borders. They can be leased from mobile network operators or through specialized messaging companies that also provide consultancy and tech support. There are two types of shortcodes: Shared shortcode and dedicated shortcode.

SMS Unicode

As a rule, a single SMS message allows up to 160 GSM-7 character sets which include all Latin characters (A-Z), digits (0-9), plus a few special characters. While Unicode handles any known character, it also takes up more SMS space than GSM’s 7-bit binary code. Therefore, Unicode SMS messages are limited to 70 characters, with longer messages being segmented.

Two Way SMS

Two way SMS is a service that enables a two-way conversation between the platform and the person. Both businesses and users can send and receive messages.