Businesses are turning more and more to texting. SMS is a valuable channel for both reach and ROI, but the complexities of sending SMS as a business can often put brands off sending at all.
In this guide, we explain what you need to know to start sending in Australia.
Gather compliant opt-ins
To allow customers to opt-in to SMS marketing, you can:
ask for phone numbers at the point of customer sign up.
use our pages and forms functionality to create on-brand data capture.
provide incentives for customers to sign up through text-to-join campaigns, by advertising a number online or in-person that they can text to opt in.
Whatever you choose, it’s important to ensure you have consent to send to your customers which complies with Australian law under The Spam Act (2003), and also so that you provide a positive brand experience.
⚠️While we provide tools to help you manage your data, you must speak to your own legal counsel or consult with the ACMA in order to ensure compliance.
Most importantly, check that the numbers you’ve collected for SMS marketing were collected with explicit opt-in.
This means making sure you’ve made it clear that you will be using SMS to send marketing communications to your customer, and that you haven’t relied on assumed consent from a lack of opt-out or a pre-ticked box.
Options for opt outs
When sending marketing messages through SMS in Australia, you must also give your recipients the ability to opt out.
This means you must either:
add an unsubscribe link to your marketing SMS messages*
or
allow replies by purchasing an inbound number and providing opt-out instructions in your SMS message body.
Transactional messages, like order updates, don’t require a way for recipients to opt out.
*SMS click-to-unsubscribe is permitted when sending to recipients in Australia and some other locations, but is not permitted for sending to some countries.
SMS sent to | SMS click-to-unsubscribe supported? |
Australia UK Singapore Finland Japan Republic of Ireland | ✔️ Yes
Create an alphanumeric From name (alpha)† and add an unsubscribe link to your marketing SMS.
Learn more |
USA Canada France New Zealand Malaysia Philippines Czech Republic Taiwan Denmark | ❌ No
Click-to-unsubscribe is not supported in these countries, so to enable contacts to unsubscribe you must purchase an inbound number.
You can send your SMS messages from an inbound number, and it allows you to receive replies as well as unsubscribe requests. |
†Alpha From names don’t support replies. If you need to be able to receive inbound SMS messages, you must purchase an inbound number.
Sender IDs Australian businesses can send from
You have a couple of options to choose from when sending SMS as a business in Australia. Each has unique rules or restrictions, as well as benefits.
You can send marketing and transactional SMS from either of the below sender ID types in Australia.
Sender ID type | Description |
Alphanumeric From name (Alpha) | Often displays as the name of the company. Can include letters and numbers. |
Virtual mobile number (VMN) Sometimes called a long number. | Appears as a regular 11-digit mobile number and is used exclusively by your brand. |
For full details of each sender ID type, see Understand From names and numbers.
Sender ID rules and registration
The ACMA has announced new rules for registering sender IDs.
To learn the full details, visit ACMA official website.
Telcos and message providers need to apply to ACMA to participate in the SMS Sender ID Register if they intend to use or carry messages with sender IDs from 1 July 2026.
You must register your sender IDs with a participating telco or message provider well before the 1 July 2026 deadline to avoid disruption to message delivery.
From 1 July 2026
Businesses or organisations that use sender IDs will only be able to send text messages with a sender ID if it is registered, and they must use a participating telco or message provider.
From this date, any unregistered sender ID is automatically be replaced with ‘Unverified’. On mobile devices, these messages appear in the same thread as potential scams, making them less trusted and more likely to be ignored.
Requirements for an ACMA‑registered sender ID
A sender ID must meet all of the ACMA’s rules before it can be registered:
Length – between 2 and 11 characters.
Characters – use standard ASCII characters (codes 32–126 only).
No restricted terms – mustn’t contain restricted words from the ACMA list, for example, verify, notice, banking, alert, or anything that could impersonate a trusted organisation.
See the complete list on the ACMA website.Allowed content – letters, numbers, and standard ASCII symbols are fine.
Not numbers only – the sender ID cannot be entirely numeric.
No leading/trailing space or underscore – these aren’t permitted at the start or end.
No ‘Unverified’ – you can’t use the word Unverified.
No offensive/deceptive wording – anything misleading or offensive will be rejected.
Valid business link – must be clearly tied to your business, for example, a registered company name, trademark, or domain name.
Case‑insensitive – Uppercase/lowercase makes no difference (Dotdigital = dotdigital).
To be registered, a sender ID must be clearly linked to your organisation. This helps consumers recognise who the message is from and reduces the risk of confusion or impersonation. A sender ID is considered a valid match if it:
is the same as your organisation’s name, or a shortened version, for example, Australian Taxation Office > ATO.
is an acronym, contraction, abbreviation or initialism of your name , for example, Australian Communications and Media Authority > ACMA.
includes extra words that relate to your organisation’s function, location, or the purpose of the message, for example, ACMA Alerts.
If the sender ID does not meet these criteria, the ACMA will not approve its registration. Dotdigital is currently working with ACMA on the registration and we will notify you shortly on the upcoming requirements for your business.
Key regulatory bodies
ACMA
An independent Commonwealth statutory authority. They regulate communications and media services in Australia.
AMTA
The body representing Australia’s mobile telecommunications industry. AMTA members include mobile network operators and service providers, mobile phone and device manufacturers, retail outlets, network equipment suppliers and other suppliers to the industry.
TIO
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Limited.