What is an alphanumeric sender ID?

An alphanumeric sender ID enables organizations to send one-way text messages to recipients using a custom, recognizable string made up of any combination of letters and numbers.

This makes the alphanumeric sender ID much more recognizable so that users easily identify the sender if they are not saved in their phone’s contacts. Sender IDs can be used to present anything from a company name or department, or the name of a government organization.

The drawback is that recipients of messages sent using a Sender ID can`t reply to the message, which restricts the use cases to one way SMS alerts and informational messages.

What characters are allowed in an Alphanumeric Sender ID?

Sender IDs can contain both numeric and alpha characters (0-9, a-z, A-Z) and the space character i.e., ASCII code = 32. The maximum length is 11 characters and in some countries certain carriers may also impose a minimum length.

How to get an Alphanumeric Sender ID?

An alphanumeric sender Id can be obtained from most enterprise SMS providers.

This option is not available in all countries, and in some cases, organizations have to pre-register their Sender-IDs to prevent duplication and fraudulent use. These include major markets like Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the Philippines. These countries may charge a one-off setup fee or a monthly charge for this service.

Jan 6th, 2022
2 min read