India: SMS delivery facts
SMS delivery to India uses calling code +91. Alphanumeric sender IDs fall under a DLT pre-registration regime. Indic scripts require UCS-2 encoding (70 characters single, 67 concatenated); English-language traffic can use GSM-7.
| Country calling code | +91 (ITU-T E.164 assigned country codes, retrieved 2026-07-27) |
|---|---|
| E.164 format | +91 followed by the national subscriber number, no leading trunk zero, 15 digits maximum overall (ITU-T E.164) |
| Alphanumeric sender ID | pre registration (per TRAI DLT regulation for commercial SMS, retrieved 2026-07-26) |
| Registration regime | DLT |
| Dominant language(s) | Hindi/English |
| Native-text charset | UCS-2 — 70 characters per single SMS, 67 per concatenated segment (GSM 03.38 default alphabet vs script analysis, retrieved 2026-07-27) |
| Published smsroute rate | USD 0.0135 per message, dated snapshot (source, retrieved 2026-07-27). Current rate and send path: rate card for India |
Sender-ID rules
Sender headers and content templates must be registered on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform via a TRAI-registered telecom operator before sending. (per TRAI DLT regulation for commercial SMS, verified 2026-07-26)
Sender headers and content templates must be registered on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform via a TRAI-registered telecom operator before sending. Devanagari and other Indic scripts force UCS-2, while English-language traffic fits GSM-7. UCS-2 segments are therefore limited to 70 characters single or 67 concatenated.
Character set and message length
Native Hindi/English text is classed as UCS-2 here: 70 characters fit a single SMS and 67 per segment once a message is concatenated.
Devanagari and other Indic scripts force UCS-2; English-language traffic fits GSM-7.
To count segments for a concrete message, use the UDH segment surgeon; to compare all 40 countries side by side, the country requirements explorer reads the same open dataset (CC-BY 4.0).
Frequently asked
- Are alphanumeric sender IDs allowed for SMS to India?
- Alphanumeric sender IDs require pre-registration under the DLT regime. Sender headers and content templates must be registered on the DLT platform via a TRAI-registered telecom operator before sending.
- What charset and segment lengths apply to SMS in India?
- Charset class is UCS-2. Devanagari and other Indic scripts force UCS-2; English-language traffic fits GSM-7. UCS-2 supports 70 characters single or 67 concatenated.
- What is the calling code and published rate for India?
- The calling code is +91. The published rate is 0.0135 USD (retrieved 2026-07-27).
Related
- Ireland: SMS delivery facts
- Italy: SMS delivery facts
- Japan: SMS delivery facts
- Sender ID (glossary)
- GSM-7 (glossary) · UCS-2 (glossary)
- All 40 country fact sheets
Facts on this page are dated snapshots with named sources; rates change — the linked rate card is authoritative. Corrections: ops@smsroute.cc. Last verified 2026-07-27.