Imagine receiving an SMS that simply says “NOTICE” or shows an unknown international number. Now, imagine receiving the same message with “BankAlerts” or your brand name displayed. Which would you trust more?
That is the strength of SMS delivery using a custom sender ID. If you are a fintech company in Kenya, an online store in the UAE, or a school in Nigeria sending reports on student attendance, having your company brand name as the sender ID increases credibility, delivery, and customer engagement. But how does it work? So, can any business instantaneously send SMS with a sender ID including a custom name, and what is the catch?
This article addresses the process of sending SMS with the custom sender ID, the registration requirements, the regulation of the process across the countries, and the practical instructions to follow to implement it using major SMS gateways, such as Africala and SMSala, that have become renowned for streamlining business messaging across continents.
What is a Custom SMS Sender ID?
Let us break it down before getting down to implementation.
Sender ID is the alphanumeric or numeric information that shows up on the cell phone of a recipient when he or she receives your SMS. There are two primary types:
- Dynamic Sender ID: A unique numeric ID, such as a mobile number or long code.
- Custom/Branded Sender ID: Alphanumeric text such as “Africala” or “SMSala” representing a business or service.
A custom sender ID helps recipients identify your brand instantly, increasing open rates by up to 25% compared to generic numeric sender IDs (Source: MobileSquared).
Why Businesses Prefer to Send SMS with Custom Sender ID
Here are five clear benefits:
- Brand Trust and Recognition
Customers recognise your brand name immediately, reducing suspicion and spam perception. - Higher Engagement
Branded SMS has 19% higher open rates than generic messages (Source: Mobile Marketing Watch). - Professional Communication
Especially critical for banks, e-commerce platforms, and healthcare updates. - Reduced Fraud Risk
Fraudulent SMS using generic IDs are easier to exploit; custom IDs authenticate your message origin. - Consistency Across Campaigns
Customers will never wonder “Who is this from?” when seeing “Africala” or “SMSala” as the sender ID.
How Does SMS Sender ID Work?
When you use a bulk SMS gateway, a sender ID platform like SMSala or Africala:
- You register your desired sender ID with the platform.
- The platform submits it to local carriers for approval (some countries are instant, others take days).
- Upon approval, every outbound SMS you send uses this registered name as the sender.
Key Technical Note:
- Custom sender IDs are generally one-way. Recipients cannot reply directly to an alphanumeric sender ID. If two-way messaging is needed, you will require a virtual number or short code.
Steps to Send SMS with a Custom Sender ID
1. Choose a Trusted SMS Gateway
Select an SMS provider offering sender ID registration and approval services. For instance:
- SMSala
Trusted for global delivery, easy sender ID registration, and robust API integration for OTP, alerts, and marketing campaigns. - Africala
Widely used in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Africala simplifies sender ID registration across networks with minimal paperwork, ensuring brands appear verified and professional.
2. Register Your Sender ID
Requirements Typically Include:
- Business registration documents
(e.g., Certificate of Incorporation) - Purpose of SMS usage
Transactional, promotional, or OTP. - Letter of Authorisation
Sometimes required in regulated countries like India, Kenya, Nigeria, UAE.
Example:
In Nigeria, to use a custom sender ID, NCC regulations require a formal letter with a business stamp submitted to your SMS provider for DND compliance and whitelisting.
3. Sender ID Approval Timeline
Approval varies by country:
| Country | Estimated Approval Time | Regulatory Note |
| India | 3-5 days | DLT registration mandatory |
| Kenya | 2-3 days | Requires operator approval |
| UAE | Instant-1 day | Etisalat and Du approval |
| UK | Instant | No restrictions |
| Nigeria | 3-7 days | NCC compliance mandatory |
Always check your provider’s updated regulatory table before planning campaigns.
4. Integrate via API or Dashboard
Once approved, use your SMS gateway’s:
- Dashboard: For manual campaign sending.
- API: For automated OTPs, alerts, or marketing messages from your CRM or app backend.
Example:
A fintech integrating Africala’s SMS API can trigger OTPs with “FinTrust” as sender ID, ensuring instant brand recognition and faster user verification completion rates.
5. Send Test Messages
Always test:
- Correct display on major networks
- Message content and encoding (especially Unicode for languages like Arabic or Hindi)
- Delivery reports from your SMS gateway dashboard
Common Challenges with SMS Sender ID
Regulatory Restrictions
Countries like India enforce DLT registration for every sender ID. Failure to register leads to message blocking.
No Two-Way Replies
Branded sender IDs cannot receive SMS replies. For support conversations, businesses use virtual numbers or shortcodes.
Approval Delays
Incomplete documentation or incorrect formats (e.g., exceeding character limits, special characters) cause delays.
Network Overrides
In rare cases, international routes overwrite sender IDs with numeric gateways due to grey routes. Using direct routes via providers like Africala and SMSala avoids this.
Global Case Study: Africala in Kenya
Problem:
A Nairobi-based e-commerce platform, ShopZa, noticed low engagement from promotional SMS sent via generic numeric sender IDs.
Solution:
They partnered with Africala for their Bulk SMS Kenya services to register “ShopZa” as a custom sender ID. Approval took 48 hours with Safaricom and Airtel.
Result:
- Open rates rose from 62% to 87%
- Customer trust improved, with 40% of recipients clicking SMS links compared to 22% before.
(Source: Africala Case Files, 2024)
Data-Backed Insights on Custom Sender IDs
🔹 90% of SMS are read within 3 minutes when the sender is recognisable (GSMA Intelligence).
🔹 Transaction SMS CTR rises by 14-25% when using brand sender IDs instead of random long codes (MobileSquared).
🔹 SMSala’s delivery report analysis (2024) showed that OTP delivery failures due to unregistered sender IDs accounted for 18% of all failures in markets like India and Nigeria.
How to Choose the Best Bulk SMS Sender ID Provider
Direct Operator Connectivity
Choose providers with direct connections to avoid overwritten sender IDs. Africala, for instance, has direct operator agreements across Africa and Asia.
Fast Approval Support
SMSala’s dedicated compliance team ensures quick DLT and sender ID approvals, critical for timely campaign launches.
End-to-end API and Dashboard
You can easily connect your CRM, ecommerce store, or app backend with robust APIs to automate messaging workflows.
Transparent Pricing
There are providers who hide sender ID registration costs. Before you get a shock, confirm all payments in advance.
Tips to Maximise Sender ID Effectiveness
Make it brief and familiar (e.g., Africala, SMSala rather than generic INFO).
Avoid special characters or spaces; the majority of networks disable them.
To comply with the rules, use the registered names only for effective purposes.
Monitor the rate of delivery and rotate routes in case you observe losses in delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is it possible to write any name as my sender ID?
No. It must be your registered business name or brand trademark, and networks may reject generic terms like “Alert” or “Info”.
Q2. Is sender ID approval required in every country?
No. Some countries, like the UK or the USA, allow instant usage without registration, while others, like India and Nigeria, mandate approval.
Q3. Can recipients reply to my sender ID?
Not if you’re using an alphanumeric sender ID. You’ll need a virtual number for two-way SMS conversations.
Q4. What is the duration of the sender ID approval?
It is either instant or up to 7 days, according to the rules of the country and the network operator.
Q5. What is the distinction between the numeric sender ID and the custom sender ID?
- Numeric Sender ID: Displays a number; mostly in two-way communication.
- Custom Sender ID: Displays your brand name; ideal to be used on one-way alerts, OTP, or promotion messages.
Final Thoughts
Using a custom sender ID in your SMS is not merely a matter of appearance; but it has a direct effect on customer trust, engagement, and response to the message. Companies around the world are using branded sender IDs to deal with inbox clutter, compliance, and increase conversion.
It is easier than ever due to the direct connectivity offered by providers such as Africala and SMSala, simplified registration processes, and APIs powerful enough to connect it directly to your business processes.
Whether you have been using a branded sender ID with your business or not, there is no better time than now to get on the journey to gaining instant trust with every text, every time.