Hong Kong: SMS delivery facts
SMS delivery to Hong Kong uses the +852 calling code. Alphanumeric sender IDs are allowed and commonly used without a centralized government sender-ID registry. The charset class is UCS-2 as Chinese characters force UCS-2 encoding at 70 characters per single segment, while English traffic fits GSM-7.
| Country calling code | +852 (ITU-T E.164 assigned country codes, retrieved 2026-07-27) |
|---|---|
| E.164 format | +852 followed by the national subscriber number, no leading trunk zero, 15 digits maximum overall (ITU-T E.164) |
| Alphanumeric sender ID | allowed (per Hong Kong mobile operator practice, retrieved 2026-07-26) |
| Registration regime | no registration scheme |
| Dominant language(s) | Cantonese/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 0.02 per message, dated snapshot (source, retrieved 2026-07-27). Current rate and send path: rate card for Hong Kong |
Sender-ID rules
Alphanumeric sender IDs are commonly used without a centralized government sender-ID registry. (per Hong Kong mobile operator practice, verified 2026-07-26)
Alphanumeric sender IDs are commonly used without a centralized government sender-ID registry, reflecting a sender-ID no registration scheme per Hong Kong mobile operator practice. Chinese characters force UCS-2; English traffic fits GSM-7. UCS-2 therefore yields 70-character single segments or 67 concatenated, versus 160 and 153 for GSM-7.
Character set and message length
Native Cantonese/English text is classed as UCS-2 here: 70 characters fit a single SMS and 67 per segment once a message is concatenated.
Chinese characters force UCS-2; English 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).
Every figure above is maintained by SMSRoute guides with a named source and retrieval date - the machine-readable copy for Hong Kong lives in api/v2/countries.json (CC-BY), field-level provenance included.
Frequently asked
- Are alphanumeric sender IDs allowed for SMS to Hong Kong?
- Yes, alphanumeric sender IDs are allowed per Hong Kong mobile operator practice and are commonly used without a centralized government sender-ID registry.; there is no sender-ID registration scheme.
- What charset and segment lengths apply to SMS in Hong Kong?
- The charset class is UCS-2. Chinese characters force UCS-2; English traffic fits GSM-7. UCS-2 segments are 70 single or 67 concatenated; GSM-7 segments are 160 single or 153 concatenated.
- What is the calling code and published SMS rate for Hong Kong?
- The calling code is +852. The published rate is 0.02 USD, retrieved 2026-07-27.
- How do I test SMS delivery to Hong Kong without a local SIM?
- Delivery-testing services send to real local Hong Kong numbers. SMSRoute accounts include free test credits that prove delivery.
- Can I use my company name as the sender for SMS to Hong Kong?
- Yes. Alphanumeric sender IDs are allowed and commonly used in Hong Kong without a centralized government sender-ID registry.
Related
- DLR status codes behind Hong Kong delivery reports
- Metrics to check before trusting a Hong Kong route
- India: SMS delivery facts
- Ireland: SMS delivery facts
- Italy: 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.