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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.

+91 XXX XXX XXXcountry code (India)national subscriber numberE.164 caps the whole string at 15 digits - the example digits are placeholders(national number length varies by market); only the +91 prefix is India-specific
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 IDpre registration (per TRAI DLT regulation for commercial SMS, retrieved 2026-07-26)
Registration regimeDLT
Dominant language(s)Hindi/English
Native-text charsetUCS-2 — 70 characters per single SMS, 67 per concatenated segment (GSM 03.38 default alphabet vs script analysis, retrieved 2026-07-27)
Published smsroute rateUSD 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.

UCS-2 (70 chars/segment, 67 concatenated)1 segment = 70 chars2 segments = 134 chars3 segments = 201 chars
Cost per message at the published rate (0.0135 USD, 2026-07-27)1 segment = $0.01352 segments = $0.0273 segments = $0.0405Multipart messages are commonly billed per segment - the segment ruler above shows where each boundary falls.

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).

Every figure above is maintained by SMSRoute guides with a named source and retrieval date - the machine-readable copy for India lives in api/v2/countries.json (CC-BY), field-level provenance included.

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).
How do I test SMS delivery to India without a local SIM?
Delivery-testing services send to real local numbers; SMSRoute accounts include free test credits that prove delivery.
Can I use my company name as the sender ID for SMS to India?
Yes, but 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.

Related

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.