China SMS registration and template guidelines

According to regulations in China, SMS messaging is restricted to Long Codes for compliance purposes. Typically, to help end-users identify message senders, signatures enclosed in Unicode【】brackets are often added at the start of a message.

Registration of templates is mandatory as any unregistered templates will be rejected. You must send an exact match of the template you have registered.

Before you begin, check the basics of China coverage, restrictions, and current regulations.

Registration requirements

The signature is one of the most important items for SMS registration in China. The signature can mirror the sender's name since only the Long Code will be displayed on the end user's handset. The signature is added by default so there is no need to add the signature in the message when sending it.

Check out the following signature restrictions:

• It is strongly recommended to use a Chinese signature, as English signatures are highly likely to be rejected by suppliers. The signature must be consistent with the registered trademark, company name, or ICP filing to ensure compliance.
• The signature can consist of 2-8 Chinese characters, with a minimum requirement of 2 characters.
• Numbers, white space, and special characters should not be included in the signature.
• Only 【】 brackets can be used to register the signature. If [ ] brackets are used, the message will not being processed and will be directly blocked by the MNO.

SMS content regulations

In accordance with the "Notice on Further Clarifying the Relevant Requirements for Port Short Message Services" and the "Implementation Rules for the Operation and Access Management of Port Short Message Services," issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), new, stricter regulations have been introduced to protect user rights and improve market governance. Effective immediately, Chinese telecom operators will enforce tighter controls on SMS content.

All telecom networks across China and its administrative regions are required to promptly implement these regulations, which are designed to clean up and regulate the SMS service market. As a result, there may be instances where traffic is blocked without prior notice, potentially affecting legitimate and registered customer traffic. To help mitigate potential issues, we are providing the following key information for our customers.

Documentation requirements

For both international and local clients handling financial and non-financial traffic, the following documentation is required:

• China business license: Issued by the mainland China government and Trademark Certificate.
  • If the signature corresponds to the company name from the Business License, you must provide the Business License only.
  • If the signature corresponds to the trademark, you must provide both the Business License and the Trademark Certificate.
• China citizen ID
• Contract between Infobip and client: Include the first and stamped pages, or a
• Letter of Autorization according to your company type.

Direct client

Please use the Letter of Authorization (end client to reseller or direct client to Infobip) (opens in a new tab) template.

To fill out the Letter of Authorization, follow these steps:

1. Enter the signature you wish to register for your SMS traffic.
2. If you are a direct client, enter "Infobip" as the recipient. For resellers/wholesale clients, please provide the full chain of LOAs, including the one from the end client to the reseller and from the reseller to Infobip.
3. Include the company name that owns the signature.
4. Provide the company name, company stamp, and the validity date of the LOA.

Wholesales/partners client

Please provide two LOA:

1. LOA from end client to reseller - you may use the above template
2. Letter of Authorization (reseller to Infobip) (opens in a new tab)

To fill out the Letter of Authorization, follow these steps:

1. List the wholesales/partner/reseller company name.
2. Include the company name that owns the signature.
3. Enter the signature you wish to register for your SMS traffic.
4. Insert company name, company stamp, and the validity date of the LOA.

Generic sender and signature

If clients cannot provide the required documents, you may opt to use a generic sender and signature for SMS traffic. To proceed, you must provide all message templates as they need to be safelisted by the operators.

Please note an additional fee will apply for using a generic sender. For more details, please contact your account manager.

Key points

• Generic senders/signatures are shared across multiple clients, instead of using unique client-specific ones.
• Clients may include their brand name within the message content, but this is subject to approval, as certain words (especially related to financial topics) are blocked by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).
• Suppliers provide these generic senders/signatures to Infobip, excessive or abusive use (spamming) of generic signatures may result in the service being blocked for all clients.
• Generic senders/signatures are strictly limited to pure OTP for financial/game related customers and OTP/transactional traffic for non-financial/game related customers.
• Wholesale/Partner clients need to provide the LOA.

Please use the Letter of Authorization — Reseller generic SID (opens in a new tab) template.

To fill out the Letter of Authorization, follow these steps:

1. Insert your company letterhead.
2. Add your company name and address.
3. Add the date when the LOA was filled out.
4. Add your company name and company registration number.
5. Add your company name.
6. Provide the details for the generic sender that you want to use.
7. Add your company name.
8. Provide the authorized signature of the company representative.

Contact cpaas_registrations@infobip.com for more information on the available generic signatures.

Template registration

For template registration, provide all the templates you intend to use. You may submit them via an Excel document. Be sure to highlight the variables that are not fixed and can be personalized based on the recipient of the SMS.

Example: "XXXX is your OTP," where "XXXX" will change depending on the situation.

Once all requirements and documents are completed, you can:

• Direct customers (end customers) - start the Sender ID registration process here (opens in a new tab), and click the Request Sender button under Alphanumeric Sender ID. Provide the necessary details and submit the request.
• Wholesales/partner - contact wholesale_registrations@infobip.com and your dedicated account manager, and provide the documents along with the required sender information.