Fundamentals BroadNet answer

What is a sender ID?

Last reviewed July 22, 20261 min readReviewed by BroadNet engineering

Quick answer

A sender ID is the 'from' identity a recipient sees on an A2P SMS. It can be an alphanumeric string (up to 11 GSM-7 characters, typically a brand name), a numeric long code, or a short code. Alphanumeric sender IDs let brands show a recognisable name instead of a number, but most countries require them to be pre-registered with the regulator or operator before traffic will deliver.

Plain-language definitionVendor-neutralReviewed July 22, 2026

DiagramSender ID registration, step by step

Submit your KYC packTrade licence, authorisation letter and sample messages
BroadNet files the applicationWith the operators or the regulator, as the market requires
Review and approval
Send under your brandYour approved sender ID on every message

The long answer

Everything worth knowing, nothing that isn't.

§01

Alphanumeric vs numeric vs short code

Alphanumeric IDs are one-way (the recipient can't reply) and ideal for OTPs and notifications. Long codes are two-way and support conversational replies. Short codes offer the highest throughput for large campaigns. Some markets — notably the United States — do not allow alphanumeric IDs at all and require 10DLC, toll-free, or short codes instead. See /answers/what-is-short-code-vs-long-code.

§02

Registration and spoofing

Sender-ID registration is per country and often per operator; unregistered IDs are dropped by the operator's SMS firewall. Because the SMS 'from' field is trivially spoofable on grey routes, sender-ID spoofing is a common smishing vector — defended by firewalls, registration enforcement, and verified-sender channels like RCS Business Messaging. See /answers/sender-id-registration-uae-tdra and /answers/what-is-sender-id-spoofing.

BNWritten by the BroadNet engineering team·Operating carrier-grade messaging since 2003, headquartered in Dubai·Editorial standards

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