o send A2P SMS to Egypt you need an alphanumeric sender ID approved on all four mobile networks (Vodafone, Orange, e&/Etisalat Misr and WE), traffic that terminates on licensed local routes overseen by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), and, for marketing, prior opt-in consent plus a dedicated electronic-marketing licence from the Personal Data Protection Centre (PDPC) under Law No. 151 of 2020. Transactional messages such as one-time passcodes need the registered sender ID but not marketing consent. BroadNet files the sender-ID paperwork and delivers over direct connections to all four operators.
This guide summarises public rules as of 28 September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice — confirm your obligations with the regulator or your counsel before a campaign.
Key takeaways
- Regulator: the NTRA licenses operators, controls sender IDs and routing, and refers unlicensed bulk senders to the Public Prosecution.
- Sender ID: register an alphanumeric ID on Vodafone, Orange, e&/Etisalat Misr and WE; generic IDs such as INFO, SMS or NOTICE are rejected. Plan about two to three weeks.
- Routing: traffic must terminate through licensed local channels, not international grey routes.
- Marketing: prior, documented opt-in consent, a free opt-out and a separate PDPC electronic-marketing licence.
- Data protection: Law No. 151 of 2020 (PDPL); its Executive Regulations were issued in 2025 with a one-year grace period running into late 2026.
- Penalties: breaching the PDPL electronic-marketing rules carries a fine of EGP 200,000 to EGP 2,000,000.
Who regulates business SMS in Egypt?
Two bodies matter. The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) regulates the telecom sector: it licenses the operators, controls sender IDs and routing, and refers unlicensed bulk senders to the Public Prosecution. The Personal Data Protection Centre (PDPC) enforces the Personal Data Protection Law, Law No. 151 of 2020, which governs how you process the mobile numbers you send to.
Egypt has four mobile network operators: Vodafone, Orange, e&/Etisalat Misr and WE (Telecom Egypt). There is no single national A2P gateway, so reaching every subscriber means your sender ID must be provisioned on all four. Our Egypt SMS regulations page keeps the reference summary and its sources.
How do you register a sender ID in Egypt?
Every commercial sender pre-registers an alphanumeric sender ID and has it approved across the Egyptian networks before going live. Two-way (long-code) A2P messaging is generally not supported, so the alphanumeric ID is the normal way to send. Registration is submitted with:
- your company's commercial registration and tax ID;
- your website;
- sample message content for each use case;
- a signed No-Objection Certificate.
Generic IDs such as INFO, SMS or NOTICE and IDs with special characters are rejected. Sender IDs can be Latin or Arabic, and one ID is registered per use case per entity, so plan separate IDs if you send both marketing and one-time passcodes. Approval commonly takes about two to three weeks; BroadNet plans for 7–14 business days once the documents are complete. See how sender-ID registration works in Egypt for the short version.
Why do licensed local routes matter?
Egypt requires A2P traffic to terminate through NTRA-sanctioned local operator or aggregator channels. Traffic that bypasses them on international grey routes risks being filtered or blocked, and senders and intermediaries can face enforcement, including referral to the Public Prosecution with possible fines and equipment confiscation. Operators also run fraud management against SIM-box and interconnect-bypass traffic.
The practical effect for a sender is simple: a cheaper route that is not licensed is not cheaper once messages stop arriving. Read what grey routes are and direct versus grey routes in A2P SMS for how to tell them apart.
What is the difference between promotional and transactional SMS in Egypt?
| Requirement | Promotional / marketing | Transactional / service (OTP, alerts) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered sender ID on all networks | Yes | Yes |
| Prior opt-in consent | Yes | No, for existing customers |
| Separate PDPC electronic-marketing licence | Yes | No |
| Licensed local routing | Yes | Yes |
Transactional messages (one-time passcodes, order and delivery alerts, banking notifications, appointment reminders) are permitted for users with an existing business relationship. Promotional messages need prior opt-in consent and a working opt-out. Labelling marketing as transactional is a common compliance failure: keep separate sender IDs and separate consent records for each category.
What does Law No. 151 of 2020 require for SMS marketing?
The PDPL requires a lawful basis, normally explicit consent, to process mobile numbers for marketing. Its Executive Regulations were issued in 2025 with a one-year compliance grace period that runs into late 2026. Direct electronic marketing also requires a dedicated PDPC permit or licence, separate from general processing, and data-subject rights and cross-border obligations apply.
- Obtain and log explicit opt-in before any promotional SMS.
- Offer a free, easy opt-out in the recipient's language and stop on withdrawal.
- Suppress opted-out and do-not-disturb numbers on every send.
- Keep consent records that show when, where and how each number opted in.
Breaching the electronic-marketing rules carries a fine of EGP 200,000 to EGP 2,000,000, and unsolicited bulk messaging has been referred by the NTRA to the Public Prosecution.
What content is not allowed?
Content must be lawful and not deceptive. Political, religious, gambling, adult and other unsolicited content is prohibited by NTRA and operator policy, and the content you send should match what was registered against the sender ID. A new use case usually means a new registration, not a new message on an old ID.
How should you write messages for Egyptian recipients?
Arabic messages use UCS-2 encoding, which fits 70 characters in a single SMS instead of 160, so an Arabic template that runs long is billed as several segments. Keep one-time-passcode messages short and put the code first. A typical OTP template looks like this:
- English: BroadNet: your code 581204 — valid 10 minutes.
- Arabic: BroadNet: رمزك 581204 — صالح 10 دقائق.
For the segment maths, read GSM-7 and UCS-2 encoding explained.
Launch checklist for Egypt
- Decide your use cases (OTP, alerts, marketing) and the sender ID for each.
- Collect the commercial registration, tax ID, website, sample content and the signed No-Objection Certificate.
- Register the sender IDs on all four networks through a licensed route; allow about two to three weeks.
- For marketing: set up opt-in capture and consent records, a free opt-out, and apply for the PDPC electronic-marketing licence.
- Build Arabic and English templates within the segment length you intend to pay for.
- Test with delivery receipts (DLRs) on each network before the first campaign.
How long does it take to go live with BroadNet?
Request test access and an engineer replies within one business day with test credentials; the first test SMS usually goes out about five minutes after you have them. Integration typically takes 2–5 business days and sender-ID and compliance approval 3–10 business days, in parallel, so most markets reach production in 5–15 business days. In Egypt the sender-ID lead time is the long pole, so plan roughly 8–19 business days from your request to production. Start with the Egypt coverage page, check SMS pricing and send traffic through the A2P SMS platform or the SMS API. If traffic stalls, our guide to troubleshooting Egypt delivery lists the usual causes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register a sender ID to send SMS to Egypt?
Yes. Every commercial sender must pre-register an alphanumeric sender ID and have it approved on all four Egyptian networks before going live. Registration needs your commercial registration, tax ID, website, sample content and a signed No-Objection Certificate.
How long does Egyptian sender-ID approval take?
Commonly about two to three weeks. BroadNet plans for 7–14 business days once your documents are complete.
Can I use a generic sender ID such as INFO?
No. Generic IDs such as INFO, SMS or NOTICE and IDs with special characters are rejected. Use an ID that identifies your brand, in Latin or Arabic script.
Do OTP messages need consent in Egypt?
Transactional messages such as one-time passcodes are permitted for users with an existing business relationship and do not need marketing consent. They still need a registered sender ID and licensed routing.
What is the PDPC electronic-marketing licence?
Under Law No. 151 of 2020, direct electronic marketing requires a dedicated permit or licence from the Personal Data Protection Centre, separate from general data processing.
What are the penalties for SMS marketing without consent?
Breaching the PDPL electronic-marketing rules carries a fine of EGP 200,000 to EGP 2,000,000, and unlicensed or unsolicited bulk senders can be referred to the Public Prosecution.
Do I need to reach all four operators?
Effectively yes. There is no single national A2P gateway, so your sender ID must be provisioned on Vodafone, Orange, e&/Etisalat Misr and WE to reach the whole market.
Reviewed 28 September 2026 against our Egypt SMS regulations reference and its official source (the NTRA, tra.gov.eg). See our editorial standards.