Short answer: in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, a business sender ID (the brand name shown instead of a phone number, up to 11 characters) must be set up with the mobile operators before your SMS will deliver. In Iraq, the licensed SMS provider must also notify the regulator of each client's sender ID. Oman brought in a new regulation in August 2026: promotional sender IDs must start with "AD", and promotional messages may be sent only from 8:00 to 21:00. Qatar bans direct marketing between 21:00 and 9:00, and Bahrain allows bulk promotional messages only from 9:00 to 20:00. Kuwait's regulator has not published a sender-ID rule, so registration is handled with each operator. Prepare your commercial registration, an authorisation letter and sample messages, and register before you launch.
Rules checked on 23 October 2026 at the regulators' own documents (CMC Iraq, CITRA Kuwait, CRA Qatar, TRA Oman via the published decision, TRA Bahrain) and at operator pages (Asiacell, Ooredoo Qatar, Vodafone Qatar, stc Bahrain, Batelco). Where we could not find an official text, we say so. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Country | Regulator | Where the sender ID is set up | Promotional sending hours | Rule to know in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | Communications and Media Commission (CMC) | With the operators; the licensed SMS provider notifies the CMC of each client's sender ID | No hours found in the CMC's published rules | International messages need the CMC's prior written approval |
| Kuwait | Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) | With each operator (Zain, Ooredoo, stc) | No hours found in CITRA's published rules | CITRA has published no sender-ID regulation; confirm requirements with each operator |
| Qatar | Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) | With each operator (Ooredoo, Vodafone) | No direct marketing from 21:00 to 9:00 | Opt-out by replying STOP or the Arabic word, honoured within 2 business days |
| Oman | Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) | Activated by the licensed operator, which shares it with the other operators | 8:00 to 21:00 Oman time | Promotional sender IDs must start with AD (regulation in force since 17 August 2026) |
| Bahrain | Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) | With each operator (Batelco, Zain, stc) | 9:00 to 20:00 Bahrain time | One promotional bulk message per day to each recipient from each sender, unless the recipient agrees to more |
What do the five markets have in common?
- Brand-matched sender IDs. The sender ID should be your trade or legal name. Generic names such as INFO or SMS are refused, and Oman's new regulation bans them outright.
- Registration with every operator. A sender ID that is live on one network may not be live on another. Make sure your provider has it activated on every operator in the country, or some of your customers will not receive your messages.
- Separate sender IDs for marketing and for transactions. Keep one-time passcodes, order updates and alerts on a different sender ID from promotions. Consent and time rules apply to promotions, and you do not want an OTP blocked because of a marketing complaint.
- Consent first for marketing. All five require consent before promotional messages, and Qatar's rules say the sender must be able to prove it.
- Standard documents. Expect to provide your commercial registration, an authorisation letter on company letterhead signed by an authorised person, the exact sender ID requested, the purpose of the traffic and sample messages.
Iraq: CMC notice and the licensed operators
Bulk SMS in Iraq is a value-added service licensed by the Communications and Media Commission (CMC). Its value-added services regulation, issued by Board of Commissioners decision No. 27 of 31 March 2026, requires the licensed provider to notify the CMC of each client's sender ID before signing the client (Article 7, clause 19). It also prohibits passing international messages into Iraq without the CMC's prior written approval, and it requires the user's prior consent, naming the type of content, before anyone is added to a service. We found no quiet-hours rule in the CMC's published texts.
The operators set the format. Asiacell offers alphanumeric sender IDs of "maximum length is 11 Character in English Language", asks for an authorisation letter and says it takes "up to two working days" to process a bulk SMS request (Asiacell). Plan on a Latin-character sender ID.
The CMC calls Asiacell and Zain Iraq "the two licensed mobile companies" (CMC). Our Iraq A2P SMS guide and the Iraq regulation page give more detail.
Kuwait: register with each operator
The Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), set up by Law No. 37 of 2014, regulates telecoms in Kuwait. We checked its published regulations, decisions and consultations and found no rule on SMS sender IDs or spam (CITRA). The only SMS licence CITRA lists is for value-added SMS services such as voting or information services, which is a separate business licence, not sender-ID registration.
In practice, the three operators, Zain, Ooredoo and stc, each register the brand sender ID on their own network, so full reach means approval on all three. Personal data falls under CITRA's Data Privacy Protection Regulation (Resolution No. 26 of 2024), which requires explicit consent. Requirements can differ by operator, so ask your provider for each network's current document list. Details are on our Kuwait regulation page.
Qatar: 9 pm to 9 am ban and STOP opt-out
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) regulates telecoms in Qatar. Its Spam Regulation, as amended in 2017, sets the direct-marketing rules (CRA Spam Regulation):
- "No Direct Marketing shall be sent without the prior consent of the recipient", and the sender must be able to prove that consent at any time.
- "No Direct Marketing shall be sent between the hours of 21:00/9:00pm and 9:00/9:00am."
- Each message must say that the recipient can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP or the Arabic equivalent, in any letter case. The opt-out must take effect within two business days, and the sender must confirm it.
- The message must identify who sent it and how to contact them, in Arabic and English, and those details must stay valid for at least 30 days.
In October 2024 the CRA issued a Communications Consumer Protection Policy and Regulation that covers direct marketing and spam and replaces the earlier rules after a transition period, so check the current text with your provider (CRA). Sender IDs are registered with the two operators. Ooredoo lets business customers "register unlimited sender IDs (with your brand name) without any additional cost", and Vodafone Qatar lets you set up a sender ID for free (Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar). See our Qatar regulation page.
Oman: the new 2026 regulation, AD prefix and sending hours
Oman has the biggest change of 2026. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) issued Decision No. 1152/2/36/2026-10 on 12 August 2026, a regulation on promotional and service calls and messages and value-added services. It was published in Official Gazette No. 1661 on 16 August 2026, took effect the next day, and gives licensees up to six months to comply (published text). The main rules for senders are:
- Brand name only. The sender ID must represent the sender's trade or legal name, and generic sender IDs are banned (Article 6).
- AD prefix. Sender IDs used for promotional messages must start with "AD" (Article 6).
- Declared purpose and documents. The sender declares whether the messages are promotional, service, public-interest or value-added, and provides a copy of its commercial registration with an authorised signature (Article 6).
- Operator activation. Only the licensed operator activates sender IDs, and when an operator shares a local sender ID with the other operators, they must activate it within two working days (Articles 3 and 12).
- Local routing. Local senders buy bulk SMS only from a licensed operator or a TRA-authorised reseller, and a local sender's ID must not be routed through an international intermediary (Articles 5 and 11).
- Sending hours. Promotional messages and calls are allowed only from 8:00 to 21:00 Oman time (Article 16).
Oman's Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree 6/2022) adds that the controller must obtain the person's written consent before sending any advertising or marketing material (Article 22), with fines of 1,000 to 5,000 Omani rials for a breach. See our Oman regulation page.
Bahrain: 9 am to 8 pm and one message a day
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Bahrain regulates bulk messaging through Resolution No. 1 of 2011, the Regulation on Commercial Bulk Messaging. It defines a bulk message as a commercial or promotional message sent to 100 or more recipients, and it requires (TRA Bahrain):
- Messages only to recipients who have "expressly consented", with records of that consent.
- Sending only "between the hours of 09:00 a.m. and 08:00 p.m." Bahrain time.
- One bulk message per day to each recipient from each source, unless the recipient agrees otherwise.
- The sender's identity and a valid telephone number or email address in each message, together with opt-out details. Operators must offer a free opt-out.
Sender IDs are registered with each operator. stc Bahrain's application form says the sender ID must be "Your own name or a company or firm's name owned or managed by You", may have no more than 11 characters and takes 24 hours to register (stc Bahrain). Batelco charges BD 1.000 a month for each additional sender ID (Batelco). Personal data is also covered by Bahrain's Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 30 of 2018). See our Bahrain regulation page.
Promotional vs transactional messages: what changes?
| Requirement | Promotional messages | Transactional messages (OTP, alerts, order updates) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered, brand-matched sender ID | Required in all five countries | Required in all five countries |
| Prior consent | Required in all five countries | Based on the existing customer relationship or the user's request |
| Sending hours | Qatar, Oman and Bahrain set fixed windows | No fixed window; send when the customer needs the message |
| Opt-out wording in each message | Required in Qatar and Bahrain; Oman requires operators to provide opt-out | Not required, but never add promotional content to these messages |
| AD prefix on the sender ID | Required in Oman | Not used |
Message content decides the category, not the label you give it. A passcode with a discount offer attached is a promotional message, so it needs consent, must use the promotional sender ID and must respect the sending hours.
How do you register a sender ID with BroadNet?
- Choose the sender ID. Use your brand or company name, up to 11 Latin characters, and decide which IDs are for promotions and which are for transactions. In Oman, promotional IDs need the AD prefix.
- Prepare the documents. Commercial registration, an authorisation letter on company letterhead, a short description of the traffic and two or three sample messages.
- Send them to BroadNet. We file with the operators in each country you need and keep you updated until the ID is active on every network.
- Test before launch. Send test messages to numbers on each operator and check the delivery reports before you start a campaign.
- Schedule within the windows. Set promotional campaigns inside each country's legal hours. Our send window planner and the guide to SMS sending hours by country help.
BroadNet delivers SMS over direct operator connections across the Gulf. Check your sender ID with the sender ID validator, see per-country rates on our Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Iraq SMS pricing pages, and compare all markets on our regulations hub.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register a sender ID to send SMS in Kuwait?
Yes, in practice. CITRA has not published a sender-ID regulation, but each operator (Zain, Ooredoo and stc) registers brand sender IDs on its own network. To reach every subscriber, the ID must be approved on all three. Ask your provider for each operator's current document list.
What are the SMS marketing hours in Qatar?
Under the CRA Spam Regulation, direct marketing may not be sent between 21:00 and 9:00. Marketing also needs the recipient's prior consent, and each message must offer an opt-out by replying STOP or the Arabic equivalent.
What does the AD prefix mean in Oman?
Under TRA Decision No. 1152/2/36/2026-10, sender IDs used for promotional messages must start with "AD", so recipients can recognise advertising. Service messages, such as passcodes and order updates, use a sender ID without the prefix.
What are the promotional SMS hours in Oman and Bahrain?
Oman allows promotional messages from 8:00 to 21:00 Oman time under its 2026 TRA regulation. Bahrain allows bulk promotional messages from 9:00 to 20:00 Bahrain time under TRA Resolution No. 1 of 2011, and no more than one a day to each recipient from each sender unless the recipient agrees to more.
Can I use an Arabic sender ID in Iraq?
Plan on a Latin sender ID. Asiacell states that alphanumeric sender IDs can have up to 11 characters in English. Message text can be in Arabic or Kurdish, but those scripts use UCS-2 encoding, so each SMS part holds up to 70 characters (67 per part in a longer, multi-part message).
How long does sender ID registration take in these countries?
The regulators do not publish lead times. Operators state short processing times where they publish one: Asiacell up to two working days, stc Bahrain 24 hours, and in Oman other operators must activate a shared ID within two working days. Collecting documents and approval on every network takes longer, so register well before launch.
Do OTP messages need consent in the Gulf?
Passcodes are sent because the user asked for them, so they rely on that request rather than marketing consent, and the promotional time windows do not apply. They still need a registered sender ID, and they must not carry promotional content.
Sources
- Iraq: Communications and Media Commission, value-added services regulation (decision No. 27 of 31 March 2026) and notice on the licensed mobile companies (cmc.iq); Asiacell bulk SMS. Accessed 23 October 2026.
- Kuwait: CITRA, published regulations and value-added SMS service. Accessed 23 October 2026.
- Qatar: CRA, Spam Regulation (Amended), 6 August 2017 and Communications Consumer Protection Policy and Regulation; Ooredoo Qatar and Vodafone Qatar business SMS pages. Accessed 23 October 2026.
- Oman: TRA Decision No. 1152/2/36/2026-10, Official Gazette No. 1661, 16 August 2026 (text); Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree 6/2022 (text). Accessed 23 October 2026.
- Bahrain: TRA, Regulation on Commercial Bulk Messaging, Resolution No. 1 of 2011; stc Bahrain bulk messaging form; Batelco SMS. Accessed 23 October 2026.
Launching SMS in the Gulf or Iraq? Send BroadNet your sender ID request and we will register it with the operators in every country you need, before your first campaign.