A2P SMS, OTP, and sender ID rules in Iraq.
BroadNet delivers A2P SMS and OTP in Iraq over direct connections to Asiacell, Zain Iraq, and Korek, with CMC sender ID registration in 7-14 business days. Direct binds with Asiacell, Zain Iraq, and Korek with CMC-aligned sender ID registration handled via BroadNet's Baghdad operator relationship.
From-rates by channel in Iraq
- SMSfrom$0.0450per SMSIndicative list rate, reviewed September 24, 2026Volume pricing available
- OTPRequest a quote Channel list rate from $0.0120 per verification (all markets)
- WhatsAppRequest a quote Channel list rate from $0.0135 per template message (all markets)
- RCSRequest a quote Channel list rate from $0.0080 per session (all markets)
- VoiceRequest a quote Channel list rate from $0.0150 per minute (all markets)
Indicative list prices in USD, excluding taxes and sender-ID registration fees. Final per-operator pricing is confirmed in your quote.
The Iraq A2P market at a glance.
Iraq is served by 3 licensed mobile networks (Asiacell, Zain Iraq, and Korek) covering a subscriber base of 42M. Communications and Media Commission (CMC) regulates A2P messaging and sender-ID registration. Sender IDs registered through CMC-licensed operators. Arabic + Latin both supported. Some operators require deposit per ID. CMC enforces content rules around political and religious material. Pre-paid market — DLR rates vary by region. Local Iraqi entity recommended for direct billing.
Technical facts for Iraq
Network codes, message lengths and sender-ID rules in one table. Segment lengths are the GSM standard values (3GPP TS 23.038).
| Mobile country code (MCC) | 418 |
|---|---|
| Dialling code | +964 |
| Operators (MCC-MNC) |
|
| SMS length, GSM-7 (Latin alphabet) | 160 characters in a single SMS; 153 per part when concatenated |
| SMS length, UCS-2 (Arabic, Cyrillic and other scripts) | 70 characters in a single SMS; 67 per part when concatenated |
| Regulator | CMC (Communications and Media Commission) |
| Sender-ID rules | Sender IDs registered through CMC-licensed operators. Arabic + Latin both supported. Some operators require deposit per ID. |
| Sender-ID lead time | 7-14 business days |
Channels live in Iraq.
One contract, one contact model. Fall back between SMS, WhatsApp, and Voice with shared opt-in evidence and a single audit trail.
SMS
Operator-direct A2P binds; Arabic UCS-2 supported at parity with GSM-7.
OTP
Sub-4-second delivery with auto-fallback. Two-shot OTP available where the operator permits.
WhatsApp Business API live — BroadNet is an official Meta Business Solution Provider; OTP and utility templates supported.
RCS
RCS Business Messaging available on selected operators where the network has launched RCS. Coverage expanding.
Voice
Voice OTP and TTS callouts available as SMS fallback. Local-presence caller IDs on request.
How do I register a sender ID in Iraq?
Filed end-to-end by BroadNet's compliance team — KYC pack, operator approval, and renewal cycles handled on your behalf.
CMC · Asiacell and Zain Iraq
- Format
- Alphanumeric (Latin or Arabic), up to 11 chars
- Pre-registration
- Required — one sender ID per legal entity per use case
- KYC documents
- Trade licence, signed authorisation letter, sample message templates, traffic-type declaration
- Renewal cycle
- Annual
- Common rejection causes
- Generic IDs (INFO, ALERT), brand mismatch with the trade licence, or templates that mix promo and transactional intent.
What OTP delivery looks like in Iraq.
Latency profile, peak-hour behaviour, recommended fallback chain, and the fraud signals our firewall watches in-market.
Typical latency window
Median 3.6 s with a 95th-percentile inside 8 seconds across operator-direct binds. Two-shot delivery confirmed by DLR.
Peak-hour behaviour
Operator throughput holds steady through local business peaks; throttling kicks in only during outlier mass-send events. BroadNet load-shapes per-MNO to avoid firewall blocks.
Fallback chain
Recommended fallback: WhatsApp Business OTP → Voice OTP after 30s no-delivery. Arabic templates registered alongside Latin.
Fraud signals we watch
Watch for SIM-swap fraud during banking-onboarding flows and for grey-route injection attempts that bypass the regulator. BroadNet's firewall flags both at ingress.
What you can — and can't — send.
Opt-in, opt-out, quiet hours, content restrictions, and the penalty regime for the Iraq market.
Opt-in
Verifiable opt-in required (logged source, timestamp, IP, channel). Opt-in evidence must be retained for the life of the marketing relationship.
Opt-out
Every marketing message must carry an opt-out keyword (STOP / ايقاف). Honoured network-wide and audited by the regulator.
Quiet hours
We have not found a regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS in this market. Agree sending hours with the operator and schedule promotional sends for the recipient's local daytime; transactional traffic runs 24/7.
Content restrictions
Arabic templates preferred. Gambling, adult, and unlicensed financial services blocked at the operator firewall.
Regulator penalties
Sanctions from CMC for unsolicited traffic; fines escalate per violation. Repeat offenders risk sender-ID delisting and route suspension.
Termination,
network by network.
The route status column shows how each operator is reached — a direct BroadNet bind or a labelled partner route. No grey-route exposure. Route grades are indicative planning guides, not live measurements.
| Operator | MCC-MNC | Route status | Grade | A2P rate (typ.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asiacell | 418-05 | Direct | A+ | USD 0.0483 |
| Zain Iraq | 418-30 | Direct | A | USD 0.0472 |
| Korek | 418-40 | Direct | A | USD 0.045 |
Rates shown are typical pay-as-you-go for transactional traffic. Promotional traffic is priced separately, and volume tiers reduce both. See the rate-card section below for the full ladder.
| Tier | Transactional | Promotional | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | USD 0.0450 | USD 0.055 | List rate up to 100K messages/month |
| Growth · 100K+ | USD 0.0396 | USD 0.0486 | Auto-tier discount |
| Volume · 1M+ | USD 0.0333 | USD 0.0409 | Includes quarterly route review |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Direct operator pricing + signed SLA |
CMC + operator sender ID registration: 7-14 business days.
Open the Iraq rate cardCompliant
by default.
Every send is pre-screened against Communications and Media Commission (CMC) rules, the operator firewalls, and the local privacy framework. Where registration is required, BroadNet files the paperwork on your behalf.
CMC enforces content rules around political and religious material. Pre-paid market — DLR rates vary by region. Local Iraqi entity recommended for direct billing.
Full regulatory deep-diveCMC-licensed routes
All A2P SMS terminates via CMC-licensed operators. BroadNet files sender IDs on your behalf.
Arabic + Kurdish
UCS-2 routes carry Arabic and Kurdish content; same SLA as GSM-7.
Content restrictions
Political and religious content reviewed by the regulator. Engine pre-flags.
Operator firewall
Strict per-operator firewall on grey routes. Direct binds essential for delivery.
Programmes that work well in Iraq.
Where the BroadNet operator-direct footprint, the local regulator regime, and consumer messaging habits line up.
- 01
Banking and fintech OTP and transaction alerts under the central-bank regime.
- 02
E-commerce shipment notifications and post-purchase engagement.
- 03
Government and public-sector citizen alerts and appointment reminders.
- 04
Airline and travel itinerary changes, check-in reminders, and gate updates.
- 05
Healthcare appointment reminders, prescription pick-up, and lab-results dispatch.
What we run for Iraq senders.
The operator relationships, the compliance workflow, the routing position — all on a single contract and a single account team.
Operator-direct binds with Asiacell, Zain Iraq, and Korek — no aggregator hops, no grey-route exposure.
CMC sender ID registration filed and renewed on your behalf.
Live in 8–19 business days from test-access request to production (set by the sender-ID lead time), with a dedicated solution engineer through go-live.
Typical delivery rate 98.6% and typical OTP delivery time 3.6 s across the country.
MENA-resident data plane with PDPL-aligned PII handling and Arabic-template review.
Compliance team based in-region — same-business-day turnaround on sender-ID changes.
Buyer questions about Iraq.
The questions BroadNet's sales engineers field every week from teams shipping into this market.
What's the typical sender-ID approval time with CMC in Iraq?
7-14 business days once the paperwork is in. BroadNet's compliance team handles filing and renewals end-to-end; you only need to provide trade-licence and authorisation paperwork once.
Are BroadNet's routes to Iraq operator-direct?
Yes — every operator on the public coverage table is a direct A2P bind. No aggregator hops, no grey-route exposure. Route grades are indicative planning guides, not live measurements.
Can I send marketing SMS in Iraq without prior consent?
No. Verifiable opt-in is required across every market BroadNet supports, with the consent source, timestamp, and channel logged. Transactional OTP and account-level alerts are exempt from marketing-consent rules.
Which channels do you support for Iraq — SMS only, or also WhatsApp and Voice?
SMS, OTP, WhatsApp Business, and Voice OTP are all supported. RCS Business Messaging is available where the local operator has launched it. All channels run on the same contract and contact model.
Can I be billed in a currency other than USD?
Yes — billing is available in USD. Volume tiers apply automatically from 100K messages a month.
Do I need an Arabic version of my OTP for Iraq?
Strongly recommended. Arabic-script UCS-2 routes carry the same SLA as GSM-7, and consumer trust is materially higher on an Arabic-template OTP. BroadNet's compliance team reviews both Latin and Arabic templates as part of sender-ID registration.
What happens if a route to Iraq degrades?
BroadNet runs continuous DLR monitoring on every operator. If a route flaps, traffic is automatically re-shaped to the next-best operator on the same destination, and your account manager is notified with a remediation note within the hour.
Do you sign an SLA for traffic to Iraq?
Yes — traffic to this market runs under BroadNet's standard SLA: 99.99% monthly platform uptime, with service credits on enterprise contracts. Support response targets and the credit schedule are published on our Support & SLA page.
A ready-to-adapt template for Iraq.
In the local script alongside English. Copy, swap the brand, and we'll register it as part of your sender-ID onboarding.
- Mobile subscribers
- 42M
- Sender ID lead
- 7-14 business days
- Time-to-launch
- Live in 8–19 business days from test-access request to production (set by the sender-ID lead time)
- Billed in
- USD
Your verification code is 391207. Do not share.
رمز التحقق الخاص بك هو 391207. لا تشاركه.
Sender IDs registered through CMC-licensed operators. Arabic + Latin both supported. Some operators require deposit per ID.
Continue across the region.
See how enterprises put these operator-direct routes to work in banking and finance messaging and e-commerce and retail messaging, or weigh the options on the messaging platform comparison hub.
Best SMS provider in IraqMore on Iraq
Request current route availability for Iraq.
Live in 8–19 business days from test-access request to production (set by the sender-ID lead time). Sender ID filed with CMC on your behalf. Billed in USD from day one.
$ curl -X POST https://api.broadnet.me/sms/sendSms·mno = +964