# A2P SMS, OTP, and sender ID rules in South Africa

> BroadNet delivers A2P SMS and OTP in South Africa over direct connections to Vodacom, MTN South Africa, Cell C, and Telkom Mobile; sender IDs need no formal pre-registration with ICASA.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/coverage/south-africa
- Language: en
- Last updated: 2026-10-21
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

Direct termination into Vodacom, MTN South Africa, Cell C, and Telkom Mobile with ICASA + WASPA compliance handled end-to-end.

## Key facts

- Regulator: ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa)
- Dialling code: +27
- MCC: 655
- Mobile subscribers: 110M
- Sender-ID lead time: Free-form (no pre-registration)
- Time to launch: Live in 5–15 business days from test-access request to production
- Typical OTP latency: 3.0 s
- Typical delivery rate, operator-direct: 99.2%
- SMS price band: USD 0.022 – 0.045 (indicative list rates, reviewed 2026-09-24)
- Billing currencies: USD, ZAR

## Operators

| Operator | MNC | Route | Grade | A2P rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 655-01 | Direct | A+ | USD 0.0314 |
| MTN South Africa | 655-10 | Direct | A+ | USD 0.0302 |
| Cell C | 655-07 | Direct | A | USD 0.0291 |
| Telkom Mobile | 655-02 | Direct | A | USD 0.028 |

## Technical facts for South Africa

Network codes, message lengths and sender-ID rules in one table. Segment lengths are the GSM standard values (3GPP TS 23.038).

| Technical facts | |
|---|---|
| Mobile country code (MCC) | 655 |
| Dialling code | +27 |
| Operators (MCC-MNC) | Vodacom · 655-01; MTN South Africa · 655-10; Cell C · 655-07; Telkom Mobile · 655-02 |
| 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 | ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) |
| Sender-ID rules | The WASPA Code of Conduct sets no sender-ID pre-registration; alphanumeric sender IDs must identify the business, and WASPA members must give WASPA their alphanumeric IDs on request. |
| Sender-ID lead time | Free-form (no pre-registration) |

## Pricing

| Band | Transactional | Promotional | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | USD 0.0280 | USD 0.0350 | List rate up to 100K messages/month |
| Growth · 100K+ | USD 0.0246 | USD 0.0308 | Auto-tier discount |
| Volume · 1M+ | USD 0.0207 | USD 0.0259 | Includes quarterly route review |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Direct operator pricing + signed SLA |

## Sender ID

The WASPA Code of Conduct sets no sender-ID pre-registration; alphanumeric sender IDs must identify the business, and WASPA members must give WASPA their alphanumeric IDs on request.

No formal sender ID registration; BroadNet enforces brand-consistency to keep delivery clean.

## Rules

- **Sender ID free-form**: Alphanumeric IDs do not require pre-registration but must be consistent and brand-identifiable.
- **POPIA enforcement**: Protection of Personal Information Act — consent, lawful basis, breach handling.
- **WASPA code**: The WASPA Code of Conduct (section 16.8) bars direct marketing on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, and on other days between 20:00 and 08:00.

## Compliance

POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) fully enforced. Opt-in required for direct marketing; opt-out on every promotional send. WASPA dispute resolution applies.

## Sample A2P template

```text
Your verification code is 471829. Valid 5 minutes.
```

## Related

- https://www.broadnet.me/regulations/south-africa
- https://www.broadnet.me/pricing/sms/south-africa