# SMS pricing in South Africa

> SMS to South Africa costs from $0.028 per message (indicative list rate, reviewed 2026-09-24) over 4 direct operators (Vodacom, MTN South Africa, Cell C, Telkom Mobile); sender IDs (ICASA): Free-form (no pre-registration).

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

Indicative A2P SMS list rates per message, reviewed 2026-09-24. Regulator: ICASA.

## Rates by operator

| Operator | Rate (USD) | Send window |
|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | $0.0314 | — |
| MTN South Africa | $0.0302 | — |
| Cell C | $0.0291 | — |
| Telkom Mobile | $0.0280 | — |

## Market facts

- Regulator: Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)
- 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
- Mobile subscribers: 110M
- Dialling code · MCC: +27 / 655
- Billing currencies: USD, ZAR
- Published SMS band: USD 0.022 – 0.045

## 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.

## SMS to South Africa: common questions

### Which operators carry SMS to South Africa, and at what rate?

BroadNet sends over 4 routes (Vodacom, MTN South Africa, Cell C, Telkom Mobile). The lowest indicative list rate is $0.028 per message, reviewed 2026-09-24; volume tiers lower it automatically from 100K messages a month.

### What does the SMS price include?

Each segment is billed once: a message longer than 160 GSM-7 characters is split into segments. Delivery receipts are included with no per-receipt fee, there is no setup fee, and sender-ID registration is passed through at cost.

### Do I need to register a sender ID in South Africa?

Sender-ID rules (ICASA): Free-form (no pre-registration).

### How do I get test access for South Africa?

Request test access from this page; we reply within one business day. Live in 5–15 business days from test-access request to production.

Coverage and sender-ID rules: https://www.broadnet.me/coverage/south-africa