SMS Policy

1. Introduction

SendPK operates SMS routes over direct connections to Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone. Because every message we carry reaches a real subscriber’s handset, network capacity and PTA’s regulatory standing are shared resources — one Customer’s non-compliant traffic can affect delivery for every other Customer on the platform. This Policy exists to keep that shared resource healthy.

It applies to every message sent through our Bulk SMS, Branded SMS, Semi-Branded SMS, Short Code SMS and OTP routes, whether submitted through the Customer Portal, the API, or by a Reseller’s sub-account.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Policy governs the content, consent basis, timing and volume of SMS traffic sent through our platform. It does not replace our Terms & Conditions, which govern the commercial relationship, billing and liability, or our Privacy Policy, which governs how we handle the data involved. Where this Policy and the Terms & Conditions overlap (for example on Anti-Spam or Sender ID rules), both apply together; in the event of a direct conflict, the Terms & Conditions control the contractual relationship and this Policy controls the operational detail.

3. Definitions

4. SMS Service Types

Each route on our platform is provisioned for a specific traffic type, and content must match the route it is sent on:

Full requirements and pricing for each route are published on our Services and Pricing pages.

5. Sender ID (Masking) Rules

• A mask must be 3–11 English characters (including spaces) and must match your registered business name and NTN.
• Masks may not be a domain name, an individual or common name, a religious name, or a name that could be confused with a government body or another registered brand.
• An approved mask may be used only for your own business’s messages — never leased, shared, or sub-let to another entity, including Reseller sub-accounts sending on their own behalf.
• Full application requirements, fees and the 30–45 business day PTA approval timeline are detailed on our Branded SMS service page.

6. Message Content Standards

Every message sent through our platform must:

• Clearly identify the sending brand, either through the Sender ID itself or within the first line of the message body.
• Accurately describe the offer, transaction or notice it relates to, with no misleading claims.
• Include a working opt-out instruction on promotional messages (Section 13).
• Use only links to domains you own or are contractually authorized to promote — link shorteners are permitted only when the destination is verifiable on request.

7. Prohibited Content Categories

The following content categories are blocked on every route, regardless of Sender ID or recipient consent, and are filtered by automated content screening:

8. Character Limits & Encoding

SMS is transmitted in fixed-size segments; the encoding you use determines how many characters fit in each segment and therefore how many segments — and how much billing — a message consumes.

Messages exceeding a single segment are automatically concatenated and billed as multiple segments. Including even one non-GSM-7 character (for example an emoji or certain punctuation) switches the entire message to Unicode encoding, reducing the per-segment character count — a common cause of unexpectedly higher segment counts.

9. Promotional SMS Rules

• Promotional content must be sent from a registered Sender ID or an approved Semi-Branded route — never through a Short Code/Transactional route.
• Sending is restricted to reasonable daytime hours (Section 14) and must respect DND registrations.
• Every promotional message must carry a clear opt-out instruction, honored per Section 13.
• You must be able to produce evidence of consent for any list used for promotional sending, on request (Section 12).

10. Transactional SMS Rules

Transactional routes are reserved for non-marketing, account-related notices tied to a specific transaction or existing customer relationship — order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders, billing alerts and similar service notices. Promotional content, discount codes, or upsell language may not be appended to a transactional template. Templates are approved per Section 18 before activation.

11. OTP SMS Rules

• OTP messages must be triggered by an explicit recipient action — login, sign-up, password reset, or transaction verification.
• OTP templates carry only the pre-approved variable content (code, expiry, brand name) — no promotional text.
• API integrators must implement their own rate-limiting to prevent automated OTP requests against a single number (“OTP bombing”); we may additionally throttle suspicious patterns to protect recipients and network capacity.

12. Consent & Opt-In Requirements

Before sending promotional SMS to a number, you must have a documented basis for believing that recipient wants to hear from your brand — for example, a checkout opt-in, a signed form, a loyalty-program sign-up, or an existing customer relationship where promotional contact is reasonably expected. Purchased or scraped number lists without a documented consent basis are not permitted. You must be able to produce evidence of consent (timestamp, source, and the specific opt-in language shown to the recipient) if requested by SendPK or a Telecom Operator investigating a complaint.

13. Opt-Out & STOP Keyword Handling

Recipients must always have a working way to stop receiving your promotional messages. On supported routes, a reply of STOP is automatically processed and the number suppressed from further promotional sends from that Sender ID. Where automatic STOP handling is not available on a given route, you are responsible for processing opt-out requests you receive directly (for example, replies routed to your own system) within a reasonable time, and in any case no later than the next campaign send.

14. Sending Hours & DND Compliance

• Promotional SMS should be scheduled within reasonable daytime hours; late-night or early-morning promotional sends are discouraged and may be restricted at the platform level.
• Transactional and OTP messages are exempt from time-window restrictions, as they are triggered by the recipient’s own action and expected at any hour.
• Where a recipient number is registered for Do-Not-Disturb (DND) with their Telecom Operator, promotional delivery to that number may be blocked at the network level, independent of any Sender ID or opt-in status on our platform.

15. Message Frequency & Fair Usage

Sending limits, throughput rates and queue priority are allocated to keep delivery reliable for every Customer on the platform. We recommend spacing repeated promotional contact to the same recipient to a reasonable cadence (generally no more than a few messages per week to the same number from the same brand, absent a specific transactional trigger). Accounts generating abnormal volume spikes, unusually high invalid-number rates, or high complaint rates may be temporarily throttled while we verify the traffic is legitimate — see our Terms & Conditions’ Fair Usage Policy for the account-level provisions.

16. Delivery, Retries & Non-Delivery

Messages are submitted to the destination Telecom Operator on a best-effort basis. A small number of automatic retries may be attempted for transient network failures; messages are not retried indefinitely. Delivery reports (DLRs) reflect the status returned by the Telecom Operator and are provided as-is — a message marked as delivered to the network does not guarantee the handset was powered on or that the SMS inbox was not full. Non-delivery caused by an invalid number, inactive SIM, or handset-level filtering is outside our control.

17. Spam & Abuse Enforcement

We monitor complaint rates, content patterns and Telecom Operator feedback for signs of spam or abuse. Where a campaign or account is found in violation of this Policy, we may, depending on severity:

1. Block the specific message or template pending clarification;
2. Require evidence of consent before resuming a campaign;
3. Suspend the affected Sender ID or route; or
4. Suspend or terminate the account under our Terms & Conditions.

18. Template Approval & Testing

Transactional and OTP templates are reviewed before activation to confirm they contain no promotional language and match the declared use case. Once approved, a template’s fixed text may not be materially altered without re-approval — only the declared variable fields (name, code, amount, etc.) may change per send. We recommend testing new templates and integrations against a small recipient sample before a full campaign launch.

19. Violations & Penalties

Minor or first-time content violations are typically addressed with a warning and a request for correction. Repeated violations, use of a transactional/OTP route for marketing content, or failure to honor opt-outs may result in loss of access to the affected route, forfeiture of any non-refundable route setup fees, and, for serious or repeated cases, termination under the Terms & Conditions.

20. Reporting Abuse

If you receive an unwanted message that appears to have been sent through our platform, or if you suspect a Sender ID is being misused, report it to [email protected] with the Sender ID, the message text, and the date/time received where available. We investigate every abuse report and will take appropriate action under Section 19.

21. Changes to This Policy

We may update this SMS Policy to reflect new PTA directives, Telecom Operator requirements, or platform capabilities. Material changes will be announced via a notice on our website, an in-Portal banner, or email to registered Customers, together with an updated “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of our SMS routes after the effective date of an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

22. Contact Information

For questions about content rules, template approval, or to report a suspected violation, reach out through any of the channels below.