How to Send SMS in Armenia: 2025 Guide to Regulations, APIs & Compliance

Sending SMS in Armenia requires understanding local telecommunications regulations, carrier-specific requirements, and proper technical implementation. This guide covers everything you need to send SMS messages to Armenian mobile networks, including alphanumeric sender ID registration with Armenian mobile operators (Viva, Team, Ucom), Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) compliance requirements, SMS API integration with major providers (Twilio, Sinch, MessageBird, Plivo), and delivery best practices to maximize message reach across Armenia's telecommunications infrastructure. For phone number formatting requirements, see our E.164 format guide.

Armenia SMS Market Overview: Mobile Operators & Network Infrastructure

Market Conditions: Armenia has a well-developed mobile telecommunications market with three major operators: Viva (formerly Viva-MTS/VivaCell-MTS), Team (formerly Beeline/Team Telecom Armenia), and Ucom. As of Q4 2023, Viva commands 57% of mobile subscriptions, Team holds 25.6%, and Ucom accounts for 17% of the market. In 2024, the Armenian government acquired a 20% ownership stake in Viva as a donation from the new owner. The telecom market is expected to reach USD 255.60 million in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 5.24% to USD 330 million by 2030.

SMS remains an important communication channel for business messaging, particularly for transactional notifications, two-factor authentication (2FA), one-time passwords (OTP), and marketing campaigns, though messaging apps like Viber and Telegram are increasingly popular among consumers. On June 12, 2025, Ucom launched Armenia's largest 5G network at a public celebration event, covering 35 regional cities, 19 settlements, Myler Mountain Resort, border customs checkpoints (Bagratashen, Bavra, and Agarak), and the Yerevan-Dilijan highway – reaching 65% of the population. Built in partnership with Nokia using non-standalone architecture (Release 15, 3GPP) that integrates with existing 4G infrastructure, the deployment positions Ucom as the technological leader in Armenia's mobile market. Team Telecom won 5G frequency tenders in May 2023 with a requirement to launch 5G services in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Vanadzor within two years. Android devices dominate the mobile operating system landscape in Armenia.

What SMS Features Are Supported in Armenia?

Armenia supports standard SMS messaging features with some limitations, offering concatenated messaging and alphanumeric sender IDs, though two-way SMS functionality is not available.

Does Armenia Support Two-Way SMS?

Two-way SMS is not supported in Armenia through major SMS providers. This means you cannot receive replies to your SMS messages through standard A2P channels.

How Long Can My SMS Messages Be in Armenia? (Concatenated Messages)

Support: Yes, concatenated messaging is fully supported in Armenia.

Message length rules:

• Single SMS with GSM-7 encoding: 160 characters maximum
• Single SMS with UCS-2 encoding: 70 characters maximum
• Multi-segment with GSM-7: 153 characters per segment (reduced due to reassembly header)
• Multi-segment with UCS-2: 67 characters per segment (reduced due to reassembly header)

Encoding considerations:

• GSM-7 uses 7 bits per character and supports standard Latin characters, numbers, and basic symbols
• UCS-2 uses 16 bits (2 bytes) per character and triggers automatically when messages contain non-GSM-7 characters such as emoji, curly quotes (" "), or scripts like Armenian, Chinese, or Arabic
• Even a single non-GSM-7 character will force the entire message to use UCS-2 encoding, reducing the character limit from 160 to 70
• Use GSM-7 for standard Latin characters to maximize message length
• Learn more about character encoding standards and GSM-7 vs UCS-2 differences to optimize message length across different languages

Can I Send MMS Messages in Armenia?

MMS messages are not directly supported in Armenia. When you attempt to send MMS, the message converts automatically to SMS with an embedded URL link where recipients can view the multimedia content. This ensures message delivery while maintaining compatibility with all mobile devices.

Mobile Number Portability & Landline Compatibility

How Does Number Portability Work in Armenia?

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) launched in Armenia in April 2014 by the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC). The service allows users to keep their phone numbers when switching between mobile operators, transferring within three working days at no charge. Users can transfer their mobile number up to two times in any 12-month period.

Impact on SMS delivery: Number portability does not significantly impact SMS delivery or routing, as messages route automatically to the correct carrier. However, you cannot reliably determine a mobile operator solely based on the number prefix – subscribers can switch operators while retaining their numbers, making prefix-based identification inaccurate.

Can You Send SMS to Landlines in Armenia?

You cannot send SMS to landline numbers in Armenia. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in delivery failure, typically generating a 400 response with error code 21614. These messages will not appear in logs, and we will not charge your account for failed delivery attempts.

Armenia SMS Regulations: PSRC Compliance & Legal Requirements

Armenia's telecommunications sector is regulated by the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC), established under the Law on Electronic Communication (adopted 2005). The PSRC grants licenses to operators, monitors the radio frequency spectrum, and sets regulations and standards for electronic communications. In 2024, the PSRC implemented new reporting requirements mandating that all mobile operators submit data based on active subscribers, including metrics on revenue, costs, ARPU (average revenue per user), MOU (average monthly usage per subscriber), and APPM (weighted average price per minute). While specific SMS marketing laws are less stringent compared to other European countries, follow international best practices for responsible messaging.

SMS Marketing Consent Requirements in Armenia

While Armenia doesn't have explicit opt-in requirements for SMS marketing, obtain and document consent:

• Obtain and document explicit consent before sending marketing messages
• Maintain clear records of how and when you obtained consent
• Provide transparent information about message frequency and content type
• Include clear terms and conditions during the opt-in process
• Follow GDPR-style consent practices for international compliance standards

HELP/STOP Commands & Opt-Out Management

While not legally mandated in Armenia, implement HELP/STOP functionality as an SMS best practice:

• Support both Armenian and English keywords for opt-out commands
• Common Armenian opt-out keywords include "ՍՏՈՊ" (STOP) and "ՕԳՆՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ" (HELP)
• Process opt-out requests within 24 hours
• Send confirmation messages in the user's preferred language
• Maintain an unsubscribe database to prevent future messages

Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries

Armenia does not maintain an official Do Not Disturb (DND) registry for SMS messaging. However, you should:

• Maintain your own suppression lists
• Honor opt-out requests immediately
• Keep records of opted-out numbers for at least 12 months
• Regularly clean contact lists to remove inactive or opted-out numbers

Best Times to Send SMS in Armenia (Time Zone & Messaging Hours)

Armenia observes Armenia Time (AMT) at UTC+4 year-round with no daylight saving time. While there are no legal restrictions on messaging hours:

• Recommended sending window: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM AMT (UTC+4)
• Avoid sending messages on major Armenian holidays
• Reserve after-hours messaging for urgent notifications only

How to Register an Alphanumeric Sender ID in Armenia

Alphanumeric Sender ID Registration Process

Operator network capability: Supported with pre-registration

Registration requirements: Pre-registration required, typically taking 3 weeks for approval. Submit: (1) Sender ID (3–11 characters), (2) SMS type (OTP or Marketing), (3) SMS content with URL links

Sender ID preservation: Yes, preserved when properly registered. Without registration, your sender ID will be overwritten to a generic alphanumeric ID or rejected.

Best practices:

• Limited to 11 characters (minimum 3 characters)
• Allowed characters: a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and a single space
• Must not impersonate other brands
• Cannot contain special characters beyond a single space
• Work with your SMS provider to initiate the registration process
• Registration requirements vary by country – if you're sending SMS to neighboring regions, review guidelines for Georgia SMS or Azerbaijan SMS

Long Codes for SMS in Armenia

Domestic vs. International: International long codes supported; domestic long codes not available

Sender ID preservation: No, sender IDs may be overwritten by carriers

Provisioning time: Immediate for international long codes

Use cases:

• Transactional messages
• Two-factor authentication
• Customer support communications

Short Codes for SMS in Armenia

Support: Not currently available in Armenia

Provisioning time: N/A

Use cases: N/A

Armenia SMS Content Restrictions & Carrier Filtering

The following content types and industries face restrictions:

• Gambling and betting services
• Political campaign messages
• Adult content or pornographic material
• Religious content
• Illegal drugs or controlled substances

How Armenian Carriers Filter SMS Content

Known carrier filtering rules:

• Messages containing restricted keywords may be blocked
• URLs from suspicious domains are often filtered
• High-volume sending from new sender IDs may be throttled

Best practices to avoid filtering:

• Avoid URL shorteners
• Use registered sender IDs consistently
• Maintain steady sending volumes
• Avoid excessive punctuation and all-caps text

Best Practices for SMS Delivery in Armenia

Messaging Strategy

• Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
• Include clear calls-to-action
• Personalize messages using the recipient's name or relevant details
• Maintain a consistent sender ID across campaigns

Sending Frequency and Timing

• Limit marketing messages to 2–4 per month per recipient
• Space out messages to avoid overwhelming users
• Consider Armenian holidays and cultural events
• Monitor engagement rates to optimize sending times

Localization for Armenian Audiences

• Support both Armenian and Russian languages
• Use proper character encoding for the Armenian alphabet (UCS-2)
• Consider cultural nuances in message content
• Offer language preference selection during opt-in

Opt-Out Management

• Process opt-outs within 24 hours
• Send confirmation of opt-out completion
• Maintain a centralized opt-out database
• Conduct regular audits of opt-out list compliance

Testing and Monitoring

• Test messages across all major carriers (Viva, Team, Ucom)
• Monitor delivery rates by carrier
• Track engagement metrics and adjust your strategy accordingly
• Regularly test opt-out functionality

SMS API Integration for Armenia: Twilio, Sinch, MessageBird & Plivo

How to Send SMS with Twilio in Armenia

Twilio provides a robust REST API for sending SMS messages to Armenia. Authenticate using your account SID and auth token.

import * as Twilio from 'twilio';

// Initialize the Twilio client with your credentials
const accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;
const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN;

const client = new Twilio(accountSid, authToken);

async function sendSMSToArmenia(
  to: string,
  message: string,
  senderId: string
) {
  try {
    // Format phone number in E.164 format for Armenia (+374...)
    const formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+374') ? to : `+374${to}`;
    
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      body: message,
      from: senderId, // Use your pre-registered alphanumeric sender ID
      to: formattedNumber,
    });
    
    console.log(`Message sent successfully! SID: ${response.sid}`);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

How to Send SMS with Sinch in Armenia

Sinch offers a straightforward REST API with bearer token authentication for SMS delivery to Armenia.

import axios from 'axios';

class SinchSMSClient {
  private readonly baseUrl: string;
  private readonly apiToken: string;
  private readonly servicePlanId: string;

  constructor(apiToken: string, servicePlanId: string) {
    this.baseUrl = 'https://sms.api.sinch.com/xms/v1';
    this.apiToken = apiToken;
    this.servicePlanId = servicePlanId;
  }

  async sendSMS(to: string, message: string, senderId: string) {
    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        `${this.baseUrl}/${this.servicePlanId}/batches`,
        {
          from: senderId,
          to: [to],
          body: message
        },
        {
          headers: {
            'Authorization': `Bearer ${this.apiToken}`,
            'Content-Type': 'application/json'
          }
        }
      );
      
      return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Sinch SMS sending failed:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

How to Send SMS with MessageBird in Armenia

MessageBird provides a feature-rich API for sending SMS to Armenia with comprehensive delivery reporting.

import messagebird from 'messagebird';

class MessageBirdClient {
  private client: any;

  constructor(apiKey: string) {
    this.client = messagebird(apiKey);
  }

  sendSMS(to: string, message: string, senderId: string): Promise<any> {
    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
      this.client.messages.create({
        originator: senderId,
        recipients: [to],
        body: message,
        type: 'sms'
      }, (err: any, response: any) => {
        if (err) {
          reject(err);
        } else {
          resolve(response);
        }
      });
    });
  }
}

How to Send SMS with Plivo in Armenia

Plivo offers a reliable SMS API with support for Armenian carriers and detailed delivery tracking.

import plivo from 'plivo';

class PlivoSMSClient {
  private client: any;

  constructor(authId: string, authToken: string) {
    this.client = new plivo.Client(authId, authToken);
  }

  async sendSMS(to: string, message: string, senderId: string) {
    try {
      const response = await this.client.messages.create({
        src: senderId, // Your sender ID
        dst: to,       // Destination number
        text: message,
        url_strip_query_params: false
      });
      
      return response;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Plivo SMS sending failed:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

API Rate Limits and Throughput for Armenia SMS

• Default rate limits vary by provider (typically 1–10 messages per second)
• Implement exponential backoff for retry logic
• Use queuing systems like Redis or RabbitMQ for high-volume sending
• Batch messages when possible to optimize throughput
• Consider dedicated short codes or long codes for higher throughput requirements

Error Handling and Reporting

• Implement comprehensive error logging for failed SMS deliveries
• Monitor delivery receipts (DLRs) to track message status
• Track common error codes:
  • Invalid number format (error code 21211)
  • Network errors (carrier unavailable)
  • Rate limit exceeded (error code 20429)
  • Invalid sender ID (rejected by carrier)
• Set up webhook endpoints to receive real-time delivery status updates

Frequently Asked Questions About Sending SMS in Armenia

How long does it take to register an alphanumeric sender ID in Armenia?

Alphanumeric sender ID registration in Armenia typically takes 3 weeks for approval. You'll need to submit your sender ID (3–11 characters), specify the SMS type (OTP or Marketing), and provide sample SMS content with any URL links. Work with your SMS provider to initiate the registration process with Armenian carriers. Pre-registration is mandatory for all three carriers (Viva, Team, Ucom) – unregistered sender IDs will be overwritten or rejected.

Which mobile operators support SMS in Armenia?

Armenia has three major mobile operators that support SMS: Viva (57% market share), Team (25.6% market share), and Ucom (17% market share). All three carriers support A2P SMS messaging with proper sender ID registration. Test your messages across all carriers to ensure optimal delivery rates.

Can I send two-way SMS in Armenia?

No, two-way SMS (also called bidirectional SMS or SMS replies) is not supported in Armenia through major A2P SMS providers. You cannot receive replies to your outbound SMS messages through standard A2P messaging channels. For interactive customer communications, consider alternative solutions such as web forms, mobile apps, or OTT messaging platforms like WhatsApp Business or Telegram.

What phone number format should I use for SMS in Armenia?

Use E.164 international format for all Armenian phone numbers when sending SMS: +374 followed by the 8-digit subscriber number. Armenia's country code is +374, and the mobile country code (MCC) is 283. Ensure your SMS API integration properly validates and formats numbers in E.164 format before sending to avoid delivery failures and rejected messages.

E.164 format examples:

• Correct: +37412345678
• Incorrect: 37412345678 (missing + prefix)
• Incorrect: 012345678 (missing country code)

Learn more about E.164 international phone number formatting standards to ensure proper formatting across all countries in your SMS campaigns.

Are there restrictions on SMS content in Armenia?

Yes, Armenian mobile carriers restrict certain SMS content types including gambling and betting services, political campaign messages, adult or pornographic content, religious content, and illegal drugs or controlled substances. Additionally, carrier content filtering systems may automatically block messages containing suspicious URLs, excessive punctuation, all-caps text, or spam keywords. To avoid message filtering, use pre-registered alphanumeric sender IDs consistently, avoid URL shorteners, and maintain steady sending volumes.

What are the best times to send SMS in Armenia?

While Armenia has no legal restrictions on SMS sending hours, follow best practices by sending marketing SMS between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM Armenia Time (AMT, UTC+4). Armenia observes UTC+4 year-round with no daylight saving time changes. Avoid sending promotional messages during major Armenian holidays such as New Year, Armenian Christmas (January 6), and Republic Day (May 28). Reserve after-hours messaging exclusively for urgent transactional notifications like OTP codes, delivery alerts, or security notifications.

What SMS gateway providers work best in Armenia?

The most reliable SMS gateway providers for Armenia include Twilio, Sinch, MessageBird, and Plivo. All four providers support alphanumeric sender ID registration, E.164 phone number formatting, and delivery receipt (DLR) tracking for Armenian mobile networks. Choose your provider based on volume requirements, API features, pricing structure, and customer support availability. For high-volume A2P messaging campaigns, consider providers with dedicated account management and optimized routing to Viva, Team, and Ucom networks.

Recap and Additional Resources

Key Takeaways for Sending SMS in Armenia

1. Compliance Priorities

   • Pre-register alphanumeric sender IDs (3 weeks typical approval time)
   • Maintain opt-out lists and honor requests within 24 hours
   • Send messages between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM AMT (UTC+4)

2. Technical Implementation Requirements

   • Format all phone numbers in E.164 format (+374 followed by 8 digits)
   • Implement proper error handling and delivery receipt (DLR) monitoring
   • Monitor delivery rates across all three carriers (Viva, Team, Ucom)
   • Use REST API integration with Twilio, Sinch, MessageBird, or Plivo
   • Set up webhook endpoints for real-time delivery status updates

3. SMS Delivery Best Practices

   • Localize message content for Armenian and Russian-speaking audiences
   • Test SMS campaigns across all major carriers before full deployment
   • Maintain consistent sending patterns and volumes to avoid carrier filtering
   • Keep messages under 160 characters when possible to avoid segmentation costs
   • Monitor engagement metrics and optimize send times based on performance data

Next Steps to Start Sending SMS in Armenia

1. Choose an SMS Provider: Select from Twilio, Sinch, MessageBird, or Plivo based on your volume and feature requirements
2. Register Alphanumeric Sender IDs: Submit sender ID registration requests (allow 3 weeks for approval)
3. Review PSRC Compliance: Consult the PSRC official website for current telecommunications regulations
4. Set Up API Integration: Implement REST API calls with proper authentication and error handling
5. Test Across All Carriers: Conduct test campaigns on Viva, Team, and Ucom networks before production launch
6. Implement Monitoring: Set up delivery tracking, webhook handlers, and performance analytics
7. Verify Legal Compliance: Consult legal counsel for SMS marketing compliance verification

Additional Resources for Armenia SMS

• Official Resources

  • PSRC Official Website – Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia
  • Armenian Legal Information System (ARLIS) – Access to Law on Electronic Communication and telecommunications regulations

• Industry Guidelines

  • Mobile Marketing Association Guidelines – International SMS marketing standards
  • GSMA SMS Guidelines – Technical specifications and best practices

• Technical Documentation

  • Unicode Armenian Character Encoding – Standards for Armenian alphabet in SMS
  • ITU E.164 Number Formatting – International phone number format specifications

• Related Country Guides

  • How to Send SMS in Georgia – SMS regulations and sender ID requirements for Georgia
  • How to Send SMS in Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan SMS compliance guide
  • Understanding E.164 Phone Number Format – International number formatting standards