Iraq SMS Guide - sms-compliance -

Frequently Asked Questions

Use a reputable SMS API provider like Twilio, Sinch, or MessageBird, ensuring you use an alphanumeric sender ID and comply with local regulations. Iraq supports one-way SMS and concatenated messages, but not two-way messaging or direct MMS. Remember to handle Arabic encoding with UTF-8 or UCS-2.
Alphanumeric sender IDs are recommended for Iraq. They allow up to 11 characters representing your brand and are fully supported across major networks. International long codes are supported but not recommended, while domestic long codes and short codes are not available.
MMS is not directly supported; however, when MMS content is sent, it's converted to an SMS with a URL link to the media. This workaround allows recipients to access rich media content while ensuring message delivery via the more universally supported SMS.
Standard SMS length limits apply: 160 characters for GSM-7 encoding and 70 characters for UCS-2. Messages with Arabic or special characters use UCS-2, effectively reducing the characters per segment. Concatenation is supported for longer messages.
Adhere to Arabia Standard Time (AST/UTC+3) and send messages between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM local time. Avoid sending during prayer times or religious holidays, especially Ramadan. Limit messages to 3-4 per week per recipient, primarily during business days (Sunday-Thursday).
No, sending SMS to landlines in Iraq is not possible. Attempts result in delivery failure with a 400 response error (code 21614). These messages aren't logged, and accounts aren't charged.
Obtain explicit opt-in consent before sending marketing messages, honor opt-out requests (STOP, CANCEL, END, UNSUBSCRIBE) within 24 hours, and respect time zone restrictions. While Iraq doesn't have a Do Not Call registry, maintain your own opt-out list.
Obtain clear, documented opt-in consent, including your business name and purpose. Double opt-in verification is recommended. Maintain records of consent with timestamps and source, and provide clear terms and conditions.
Avoid gambling, adult content, unauthorized political or religious content, and cryptocurrency promotions. Content filtering exists for certain Arabic and English keywords, suspicious URLs, and high-frequency messaging.
Initialize the Twilio client with your Account SID and Auth Token. Use the client's messages.create method, providing the message body, your alphanumeric sender ID, and the recipient's Iraq number in +964 format.
Use UTF-8 or UCS-2 encoding for Arabic text. SMS providers like Sinch offer 'AUTO' encoding, automatically handling Arabic. Ensure your chosen API supports Unicode to prevent character corruption.
Twilio's rate limit is 250 messages per second, Sinch allows 100 per second, and MessageBird 60 per second. Manage throughput by using batch APIs, queuing messages during peak times, and using exponential backoff for retries.
Common errors include invalid sender ID format, network connectivity issues, exceeding rate limits, and invalid recipient numbers. Implement proper error handling, including retries with exponential backoff and logging of persistent failures.
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