Syria SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features

Syria SMS Market Overview

Market Conditions: Syria's telecommunications infrastructure faces significant challenges due to ongoing political situations, resulting in poor message delivery rates. The market is primarily served by two major operators - Syriatel and MTN Syria. SMS remains an important channel for transactional and OTP messages, though delivery reliability is inconsistent. Currently, only OTT brands and banking institutions are permitted to send A2P SMS traffic into Syria.

Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Syria

Syria maintains strict controls over SMS capabilities, with limited support for advanced features and a focus on essential communications like OTP and banking notifications.

Two-way SMS Support

Two-way SMS is not supported in Syria. The infrastructure only allows for one-way messaging from authorized senders to end users.

Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)

Support: Yes, concatenation is supported, though availability may vary by sender ID type.
Message length rules: Standard SMS length limits apply before concatenation occurs.
Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encoding are supported, with UCS-2 available for messages requiring Arabic character sets.

MMS Support

MMS messages are not directly supported in Syria. Any attempted MMS will be automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link to access the media content. This conversion helps ensure message delivery while still allowing users to access multimedia content when needed.

Recipient Phone Number Compatibility

Number Portability

Number portability is not available in Syria. Mobile numbers remain tied to their original carrier, which simplifies routing but limits consumer flexibility.

Sending SMS to Landlines

Sending SMS to landline numbers is not possible in Syria. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in a failed delivery and an error response (400 error code 21614 for Twilio API users). These messages will not appear in logs and accounts will not be charged.

Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Syria

Syria maintains strict regulatory control over SMS communications, with oversight from the Syrian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Currently, only OTP (One-Time Password) and banking-related SMS traffic is permitted, with all other forms of marketing or promotional content strictly prohibited.

Consent and Opt-In

While traditional marketing messages are not allowed, businesses sending OTP or banking messages must still:

• Obtain and maintain clear records of user consent
• Document the specific purpose for which the number will be used
• Provide clear terms of service at the point of number collection
• Maintain detailed logs of consent acquisition

HELP/STOP and Other Commands

Due to the restricted nature of SMS in Syria (OTP and banking only), traditional HELP/STOP commands are not typically implemented. However, it's recommended to:

• Include clear service identifiers in each message
• Provide customer support contact information where applicable
• Support both English and Arabic keywords for any implemented commands

Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries

Syria does not maintain an official Do Not Call or Do Not Disturb registry. However, organizations should:

• Maintain their own suppression lists
• Immediately honor any opt-out requests received through customer service channels
• Implement internal blacklisting procedures for invalid or complained numbers

Time Zone Sensitivity

Syria operates in the Eastern European Time zone (UTC+2/+3). While there are no explicit time restrictions for sending messages, best practices include:

• Limiting non-urgent messages to 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM local time
• Sending OTP messages any time as needed for security purposes
• Considering Ramadan and other religious observances when timing messages

Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Syria

Alphanumeric Sender ID

Operator network capability: Supported
Registration requirements: Pre-registration not required, but all traffic will be overwritten with numeric Sender IDs
Sender ID preservation: No - all sender IDs are overwritten to ensure delivery

Long Codes

Domestic vs. International: Only international long codes are supported; domestic long codes are not available
Sender ID preservation: No - original sender IDs are not preserved
Provisioning time: Immediate for international numbers
Use cases: Limited to OTP and banking communications

Short Codes

Support: Not supported in Syria
Provisioning time: N/A
Use cases: N/A

Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases

Syria maintains strict content restrictions:

• Prohibited Content: Political messages, religious content, marketing/promotional material
• Allowed Industries: Banking sector, OTP service providers
• Restricted Verticals: All other industries are effectively restricted from sending SMS

Content Filtering

Known Carrier Filtering Rules:

• All messages must be transactional in nature
• Content must match registered use case (banking or OTP)
• Political and religious references are automatically blocked
• Marketing language triggers automatic filtering

Tips to Avoid Blocking:

• Keep messages purely transactional
• Avoid promotional language or calls to action
• Use registered and approved message templates
• Include clear business identifier in each message

Best Practices for Sending SMS in Syria

Messaging Strategy

• Focus exclusively on essential communications
• Use clear, straightforward language
• Include only necessary transaction details
• Avoid any promotional or marketing content

Sending Frequency and Timing

• Send only when absolutely necessary
• Limit to one message per transaction
• Space out non-urgent banking notifications
• Consider religious and cultural observances

Localization

• Support both Arabic and English
• Use proper Arabic character encoding
• Consider right-to-left text formatting
• Maintain consistent language choice per user

Opt-Out Management

• Maintain accurate user preference records
• Honor opt-out requests immediately
• Document all preference changes
• Provide clear customer support channels

Testing and Monitoring

• Test delivery across both major carriers
• Monitor delivery rates closely
• Track failure patterns and adjust accordingly
• Maintain delivery success rate logs

SMS API integrations for Syria

Twilio

Twilio provides a straightforward REST API for sending SMS to Syria. Note that all traffic will be overwritten with numeric Sender IDs to ensure delivery.

import { Twilio } from 'twilio';

// Initialize the client with your credentials
const client = new Twilio(
  process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID,
  process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
);

async function sendSMS(to: string, message: string) {
  try {
    // Ensure phone number is in E.164 format (+963XXXXXXXXX)
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      body: message,
      to: to,  // Syrian number
      from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER,  // Your Twilio number
      // Note: Sender ID will be overwritten for Syria
    });
    
    console.log(`Message sent successfully. SID: ${response.sid}`);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Sinch

Sinch offers SMS capabilities for Syria through their REST API, supporting both transactional and OTP messages.

import { SinchClient } from '@sinch/sdk-core';

const sinchClient = new SinchClient({
  projectId: process.env.SINCH_PROJECT_ID,
  keyId: process.env.SINCH_KEY_ID,
  keySecret: process.env.SINCH_KEY_SECRET
});

async function sendSMS(to: string, message: string) {
  try {
    const response = await sinchClient.sms.batches.send({
      sendSMSRequestBody: {
        to: [to],  // Syrian number in E.164 format
        from: 'YourBrand',  // Will be overwritten for Syria
        body: message,
        // Delivery report callback URL (optional)
        deliveryReport: 'none'
      }
    });
    
    console.log('Message sent:', response);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to send message:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

MessageBird

MessageBird provides SMS API access to Syria with support for transactional messaging.

import messagebird from 'messagebird';

const messageBirdClient = messagebird(process.env.MESSAGEBIRD_API_KEY);

function sendSMS(to: string, message: string): Promise<any&gt; {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) =&gt; {
    messageBirdClient.messages.create({
      originator: 'YourBrand',  // Will be overwritten
      recipients: [to],  // Syrian number
      body: message,
      type: 'sms'  // Specify message type
    }, (err, response) =&gt; {
      if (err) {
        console.error('Error:', err);
        reject(err);
      } else {
        console.log('Message sent:', response);
        resolve(response);
      }
    });
  });
}

Plivo

Plivo offers SMS capabilities for Syria through their REST API interface.

import plivo from 'plivo';

const client = new plivo.Client(
  process.env.PLIVO_AUTH_ID,
  process.env.PLIVO_AUTH_TOKEN
);

async function sendSMS(to: string, message: string) {
  try {
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      src: process.env.PLIVO_PHONE_NUMBER,  // Your Plivo number
      dst: to,  // Syrian number in E.164 format
      text: message,
      // Optional parameters
      url: 'https://your-callback-url.com/status',
      method: 'POST'
    });
    
    console.log('Message sent:', response);
    return response;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to send message:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

API Rate Limits and Throughput

• Standard rate limits vary by provider but typically range from 1-10 messages per second
• Implement exponential backoff for retry logic
• Consider using queuing systems like Redis or RabbitMQ for high-volume sending
• Monitor delivery rates and adjust sending patterns accordingly

Error Handling and Reporting

• Implement comprehensive error logging
• Monitor delivery receipts when available
• Track common failure patterns
• Maintain separate logs for different error types (network, validation, carrier)
• Set up alerts for unusual error rates

Recap and Additional Resources

Key Takeaways

1. Compliance Focus

   • Only OTP and banking messages allowed
   • No marketing or promotional content
   • Sender IDs are always overwritten

2. Technical Considerations

   • Poor delivery rates due to infrastructure
   • Support for both Arabic and English
   • Limited features compared to other markets

3. Best Practices

   • Keep messages purely transactional
   • Test thoroughly across carriers
   • Implement proper error handling
   • Monitor delivery rates closely

Next Steps

1. Review Syria's telecommunications regulations
2. Consult with SMS providers about specific requirements
3. Implement proper testing procedures
4. Set up monitoring and alerting systems

Additional Resources

• Syrian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
• Twilio Syria Guidelines
• GSMA Mobile Economy Middle East Report