Alphanumeric senders
An alphanumeric sender is a custom text name (3-11 characters) that appears as the SMS sender instead of a phone number, letting you show your business name (for example, "ACME" or "Support") in the recipient's inbox.
Alphanumeric senders work with SMS only (they do not support Voice, MMS, WhatsApp, or other channels) and support one-way communication only. Recipients cannot reply to messages sent from an alphanumeric sender.
Use alphanumeric senders for notifications, alerts, marketing campaigns, and any one-way outbound messaging where branded recognition matters. You can register multiple sender IDs for different purposes (orders, alerts, support, promotions).
Format and requirements
Alphanumeric senders must be 3-11 characters long and contain only letters (A-Z) and numbers (0-9). Spaces, hyphens, underscores, and special characters are usually not allowed:
Most carriers automatically convert sender IDs to uppercase.
Country and carrier availability
Alphanumeric senders are not available in all countries. Availability depends on country regulations, carrier support, and compliance requirements:
- Some regions prohibit them entirely for regulatory reasons
- Others allow them with restrictions like per-carrier registration or format limits
- Individual mobile operators may have their own restrictions
- Financial, healthcare, and government sectors may face additional restrictions
When you request an alphanumeric sender, Infobip checks availability for your country during the approval process.
For country-by-country availability, see SMS coverage and connectivity.
Sender ID and sender name
These two terms are often confused but serve different purposes:
- Sender ID: The value delivered to the recipient's device (what they see in their inbox). Requires approval in most countries.
- Sender name: An internal label you assign in the Infobip platform to organize and identify your senders. Never shown to recipients and requires no approval.
| Sender ID | Sender name | |
|---|---|---|
| Visible to recipient | Yes | No |
| Purpose | Identifies who sent the message | Helps you manage multiple senders internally |
| Example | ACME | Holiday Campaign 2026 |
| Required | Yes: specify in API request or select in web interface | No: optional, used in web interface only (Broadcast, Moments) |
Sender names are created in the web interface when you set up SMS communications in Broadcast or Moments. They are saved automatically and can be reused across campaigns. If you send through the API, you specify the sender ID directly without needing a sender name.
Infobip delivers the sender ID you configure in the API request or select in the web interface. In some cases, a carrier or regulatory requirement may override your sender ID, for example when a destination country enforces a specific sender format or when a carrier replaces unregistered sender IDs.
Request an alphanumeric sender
For step-by-step instructions, see Get started with resources and numbers.
You can also request through the API.
Request timeline [#request-timeline-request-an-alphanumeric-sender]
Processing involves two phases:
- Infobip review: Infobip reviews and validates your request.
- Network provisioning: Network providers activate your sender.
Timelines vary by country, local regulations, and network operator requirements. For provisioning timelines, see SMS coverage and connectivity.
What Infobip reviews [#what-infobip-reviews-request-an-alphanumeric-sender]
Infobip reviews requests based on use case legitimacy, sender ID clarity, message content, regulatory compliance, and sample quality. Approvals succeed with clear professional sender IDs and realistic samples.
Infobip rejects requests when the use case suggests spam or abuse, samples violate policies, the sender ID is already in use, or regulations prohibit the sender.
Request through web interface
Submit your alphanumeric sender request in Channels and numbers.
Request through API
Programmatic sender requests for automation.
Manage resources
Configure and send with your sender ID after approval.
Numbers
Phone number types for two-way communication.