Get numbers and alphanumeric senders

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When you send SMS messages, you must define the sender identity that appears on the recipient's device. The sender is the originator address that identifies your business or service. You can set up the sender in two ways:

Buy numbers: Short codes, long numbers, or virtual long numbers. Numbers enable two-way communication.
Request an alphanumeric sender: A brand name such as AcmeAlerts. Alphanumeric senders support one-way messaging only.

Buy numbers [#buy-numbers]

You can buy numbers to use as the numeric sender.

Use Channels in the Infobip web interface to manage all your numbers and alphanumeric senders.

Go to Channels and Numbers > Channels.
Select SMS to open the SMS landing page. The SMS landing page provides access to sender-related actions.

The following table is a summary of the available options on the SMS landing page.

SMS landing page tab	Description
Overview	Main overview page to get a number using Buy Number or request an Alphanumeric Sender ID using Request Sender. Also, manage your message compliance using the US sender registration.
My Numbers	Lists all of the number types that you have purchased and also gives you the option to buy a number. For more information about buying and managing numbers, see Numbers.
My alphanumeric senders	Lists all of the alphanumeric senders that you have requested.
My requests	Lists all of your current requests for SMS. For more information about using communication channel requests, see My Requests.

On the Overview tab, select Buy Number.
Follow the steps in the Numbers app to complete the purchase. For more information, see the Numbers over web interface documentation.

After you buy a number, it appears on the My Numbers tab.

Use the Numbers app to configure inbound actions and manage number settings.

You can buy numbers programmatically using the Infobip API. This method enables automation and integration with your existing systems.

The following table is a summary of the available APIs for buying numbers and managing your requests.

API to use	Purpose	High-level API flow	Notes
Resource Request API	Buy a dedicated SMS-capable number for sending and receiving messages.	Submit a resource request for a number. Update the request if additional data is required. After approval, the number is provisioned to your account.	Main path for automating number acquisition.
Numbers API, Resources API	List, inspect, and manage already owned numbers.	Use Numbers API endpoints to inspect available and owned numbers. Use Resources API to list resources and configure inbound actions.	Use when you already own numbers and need lifecycle or configuration management.

For details and examples, see Request resources through API.

Learn more

For further information, see Resources and numbers and Manage resources.

Configure numbers [#number-configuration-sender]

Once you acquire a number, all messages received by that number are associated with your account. You can set up actions on a number level that are triggered every time a message is received.

Forward to HTTP: Forward received messages and their details to an external URL. This enables you to get the message into your platform for further processing.
Forward to Email: Forward important SMS details (sender, receiver, content) to one or multiple email addresses in human-readable table form.
PULL: Store all received messages in a pull container where they can be retrieved using the API.
Forward to SMPP: Same as Forward to HTTP, this action is used to forward the received message to an external platform, but uses the SMPP protocol.
Save message to log: Forwarding is not enabled, and messages are saved to logs which can be viewed in the web interface.

Forwarding is set up in conjunction with your keywords attributed to your numbers in the Numbers app. For more information on forwarding actions, see Keywords and Actions.

Request alphanumeric senders [#request-alphanumeric-senders]

Alphanumeric sender IDs display a custom text name (for example, AcmeAlerts) instead of a phone number. They support one-way messaging only.

To request an alphanumeric sender, go to Channels and Numbers > Channels > SMS and select Request Sender on the Overview tab.

For detailed instructions, format requirements, and the approval process, see Alphanumeric senders. To request through the API, see Request resources through API.

Related pages

Numbers and senders
Understand sender types and choose the right one for your use case.

Send and track
Learn how messages are structured and delivered.

Send a message
Configure and send your first SMS message.