🇿🇦 SMS Destination Guide for South Africa

Country dialing code: +27. We deliver to 5 mobile network operators within South Africa, including Vodacom and MTN. Learn how to send compliant SMS to South Africa with our guide below.

Price per SMS

8.4p ex VAT

Two-way support

Not available

Sender ID Types

  • Alphanumeric

    Your brand name as the sender

    Replaced in transit

    • Your brand name as the sender, with no reply path.
    • Networks overwrite the sender name in transit; recipients see a number instead.

  • Long code

    VMN / phone number

    Replaced in transit

    • Needed for two-way messaging and replies.

  • Short code

    Five-digit sender

    Replaced in transit

    • Best for high-volume campaigns.

Sender ID registration is not required in South Africa. Instead, we approve all senders ourselves: PureSMS's own KYC and Sender ID verification applies to every account before a single message is sent for your safety and security.

South Africa's mobile networks

One flat 8.4p rate covers every network we reach in South Africa.

  • Vodacom South Africa 45k subscribers
  • MTN South Africa 37k subscribers
  • Cell C 15k subscribers
  • Telkom South Africa 9k subscribers
  • Rain Networks 5 subscribers

Compliance in South Africa

  • Opt-out: Any marketing outbound SMS must offer the subscriber an opt-out method: senders using an allocated short code or long code receive any inbound SMS such as a STOP MO and must process it and remove the MSISDN from their database, while senders not using an allocated short code or long code must include a URL in the message allowing the subscriber to opt out of their database.
  • Sending times: Marketing programs may send Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm local time (GMT+2), and promotional or marketing content may not be sent on Sundays or public holidays.
  • Restricted content: Adult content
  • Gambling and betting content is allowed provided opt-outs are supported and local legislation on marketing to minors under 18 is followed.
  • South Africa has a Do Not Disturb (DND) registry for marketing traffic, which transactional short codes and 2FA traffic can bypass.
  • Since 1st November 2023, South African operators classify messages originating from certain listed brands as International Messaging, which carries its own routing and commercial terms.
  • Each operator (Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Rain) maintains its own list of brands deemed international, covering hundreds of major global brands such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, WhatsApp, PayPal, Uber and Netflix.
  • Vodacom added new brands to its international list on 15th May 2026, including Blacklane, Blockchain, Bybit, Chanel, Farfetch, Hellenic Bank, Louis Vuitton, Nasdaq, Nike, Plus500, Revolut, Slotbox and Ubisoft.
  • MTN added new brands to its international list on 1st June 2026, including Airy, Anione, Character AI, Claude, Copilot, DeepSeek, Gemini, Grok, HBO, HBO Max, IKEA, Kindroid, Lenovo, Meeno, Mirror AI, Nomi, Pi (Inflection AI), Poddy, Poe (Quora), Replika, Ryanair, Samsung Cloud, Saner.AI, Tesla, Udemy, Woebot and Youper.
  • MTN removed Truesenses from its international list on 18th November 2025.
  • Cell C added a large set of new brands to its international list on 1st October 2025, including Amex, Asana, AstroPay, Audible, Barclays, ChatGPT, Coinbase, HSBC, Perplexity, Revolut, Slack, Skype, Starbucks, Steam and Zoom, among others.

These rules are what we generally check against, however they may not be up-to-date. We'll always keep you informed of what is needed for each destination throughout any registration process.

Regulators & industry bodies

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