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Bulk SMS in Tunisia: INT, Sender ID, Arabic and French Guide

Bulk SMS Tunisia guide: INT, sender ID for Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo and Orange, Law 2004-63 consent, Arabic Unicode, French GSM-7, OTP and promotions.

Updated 10 min read

By OmniChannels.ai Editorial Team · Reviewed by BroadNet Messaging Solutions Team

SMS & OTP

Short answer

To send bulk SMS in Tunisia, use a provider with routes to Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo and Orange, register your alphanumeric sender ID (Latin or Arabic, up to 11 characters) through the operators, and send only to people who gave verifiable consent, as Law 2004-63 on personal data and our regulation data expect. Add a STOP / ايقاف opt-out, separate OTPs from promotions, and remember that Arabic text is Unicode at 70 characters.

On this page
  1. What rules apply to bulk SMS in Tunisia?
  2. What is the STOP SMS service?
  3. Which operators carry SMS in Tunisia?
  4. How does sender ID registration work in Tunisia?
  5. What consent do you need before you send?
  6. How do Arabic and French affect SMS length in Tunisia?
  7. How should you separate OTP and promotional traffic?
  8. When should you send promotional SMS?
  9. Where does WhatsApp fit next to SMS in Tunisia?
  10. A worked example: a fashion retailer in Tunis
  11. What are the common mistakes?
  12. How OmniChannels.ai helps

Key takeaways

  • The telecom regulator is the INT (Instance Nationale des Télécommunications). Our regulation data lists sender ID rules as set by the operators, a typical lead time of 5 to 7 business days, and alphanumeric IDs in Latin or Arabic up to 11 characters.
  • Three networks appear in our coverage data, all with direct routes: Tunisie Telecom (605-02), Ooredoo Tunisia (605-03) and Orange Tunisia (605-01).
  • Personal data is governed by Organic Law No. 2004-63 of 27 July 2004, supervised by the INPDP. Our regulation data requires verifiable opt-in and a STOP / ايقاف opt-out on every marketing message.
  • In 2018 the INT, the INPDP and a consumer organisation agreed a 'STOP SMS' service aimed at unwanted advertising texts, a sign that regulators treat unsolicited SMS as a real issue.
  • French fits GSM-7 (160 characters) only if it avoids characters such as ê, â, î and ô; Arabic is Unicode at 70 characters (67 per part). We have found no regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS.

This guide is for retail, banking, logistics and service teams that want to send business SMS to mobile numbers in Tunisia: OTPs, parcel alerts, appointment reminders and promotions. It explains who regulates what, how sender IDs work, what consent evidence to keep, and how Arabic and French change message length. It is a practical overview, not legal advice; confirm requirements with Tunisian counsel and the operators before you launch.

What rules apply to bulk SMS in Tunisia?

Three layers apply: telecom regulation by the INT, operator policy on sender IDs and routes, and the personal data law. None is labelled a "bulk SMS law", so you assemble the picture from each.

Layer What it covers Where to check
INT Telecom regulator for the market intt.tn
Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo, Orange Sender ID set-up, routes, content filtering Your provider confirms at onboarding
Organic Law 2004-63 of 27 July 2004 Protection of personal data; consent and rights of the person concerned; supervised by the INPDP Law text (French)

Our regulation data lists the INT as the regulator and records that sender ID requirements are set by the operators, so the rule that matters on launch day is the one your operator route enforces. Tunisia's data protection regime has been under reform discussion for years, so check the INPDP's current position before you design sign-up flows.

What is the STOP SMS service?

STOP SMS is a service announced in 2018 to reduce unwanted advertising texts. Agence Ecofin reported that it followed an agreement signed in April 2018 by the telecom regulator, the INPDP and a consumers' organisation, with launch scheduled for 29 November 2018 on a toll-free number. The report concerns advertising messages subscribers receive from operators, and it does not describe the mechanics in detail, so confirm the current service with the INT and the operators.

What it means for you: unsolicited advertising SMS is a visible issue for regulators and consumers. Build your programme on provable consent and a working opt-out rather than on volume.

Which operators carry SMS in Tunisia?

Three mobile networks appear in our coverage data, each with a direct route.

Operator MCC-MNC
Tunisie Telecom 605-02
Ooredoo Tunisia 605-03
Orange Tunisia 605-01

Our regulation data names Tunisie Telecom and Ooredoo in its sender ID line, and our coverage data adds Orange Tunisia, so confirm sender ID handling on all three. Read delivery reports per operator; our guide to improving SMS delivery rates shows how to diagnose a weak network.

How does sender ID registration work in Tunisia?

Business SMS uses an alphanumeric sender ID of up to 11 characters, in Latin or Arabic script, which shows your brand instead of a number. Our data says requirements are set by the operators and confirmed at onboarding, with a typical lead time of 5 to 7 business days. Treat it as typical, not guaranteed.

Step What to do
1. Classify Decide which traffic is transactional (OTP, alerts) and which is promotional; plan one sender ID for each
2. Choose names Use your registered brand; avoid names that imitate operators, banks or government bodies
3. Prepare documents Company registration papers and an authorisation letter naming the sender IDs and your provider
4. Submit Your provider files with the operators; track each approval separately
5. Test Send an OTP and a promotion to Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo and Orange handsets

Our sender ID letter generator drafts the authorisation letter, and the sender ID checker and Tunisia sender ID page show the current position. If you want us to prepare and file the registration with you, see registrations; approval decisions stay with the operators and regulators. Background on formats: SMS sender ID types explained.

Plan on documented, verifiable opt-in for marketing, and an opt-out on every promotional message. Our regulation data requires opt-in evidence (logged source, timestamp, IP and channel) retained for the life of the marketing relationship, and a STOP / ايقاف keyword honoured network-wide.

A safe routine follows:

  1. Capture consent with a record: the wording shown, the date and time, the channel and the number.
  2. Say who is sending and why at sign-up, in the customer's language.
  3. Honour opt-outs immediately and share the suppression list across campaigns and channels.
  4. Collect only what you need and keep it only as long as the purpose requires.
  5. Do not buy lists. Purchased numbers have no consent trail.

Use the opt-in consent generator for wording and read opt-in consent across channels for record keeping. Definitions: opt-in and opt-out.

How do Arabic and French affect SMS length in Tunisia?

Arabic is sent as Unicode and holds 70 characters per message (67 per part when split). French fits the 160-character GSM 7-bit alphabet only if every character is in it. The alphabet includes é, è, ù, à and ç, but not ê, â, î, ô or û. One such letter switches the whole message to Unicode. See GSM-7, Unicode SMS and concatenated SMS.

Encoding Single message Per part when concatenated
GSM 7-bit 160 characters 153
Unicode (UCS-2) 70 characters 67

These examples were counted against the limits (synthetic brand "Dar Mode"):

Message Encoding Characters Parts
Carthage Pay: votre code est 739204. Valable 5 minutes. Ne le partagez avec personne. GSM-7 85 1
Dar Mode: soldes -30% jusqu'à dimanche. Détails: darmode.example/s Répondez STOP pour ne plus recevoir. GSM-7 103 1
Dar Mode: votre colis est arrivé à l'agence de Sfax. GSM-7 52 1
Dar Mode: votre colis est prêt à l'agence de Sfax. Unicode (ê) 50 1
دار مود: تخفيضات 30% حتى الأحد. للإلغاء أرسل ايقاف Unicode 50 1
دار مود: تذكير بموعدك غدا الساعة 10:00 في فرع تونس. للإلغاء أرسل ايقاف Unicode 70 1
دار مود: تخفيضات 30% حتى الأحد. التفاصيل: darmode.example/s للإلغاء أرسل ايقاف Unicode 78 2

The last two rows show the boundary: exactly 70 characters fit in one message, and adding a link pushes the next one to two parts. Check final copy in the SMS character counter, and see SMS character limits and Unicode.

How should you separate OTP and promotional traffic?

Keep OTPs, order alerts and other service messages on a transactional sender ID and route, and promotions on their own. A promotion inside an OTP puts login codes at risk if the promotional route is filtered.

Traffic Example Practice
Transactional OTP, payment confirmation, parcel alert No promotion inside; own sender ID; any hour
Promotional Sale, new collection, loyalty offer Consented numbers only; opt-out in the message; daytime schedule
Mixed "Your parcel arrived. Get 30% off your next order" Avoid; the offer makes it promotional

Our regulation data records transactional traffic as running 24/7. For OTP design, read the OTP authentication messages guide and use the OTP message generator.

When should you send promotional SMS?

We have not found a regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS in Tunisia, and our regulation data records none. Agree sending hours with your provider and the operators, send promotions in local daytime (Tunisia is on UTC+1) and avoid late evenings. The send time planner helps schedule campaigns, and SMS marketing rules by country compares hours across markets.

Where does WhatsApp fit next to SMS in Tunisia?

Use SMS for reach and OTPs, and WhatsApp for richer conversations with customers who have opted in. SMS needs no app; WhatsApp supports media, buttons and replies. A common pattern is WhatsApp first with SMS as fallback; see WhatsApp vs SMS vs RCS and channel fallback strategy.

A worked example: a fashion retailer in Tunis

"Dar Mode" (synthetic) has eight stores and an online shop, and wants OTPs for checkout, parcel alerts and two sales campaigns a year.

  • It registers a transactional and a promotional sender ID, each in Latin and Arabic, and tests them on Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo and Orange.
  • Customers choose French or Arabic at checkout; the choice, timestamp and channel are stored with the number.
  • Parcel alerts use short French copy that avoids circumflex letters, so they stay at 160 characters.
  • Sale messages are checked against the suppression list, scheduled for daytime, and carry a STOP / ايقاف instruction.
  • Opt-outs from replies and links feed one suppression list that also covers WhatsApp and email.

What are the common mistakes?

  • No consent evidence. Without a timestamp and source you cannot answer a complaint.
  • One sender ID for everything. A filtered promotion can take OTPs down with it.
  • Untested Arabic sender names. Test rendering on real handsets on each network.
  • A stray circumflex. One ê turns a 160-character message into a 70-character one.
  • Treating lead times as promises. Add buffer beyond 5 to 7 business days.
  • Ignoring opt-outs. Regulators and consumers are already focused on unwanted advertising SMS.

How OmniChannels.ai helps

OmniChannels.ai is powered by BroadNet, which has direct routes to Tunisie Telecom, Ooredoo Tunisia and Orange Tunisia in our coverage data. We prepare and file sender ID registration with you, support Arabic and French content, and give you per-operator delivery reports, with SMPP 3.4 for high volume. For indicative list prices, see the Tunisia SMS pricing page, then book a demo. Small team? Our SMS marketing guide for small businesses covers the basics.

Frequently asked questions

Is bulk SMS legal in Tunisia?

Yes. Businesses send OTPs, alerts and marketing SMS, provided they use a legitimate route, hold valid consent for marketing and respect opt-outs. No single statute is called a bulk SMS law, so the rules come from the INT, the operators and the personal data law, Organic Law 2004-63. Confirm specifics with Tunisian counsel.

Do I need to register a sender ID in Tunisia?

Plan on it. Our regulation data says sender ID rules for Tunisie Telecom and Ooredoo are set by the operators and that BroadNet confirms current requirements during onboarding, with a typical lead time of 5 to 7 business days. It is a typical range, not a promise, so test delivery on all three networks before launch.

Do I need consent to send promotional SMS in Tunisia?

Treat it as required. Our regulation data calls for verifiable opt-in, with a logged source, timestamp, IP and channel retained for the life of the marketing relationship. Tunisia's personal data law also rests on the consent of the person concerned for most processing. Keep records, and ask a lawyer about existing-customer cases.

What is STOP SMS in Tunisia?

It is a service announced in 2018 following an agreement between the telecom regulator, the personal data authority (INPDP) and a consumer organisation, aimed at limiting unwanted advertising SMS that subscribers receive. Details of how it works today should be confirmed with the INT and the operators. For senders, the lesson is simple: honour every opt-out.

Should I write SMS in Arabic or French in Tunisia?

Use the language your customer chose. Many Tunisians read both, and business messages are often in French. French without circumflex letters stays at 160 characters, while Arabic sends as Unicode at 70. Offering a language choice at sign-up avoids guessing and keeps the part count predictable.

Can I send OTP SMS to Tunisian numbers?

Yes. Send OTPs on a transactional sender ID and route with no promotional text, a short numeric code and an expiry time. Keep the message in the language the user already uses with you, and monitor delivery per operator, because a blended rate can hide one weak network.

Sources

  1. INT, Instance Nationale des Télécommunications
  2. Loi organique n° 2004-63 du 27 juillet 2004 portant sur la protection des données à caractère personnel
  3. Tunisia's telecom regulator to launch services limiting volume of untimely advertising SMS, Agence Ecofin
  4. 3GPP TS 23.038: Alphabets and language-specific information

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