Definition
DLT registration is the process of registering a business, its sender headers and its message templates on the operator-run distributed ledger platforms that India's TRAI requires before commercial SMS can be delivered.
TRAI requires operators to keep a shared registry of senders, headers, templates and consents under its Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) 2018, amended several times since. The platforms are run by Jio, Airtel, Vi (Vodafone Idea) and BSNL. The registry is checked at delivery, a step called scrubbing: a message is delivered only if its sender, header, template text and the recipient's preferences all match what is on record.
You register five things: the Principal Entity (your legal business, once per legal entity), headers (the sender ID recipients see), consent templates, content templates (exact text with variables for the parts that change) and the telemarketer chain that carries your traffic. Content templates are typed as promotional, transactional or service, and the network appends a suffix to the header so recipients can see the category.
Template design drives approval. Everything that changes must be a tagged variable, a new wording means a new template, a template with more than three variables must keep a minimum share of fixed characters, and categories must not be mixed. URLs, app links and call-back numbers must be whitelisted before use, and since December 2024 messages on undeclared telemarketer paths are rejected.
Portal fees and screens are set by each operator, so check the current amounts there. Approval decisions stay with the registrars, so plan buffer before launch. Our team prepares and files the registration with you.
Frequently asked questions
What does DLT stand for?
DLT stands for distributed ledger technology. In India it is the shared registry of senders, headers, templates and consents that operators keep under TRAI's TCCCPR regulations, used to check every commercial SMS before delivery.
Do I need DLT registration for OTP SMS to India?
Yes. Every business SMS to an Indian mobile, promotional or transactional, must use a registered header and template and travel on a declared telemarketer chain, otherwise it can be blocked.
Can I edit a registered template?
Only the tagged variable parts can change. Any change to the fixed wording is a new template that needs a new approval, so draft templates carefully before registering.