RCS business messaging in the UAE
Give customers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates a branded, interactive version of SMS: your verified name and logo, images, product carousels and tap-to-reply buttons in Arabic or English, with SMS from your registered sender ID as the safety net. BroadNet is licensed in every country where it operates.
RCS message to a UAE customer from a verified brand sender, with a rich card and suggested replies. Brand and content are sample data.
Short answer
Updated
OmniChannels.ai sends RCS business messages to UAE numbers through BroadNet, a Google RBM partner headquartered in Dubai. Customers see your verified brand name, logo, rich cards and up to 11 suggested replies in their default messaging app. RCS reach on UAE networks is subject to operator availability, confirmed during onboarding; other recipients get the same message as SMS.
What RCS gives UAE brands
RCS runs in the phone's default messaging app, so customers need no new app. Everything below is subject to what the recipient's phone and network support.
Verified brand sender
Messages show your business name, logo and brand colour with a verification mark from Google's RBM programme, which helps customers in the UAE tell a genuine message from an impersonation attempt.
Arabic and English rich content
Write cards, carousels and buttons in Arabic, English or both. Arabic text displays right to left in the messaging app, just as customers expect.
Rich cards and carousels
Show a car, an apartment, a menu or a flight as a card with an image and buttons, or let customers swipe through a carousel of up to 10 cards.
Suggested replies and actions
Add up to 11 chips per message, such as reply, call, open a link or view a location, so customers act with one tap and the reply returns to your system.
SMS fallback to your registered sender ID
Where RCS is not available, the message goes out as SMS from your TDRA-registered sender ID, so one campaign still reaches every number.
Branded OTPs
Send one-time passwords from your verified brand rather than a bare number. Phones without RCS receive the same code by SMS.
Channel order per use case
Put WhatsApp first, then RCS, then SMS, or any order that suits the use case. Every status comes back in one webhook format.
A team in Dubai
BroadNet is headquartered in Business Bay, Dubai, and supports UAE brands in Arabic and English from discovery to launch.
RCS in the UAE: what is ready and what is confirmed at onboarding
A practical summary. Operator support for RCS business messaging changes, so we confirm the current position for your traffic before launch.
| Item | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Verified sender, rich cards, carousels, chips | Available | Available on the platform and the API today, for brands approved through Google's RBM programme. |
| RCS reach on UAE networks | On request | Subject to operator availability, confirmed during onboarding. We tell you which networks and handsets can receive your agent before you plan volumes. |
| SMS fallback | Available | Automatic for recipients who cannot receive RCS, sent from your sender ID registered under TDRA rules. Promotional sender IDs carry the AD- prefix. |
| Promotional sending hours | Available | TDRA's spam policy bars marketing text messages between 21:00 and 07:00 UAE time. We schedule promotional RCS and its SMS fallback inside permitted hours. |
| Consent | Available | Promotional messages go only to customers who opted in, with the source and time of consent logged. Every promotional SMS fallback carries an opt-out such as STOP or ايقاف. |
| Pricing | — | RCS pricing is on request: contact sales for a quote based on your use case and volumes. SMS fallback in the UAE is listed from US$0.0123 per segment, excluding taxes. |
How to launch RCS for your UAE customers
Approval runs in two stages, Google brand verification and operator review, so start with the pieces you control.
- 1
Pick use cases
Decide what you will send first, such as OTPs, service bookings, delivery updates or offers, and which go to opted-in customers only.
- 2
Prepare your brand kit
Display name in Arabic and English, logo, brand colour, short description, website, support contacts and privacy policy link.
- 3
Verify the agent
We submit your RBM agent for Google brand verification and confirm operator availability for the UAE.
- 4
Design cards and fallback
Build cards, carousels and chips, and write the SMS text each message falls back to, within the 70-character Unicode segment for Arabic.
- 5
Test and launch
Send to internal Android and iPhone numbers on UAE networks, compare what each receives in the delivery report, then go live.
Is RCS right for your UAE traffic?
A good fit when
- You already send SMS in the UAE and want a branded, interactive version without asking customers to install anything.
- Your messages benefit from images and buttons: car servicing, real estate, retail, travel or appointment booking.
- You want customers to recognise genuine alerts and OTPs from a verified sender.
- You want one campaign that reaches RCS-capable phones and falls back to SMS for everyone else.
Good to know before you start
- RCS reach depends on operator availability, the handset and its messaging app. It is confirmed during onboarding, not assumed.
- Many UAE customers already use WhatsApp heavily; RCS works best as one step in a channel order, not as a replacement.
- Brand verification and operator review take time and are outside our control, so plan a lead time before campaign dates.
- Recipients who get the SMS fallback see plain text only, so the fallback copy must work on its own.
Channel fallback, step by step
Send once through the platform or the API. If a step isn't delivered in time, the next channel takes over automatically, and every status comes back in one webhook format.
- 01
WhatsApp
Rich template with buttons, read receipts and replies in the inbox
- 02
RCS
Branded rich card where the handset and operator support RCS
- 03
SMS
Reaches every mobile phone over direct operator routes
- 04
Voice
A spoken code or message when text isn't getting through
RCS in the UAE: common questions
Is RCS business messaging available in the UAE?
OmniChannels.ai can send RCS to UAE numbers through BroadNet's Google RBM partnership. Whether a given recipient receives RCS depends on operator availability, the handset and its messaging app, which we confirm for your agent during onboarding. Recipients who cannot receive RCS get the SMS fallback automatically.
Do I still need an SMS sender ID registered in the UAE?
Yes, if you want SMS fallback, and most brands do. UAE sender IDs are registered under TDRA rules for etisalat and du, usually within 5 to 7 business days, and promotional sender IDs carry the AD- prefix. We handle the registration alongside your RCS agent.
Can RCS messages be written in Arabic?
Yes. Card titles, descriptions, buttons and suggested replies can be in Arabic, English or both, and Arabic displays right to left. Remember that the SMS fallback for Arabic uses Unicode, which fits 70 characters per segment, so keep the fallback text short.
Do iPhone users in the UAE receive RCS business messages?
iPhone support depends on the iOS version, the operator and Apple's rollout, and it is not the same in every market. You do not need to segment your list in advance: if a recipient cannot receive RCS, the platform sends the SMS version and the delivery report shows which channel was used.
How much does RCS cost in the UAE?
RCS pricing in the UAE is on request, because it depends on the operator, the message type and your volumes: contact sales for RCS pricing. Messages that fall back to SMS are billed at the UAE SMS rate, listed from US$0.0123 per segment excluding taxes. Your quote confirms the rates, with invoicing in AED or USD.
How long does it take to launch an RCS sender for the UAE?
It depends on Google brand verification and on operator review, both of which vary. Having your bilingual brand kit, use cases and opt-in process ready shortens the process. We give you a realistic plan during discovery instead of a fixed date.
Should I use RCS or WhatsApp for customers in Dubai?
Use both. WhatsApp reaches customers who opted in to your WhatsApp number, while RCS upgrades messages you would otherwise send as SMS. Many brands set a fallback order such as WhatsApp, then RCS, then SMS, chosen per use case.
Guides on this topic
- SMS & OTPRCS Business Messaging Explained: Verified Senders and Rich Cards8 min read
- SMS & OTPRCS Launch Checklist: Go Live With a Verified Agent12 min read
- SMS & OTPWhatsApp vs SMS vs RCS: Which Channel for OTP and Marketing?8 min read
Explore more of the platform
Plan your UAE RCS launch
Tell us your use cases, brand and current SMS volumes in the UAE. We'll confirm operator availability, prepare your agent and design the SMS fallback with you.