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SMS pricing and sender ID rules in South Africa

Indicative rates by operator and volume, sender ID registration, consent rules and quiet hours for business SMS to South Africa, from BroadNet's published rate card and regulatory research.

SMS from (per segment)
$0.0280
Operators (4 direct)
4
Sender ID registration
Free-form (no pre-registration)
Regulator
ICASA

Short answer

Business SMS to South Africa starts at $0.0280 per message segment on BroadNet's published rate card, with lower rates from 100,000 messages a month. 4 mobile operators are covered, all on direct routes. Sender ID registration with ICASA typically takes Free-form (no pre-registration).

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SMS list rates in South Africa

Indicative price per SMS segment by monthly volume tier, averaged across operators, from BroadNet's published rate card. The more you send, the lower the rate.

SMS list rates in South Africa
$0.0297
$0.0261
$0.0220
$0.0178
Up to 100,000100,000 to 1 million1 to 5 million5 million and more

Indicative list prices in USD before taxes and sender ID fees, reviewed September 24, 2026. Your quote confirms the final rate.

List rate by operator
OperatorUp to 100,000
Vodacom$0.0314
MTN South Africa$0.0302
Cell C$0.0291
Telkom Mobile$0.0280
Estimate your monthly cost

Rates by operator and volume tier

OperatorRouteUp to 100,000100,000 to 1 million1 to 5 million5 million and more
VodacomDirect$0.0314$0.0276$0.0232$0.0188
MTN South AfricaDirect$0.0302$0.0266$0.0223$0.0181
Cell CDirect$0.0291$0.0256$0.0215$0.0175
Telkom MobileDirect$0.0280$0.0246$0.0207$0.0168

USD per SMS segment, before taxes and sender ID fees. Rate card reviewed 24 September 2026.

Estimate your monthly costCheck your sender IDSender ID rules in South Africa

SMS rules in South Africa

Summary of Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and operator requirements. Last reviewed 1 October 2026; rules change, so we confirm them for your traffic during onboarding.

Sender ID formats

  • ICASA · Vodacom and MTN South Africa: Alphanumeric, up to 11 chars (numeric long-code on select networks)

Sender ID registration

  • ICASA · Vodacom and MTN South Africa: Not required under the WASPA Code of Conduct; the sender ID must identify the business
  • Typical lead time: Free-form (no pre-registration).

Consent (opt-in)

  • Verifiable opt-in required, with timestamped consent records retained for at least 12 months and produced on regulator request.

Opt-out

  • Every promotional message must include STOP / opt-out wording. DND-registry suppression applied automatically where the regulator runs one.

Quiet hours and send window

  • The WASPA Code of Conduct (section 16.8) bars direct marketing on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, and on other days between 20:00 and 08:00. Transactional 24/7.

Regulator

  • Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). Country code +27.

Sources

Send SMS to South Africa with one API

The same REST API and SMPP connection reach South Africa and every other market, with delivery receipts on one webhook and automatic fallback to WhatsApp or RCS where you enable it.

SMS API docsTalk to our team
curl -X POST https://api.broadnet.me/sms/sendSms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BROADNET_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"senderId":"YourBrand","destinationNumber":"27…","message":"Hello from YourBrand","messageType":"TEXT"}'

SMS to South Africa: questions

How much does it cost to send an SMS to South Africa?

Indicative list rates start at $0.0280 per SMS segment, falling to about $0.0178 at 5 million messages a month. Prices exclude taxes and sender ID fees; your quote confirms the final rate.

Do I need to register a sender ID in South Africa?

No, there is no formal sender ID registration in South Africa. Not required under the WASPA Code of Conduct; the sender ID must identify the business. We confirm the current requirements during onboarding.

How long does sender ID registration take in South Africa?

There is no pre-registration step in South Africa, so there is no registration lead time. We confirm the current timeline for your sender ID during onboarding.

When can I send promotional SMS in South Africa?

Promotional window: Mon–Fri 08:00–20:00 · Sat 09:00–13:00 local time; not on public holidays. The WASPA Code of Conduct (section 16.8) bars direct marketing on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, and on other days between 20:00 and 08:00. Transactional 24/7.

Which mobile operators can I reach in South Africa?

Vodacom (direct route), MTN South Africa (direct route), Cell C (direct route), Telkom Mobile (direct route).

What opt-out wording is required in South Africa?

Every promotional message must include STOP / opt-out wording. DND-registry suppression applied automatically where the regulator runs one.

SMS pricing in nearby markets

Data: BroadNet published rate card and regulatory research, reviewed 24 September 2026. URL: https://omnichannels.ai/sms-pricing/south-africa/