SMS pricing and sender ID rules in the United Arab Emirates

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

SMS from (per segment): $0.0123
Operators (2 direct): 3
Sender ID registration: 5-7 business days
Regulator: TDRA

Short answer

Business SMS to the United Arab Emirates starts at $0.0123 per message segment on BroadNet's published rate card, with lower rates from 100,000 messages a month. 3 mobile operators are covered, 2 on direct routes. Sender ID registration with TDRA typically takes 5-7 business days.

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SMS list rates in United Arab Emirates

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.

$0.0123

$0.0108

$0.0091

$0.0074

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
Operator	Up to 100,000
etisalat	$0.0123
du	$0.0123

Estimate your monthly cost

Rates by operator and volume tier

Operator	Route	Up to 100,000	100,000 to 1 million	1 to 5 million	5 million and more
etisalat	Direct	$0.0123	$0.0108	$0.0091	$0.0074
du	Direct	$0.0123	$0.0108	$0.0091	$0.0074

USD per SMS segment, before taxes and sender ID fees. Rate card reviewed 24 September 2026. Local-currency invoicing in AED is available. Published list rate in AED: from AED 0.0452 per segment.

Estimate your monthly cost Check your sender ID Sender ID rules in the UAE United Arab Emirates messaging guide

SMS rules in the United Arab Emirates

Summary of Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and operator requirements. Last reviewed 29 September 2026; rules change, so we confirm them for your traffic during onboarding.

Sender ID formats

TDRA · etisalat: Alphanumeric (Latin or Arabic), up to 11 chars. AD- prefix mandatory on promotional senders.
TDRA · du: Alphanumeric (Latin or Arabic), up to 11 chars. AD- prefix mandatory on promotional senders.

Sender ID registration

TDRA · etisalat: Required — one sender ID per legal entity per use case
TDRA · du: Required — registered alongside etisalat through the operator portal
Typical lead time: 5-7 business days.

Consent (opt-in)

Verifiable opt-in required; source, timestamp, IP, and channel must be logged and retained for the life of the relationship. TDRA can request the audit trail at any time.

Opt-out

Every promotional SMS must carry STOP or ايقاف. Opt-outs are honoured network-wide and audited by TDRA. One-step, irreversible until the recipient re-consents.

Quiet hours and send window

TDRA's spam policy bars marketing text messages between 21:00 and 07:00 GST. Transactional OTP and alerts are 24/7.
Promotional window on the rate card: 07:00–21:00 GST.

Regulator

Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). Country code +971.

Sources

List rates: BroadNet's published SMS rate card, reviewed 24 September 2026. Indicative, excluding taxes; your quote confirms the final price. Cost estimator
Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA)
TDRA spam policy

Send SMS to the United Arab Emirates with one API

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

SMS API docs Talk 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":"971…","message":"Hello from YourBrand","messageType":"TEXT"}'

SMS to the United Arab Emirates: questions

How much does it cost to send an SMS to the United Arab Emirates?

Indicative list rates start at $0.0123 per SMS segment, falling to about $0.0074 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 the United Arab Emirates?

Yes. etisalat: One sender ID per legal entity per use case; du: Registered alongside etisalat through the operator portal. We submit it for you and confirm the current requirements during onboarding.

How long does sender ID registration take in the United Arab Emirates?

Typically 5–7 business days, depending on the operator and the documents provided. We confirm the current timeline for your sender ID during onboarding.

When can I send promotional SMS in the United Arab Emirates?

Promotional window: 07:00–21:00 local time. TDRA's spam policy bars marketing text messages between 21:00 and 07:00 GST. Transactional OTP and alerts are 24/7. Promotional senders must start with the AD- prefix (for example AD-MyBrand); transactional and OTP senders do not use it.

Which mobile operators can I reach in the United Arab Emirates?

etisalat (direct route), du (direct route), Virgin Mobile (MVNO · du) (partner route).

What opt-out wording is required in the United Arab Emirates?

Every promotional SMS must carry STOP or ايقاف. Opt-outs are honoured network-wide and audited by TDRA. One-step, irreversible until the recipient re-consents.

SMS pricing in nearby markets

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