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SMS pricing and sender ID rules in Uganda

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

SMS from (per segment)
$0.0340
Operators (3 direct)
3
Sender ID registration
5-10 business days
Regulator
UCC

Short answer

Business SMS to Uganda starts at $0.0340 per message segment on BroadNet's published rate card, with lower rates from 100,000 messages a month. 3 mobile operators are covered, all on direct routes. Sender ID registration with UCC typically takes 5-10 business days.

SMS list rates in Uganda

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 Uganda
$0.0363
$0.0319
$0.0268
$0.0218
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
MTN Uganda$0.0385
Airtel Uganda$0.0363
Lycamobile UG$0.0340
Estimate your monthly cost

Rates by operator and volume tier

OperatorRouteUp to 100,000100,000 to 1 million1 to 5 million5 million and more
MTN UgandaDirect$0.0385$0.0339$0.0285$0.0231
Airtel UgandaDirect$0.0363$0.0319$0.0269$0.0218
Lycamobile UGDirect$0.0340$0.0299$0.0252$0.0204

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

SMS rules in Uganda

Summary of Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and operator requirements. Last reviewed 29 September 2026; rules change, so we confirm them for your traffic during onboarding.

Sender ID formats

  • UCC · MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda: Alphanumeric, up to 11 chars (numeric long-code on select networks)

Sender ID registration

  • UCC · MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda: Set by the operators; BroadNet confirms the current requirements during onboarding
  • Typical lead time: 5-10 business days.

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

  • We have not found a regulator-published time-of-day window for promotional SMS in this market. Agree sending hours with the operator and schedule promotional sends for the recipient's local daytime; transactional traffic runs 24/7.

Regulator

  • Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Country code +256.

Sources

Send SMS to Uganda with one API

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

curl -X POST https://api.broadnet.me/sms/sendSms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BROADNET_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"senderId":"YourBrand","destinationNumber":"256…","message":"Hello from YourBrand","messageType":"TEXT"}'

SMS to Uganda: questions

How much does it cost to send an SMS to Uganda?

Indicative list rates start at $0.0340 per SMS segment, falling to about $0.0218 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 Uganda?

Yes, in practice: the mobile operators in Uganda set the sender ID requirements rather than a central registry. BroadNet confirms the current requirements during onboarding.

How long does sender ID registration take in Uganda?

Typically 5–10 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 Uganda?

There is no regulator-published window that we know of in Uganda. Agree sending hours with the operator and schedule promotional sends for the recipient's local daytime; transactional traffic runs 24/7.

Which mobile operators can I reach in Uganda?

MTN Uganda (direct route), Airtel Uganda (direct route), Lycamobile UG (direct route).

What opt-out wording is required in Uganda?

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/uganda/