The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced a new compliance requirement under the TCCCPR 2025 Amendment, mandating that all SMS headers (Sender IDs) include a message-type suffix. This update, effective from May 6, 2025, aims to enhance transparency and help mobile users identify the nature of messages they receive.
What Are Header Suffixes?
Header suffixes are short letter codes automatically added to your SMS header by telecom providers, based on the type of template you’ve registered on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform.
Suffix Mapping:
- -P : Promotional messages
- -S : Service messages
- -T : Transactional messages
- -G : Government messages (for TRAI-exempted headers only)
📌 Example:
If your original registered header is ABCDEF and you’re sending a Service message, it will appear on the user’s phone as:
VM-ABCDEF-S
Where “VM” represents the operator and circle, “ABCDEF” is your header, and “-S” denotes a service message.
Key Changes to Note
✅ Automated Process – No Customer Action Required
You don’t need to make any changes. The DLT system and your SMS provider (like SMSAlert) will automatically apply the appropriate suffix during message delivery based on your existing template registrations.
✅ End of ‘Service Explicit’ Category
The Service Explicit category will be discontinued. All such templates will automatically migrate to the Promotional category and inherit the -P suffix.
✅ Continued Use of Brand Headers
Even after migration, you can continue sending Promotional SMS using your existing alphanumeric (brand-based) headers.
✅ Clear Message Classification
Customers will instantly recognize if a message is promotional, service-related, transactional, or government-issued, directly from the header.
Additional Regulatory Enhancements (Effective April 11, 2025)
Extended Complaint Window: Non-DND users now have 7 days (previously 3 days) to report Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC).
Stricter Controls on Unregistered Telemarketers: Complaints can now be lodged against messages or calls from 10-digit mobile numbers and other unregistered sources.
What You Need to Do
Absolutely nothing.
SMSAlert and telecom operators will take care of all backend changes required for compliance. Your existing headers and templates remain valid and functional, and suffixes will be auto-applied during DLT scrubbing and message delivery.
Conclusion
This TRAI-mandated update is a step forward in building a more transparent SMS communication ecosystem. It enables customers to clearly identify the type of content they’re receiving and ensures compliance across all messaging channels.
SMSAlert is fully aligned with these regulatory changes. For any queries or assistance, our support team is ready to help.
No action needed. We’ve got you covered.