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Afghanistan SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features
Afghanistan SMS Market Overview
Locale name:
Afghanistan
ISO code:
AF
Region
Asia
Mobile country code (MCC)
412
Dialing Code
+93
Market Conditions: Afghanistan's mobile market is served by four major operators: Roshan, MTN (Areeba), Etisalat, and Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC). SMS remains a critical communication channel, particularly for business messaging and notifications, despite growing OTT messaging app usage. The market predominantly uses Android devices, with iOS having limited penetration. A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging is widely used for business communications, with strict regulations around sender ID registration and message content.
Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Afghanistan
Afghanistan supports basic SMS functionality with some limitations, primarily focusing on one-way messaging with mandatory sender ID registration requirements.
Two-way SMS Support
Two-way SMS is not supported in Afghanistan through standard A2P channels. Businesses looking to implement two-way communication should consider alternative communication methods.
Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)
Support: Yes, concatenated messaging is fully supported across all major carriers. Message length rules: Standard SMS length limits apply - 160 characters for GSM-7 encoding, 70 characters for UCS-2 encoding before splitting occurs. Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encodings are supported. UCS-2 is recommended for messages containing non-Latin characters or special symbols.
MMS Support
MMS messages are not directly supported in Afghanistan. When MMS content is sent, it is automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link where recipients can view the multimedia content. This ensures message delivery while maintaining compatibility with local network capabilities.
Recipient Phone Number Compatibility
Number Portability
Number portability services are limited in Afghanistan. Mobile numbers generally remain tied to their original network operator, which helps ensure more reliable message routing and delivery.
Sending SMS to Landlines
SMS to landline numbers is not supported in Afghanistan. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in a failed delivery and a 400 response error (code 21614). The message will not appear in logs, and no charges will be incurred.
Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's telecommunications sector is regulated by the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA). While specific SMS marketing laws are still evolving, businesses must adhere to general telecommunications regulations and international best practices for messaging.
Consent and Opt-In
Explicit Consent Requirements:
Written or electronic consent must be obtained before sending any marketing messages
Maintain detailed records of how and when consent was obtained
Clearly communicate the type and frequency of messages recipients will receive
Provide transparent information about the sending organization
Best Practices for Consent Collection:
Use double opt-in processes for marketing lists
Document consent timestamps and methods
Store consent records securely
Regularly update and verify consent status
HELP/STOP and Other Commands
All SMS campaigns must support standard opt-out keywords:
STOP, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE (English)
توقف, لغو (Dari)
ودرول (Pashto)
HELP/INFO commands must provide information in both English and local languages
Responses to these commands should be free of charge for users
Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries
Afghanistan currently does not maintain an official Do Not Call or Do Not Disturb registry. However, businesses should:
Maintain their own suppression lists
Honor opt-out requests within 24 hours
Implement internal do-not-contact databases
Regularly clean contact lists to remove unengaged users
Time Zone Sensitivity
Afghanistan follows UTC+4:30 time zone. While there are no strict regulatory time restrictions, recommended sending hours are:
Weekdays: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM AFT
Weekends: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM AFT
Avoid: Religious holidays and prayer times
Emergency messages: Can be sent 24/7 if truly urgent
Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Afghanistan
Alphanumeric Sender ID
Operator network capability: Fully supported across all major networks Registration requirements:
Pre-registration required
3-week average processing time
Business documentation needed
Content examples must be provided
Sender ID preservation: Yes, registered IDs are preserved across all networks except MTN, which requires specific pre-registration
Long Codes
Domestic vs. International:
Domestic long codes: Not supported
International long codes: Supported with limitations
Sender ID preservation: No, international long codes may be modified by carriers
Provisioning time: N/A for domestic, immediate for international
Use cases: Primarily for transactional messaging and 2FA
Short Codes
Support: Not currently supported in Afghanistan
Provisioning time: N/A
Use cases: N/A
Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases
Prohibited Content:
Gambling and betting
Adult content
Political messaging without authorization
Cryptocurrency promotions
Unauthorized financial services
Regulated Industries:
Banking: Requires additional documentation
Healthcare: Patient privacy requirements apply
Insurance: Must include disclaimer information
Content Filtering
Known Carrier Filters:
URLs from unknown domains
Multiple exclamation marks
All-caps messages
High-frequency identical messages
Best Practices to Avoid Filtering:
Use registered URL shorteners
Maintain consistent sending patterns
Avoid spam trigger words
Include clear business identifier
Best Practices for Sending SMS in Afghanistan
Messaging Strategy
Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Include clear call-to-action
Use approved sender IDs consistently
Maintain professional tone
Sending Frequency and Timing
Limit to 4-5 messages per month per user
Respect prayer times and religious observances
Avoid sending during major holidays
Space out bulk campaigns
Localization
Support for Dari and Pashto required
Consider bilingual messages for important communications
Use appropriate character encoding for local languages
Test rendering on popular local devices
Opt-Out Management
Process opt-outs within 24 hours
Maintain centralized opt-out database
Confirm opt-out with one final message
Regular audit of opt-out compliance
Testing and Monitoring
Test across all major carriers (Roshan, MTN, Etisalat, AWCC)
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Track opt-out rates and patterns
Regular content and compliance audits
SMS API Integrations for Afghanistan
Twilio
Twilio provides a robust SMS API with specific support for Afghanistan's messaging requirements.
Key Parameters:
alphanumericSenderId: Must be pre-registered
to: Phone numbers must be in E.164 format (+93)
body: Supports both Latin and local character sets
import{ Twilio }from'twilio';// Initialize Twilio clientconst client =newTwilio( process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN);asyncfunctionsendSMSToAfghanistan(){try{// Send message with registered sender IDconst message =await client.messages.create({ body:'Your verification code is: 123456',// Message content from:'YourBrand',// Pre-registered sender ID to:'+93XXXXXXXXXX',// Afghanistan number in E.164 format// Optional parameters for delivery tracking statusCallback:'https://yourwebhook.com/status'});console.log(`Message sent successfully: ${message.sid}`);return message;}catch(error){console.error('Error sending message:', error);throw error;}}
Sinch
Sinch offers comprehensive SMS capabilities for Afghanistan with support for both transactional and promotional messages.