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Armenia SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features
Armenia SMS Market Overview
Locale name:
Armenia
ISO code:
AM
Region
Europe
Mobile country code (MCC)
283
Dialing Code
+374
Market Conditions: Armenia has a well-developed mobile telecommunications market with three major operators: Viva-MTS (formerly VivaCell-MTS), Team (formerly Beeline), and Ucom. SMS remains an important communication channel, particularly for business messaging and authentication purposes, though messaging apps like Viber and Telegram are increasingly popular among consumers. The market shows a strong preference for Android devices, which dominate the mobile operating system landscape in Armenia.
Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Armenia
Armenia supports standard SMS messaging features with some limitations, offering concatenated messaging and alphanumeric sender IDs, though two-way SMS functionality is not available.
Two-way SMS Support
Two-way SMS is not supported in Armenia through major SMS providers. This means businesses cannot receive replies to their SMS messages through standard A2P channels.
Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)
Support: Yes, concatenated messaging is fully supported in Armenia. Message length rules: Messages are limited to 160 characters before splitting occurs when using GSM-7 encoding, or 70 characters when using UCS-2 encoding for messages containing Unicode characters. Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encodings are supported, with GSM-7 being preferred for standard Latin characters to maximize message length.
MMS Support
MMS messages are not directly supported in Armenia. When attempting to send MMS, the message will be automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link where recipients can view the multimedia content. This ensures message delivery while maintaining compatibility with all mobile devices.
Recipient Phone Number Compatibility
Number Portability
Number portability is available in Armenia, allowing users to keep their phone numbers when switching between mobile operators. This feature does not significantly impact SMS delivery or routing as messages are automatically routed to the correct carrier.
Sending SMS to Landlines
SMS cannot be sent to landline numbers in Armenia. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in delivery failure, typically generating a 400 response with error code 21614. These messages will not appear in logs and accounts will not be charged for failed delivery attempts.
Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Armenia
Armenia's telecommunications sector is regulated by the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC). While specific SMS marketing laws are less stringent compared to other European countries, businesses should follow international best practices for responsible messaging.
Consent and Opt-In
While Armenia doesn't have explicit opt-in requirements, it's strongly recommended to:
Obtain and document explicit consent before sending marketing messages
Maintain clear records of how and when consent was obtained
Provide transparent information about message frequency and content type
Include clear terms and conditions during the opt-in process
HELP/STOP and Other Commands
While not legally mandated, implementing HELP/STOP functionality is considered best practice:
Support both Armenian and English keywords for opt-out commands
Common Armenian opt-out keywords include "Ô¿Ô±Õ†Ô³" (STOP) and "Õ•Ô³Õ†ÕˆÕ’Ô¹Õ…ÕˆÕ’Õ†" (HELP)
Process opt-out requests within 24 hours
Send confirmation messages in the user's preferred language
Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries
Armenia does not maintain an official Do Not Disturb registry. However, businesses should:
Maintain their own suppression lists
Honor opt-out requests immediately
Keep records of opted-out numbers for at least 12 months
Regularly clean contact lists to remove inactive or opted-out numbers
Time Zone Sensitivity
Armenia observes GMT+4 time zone. While there are no legal restrictions on messaging hours:
Recommended sending window: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time
Avoid sending messages on major Armenian holidays
Reserve after-hours messaging for urgent notifications only
Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Armenia
Alphanumeric Sender ID
Operator network capability: Supported with pre-registration Registration requirements: Pre-registration required, typically taking 3 weeks for approval Sender ID preservation: Yes, preserved when properly registered Best practices:
Limited to 11 characters
Must not impersonate other brands
Cannot contain special characters
Long Codes
Domestic vs. International: International long codes supported; domestic long codes not available Sender ID preservation: No, sender IDs may be overwritten by carriers Provisioning time: Immediate for international long codes Use cases:
Transactional messages
Two-factor authentication
Customer support communications
Short Codes
Support: Not currently available in Armenia Provisioning time: N/A Use cases: N/A
Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases
The following content types and industries face restrictions:
Gambling and betting services
Political campaign messages
Adult content or pornographic material
Religious content
Illegal drugs or controlled substances
Content Filtering
Known carrier filtering rules:
Messages containing restricted keywords may be blocked
URLs from suspicious domains are often filtered
High-volume sending from new sender IDs may be throttled
Best practices to avoid filtering:
Avoid URL shorteners
Use registered sender IDs consistently
Maintain steady sending volumes
Avoid excessive punctuation and all-caps text
Best Practices for Sending SMS in Armenia
Messaging Strategy
Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Include clear calls-to-action
Personalize messages using recipient's name or relevant details
Maintain consistent sender ID across campaigns
Sending Frequency and Timing
Limit marketing messages to 2-4 per month per recipient
Space out messages to avoid overwhelming users
Consider Armenian holidays and cultural events
Monitor engagement rates to optimize sending times
Localization
Support both Armenian and Russian languages
Use proper character encoding for Armenian alphabet
Consider cultural nuances in message content
Offer language preference selection during opt-in
Opt-Out Management
Process opt-outs within 24 hours
Send confirmation of opt-out completion
Maintain centralized opt-out database
Regular audit of opt-out list compliance
Testing and Monitoring
Test messages across all major carriers (Viva-MTS, Team, Ucom)
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Track engagement metrics and adjust strategy accordingly
Regularly test opt-out functionality
SMS API integrations for Armenia
Twilio
Twilio provides a robust REST API for sending SMS messages to Armenia. Authentication is handled via account SID and auth token.
import*as Twilio from'twilio';// Initialize Twilio client with your credentialsconst accountSid = process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID;const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN;const client =newTwilio(accountSid, authToken);asyncfunctionsendSMSToArmenia( to:string, message:string, senderId:string){try{// Ensure phone number is in E.164 format for Armenia (+374...)const formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+374')? to :`+374${to}`;const response =await client.messages.create({ body: message, from: senderId,// Pre-registered alphanumeric sender ID to: formattedNumber,});console.log(`Message sent successfully! SID: ${response.sid}`);return response;}catch(error){console.error('Error sending message:', error);throw error;}}
Sinch
Sinch offers a straightforward REST API with bearer token authentication for SMS delivery to Armenia.