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Austria SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features
Austria SMS Market Overview
Locale name:
Austria
ISO code:
AT
Region
Europe
Mobile country code (MCC)
232
Dialing Code
+43
Market Conditions: Austria has a highly developed mobile telecommunications market with near-universal mobile penetration. The country's main mobile operators include A1 Telekom Austria, Magenta (T-Mobile), and Drei (Three). While OTT messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are popular for personal communications, SMS remains crucial for business communications, particularly for authentication, notifications, and marketing. The market shows a relatively even split between Android and iOS users, with Android having a slight edge in market share.
Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Austria
Austria supports a comprehensive range of SMS features including two-way messaging, concatenation, and advanced delivery options, making it a mature market for business messaging.
Two-way SMS Support
Austria fully supports two-way SMS communications with no specific restrictions. This enables interactive messaging campaigns and customer service applications, with messages flowing freely in both directions between businesses and customers.
Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)
Support: Yes, concatenation is fully supported across all major Austrian carriers. Message length rules: Standard SMS length of 160 characters for GSM-7 encoding, or 70 characters for Unicode (UCS-2) messages. Messages exceeding these limits are automatically concatenated into multiple segments. Encoding considerations: GSM-7 is the default encoding for standard Latin alphabet, while UCS-2 is used for special characters and non-Latin alphabets. UCS-2 messages have shorter length limits per segment.
MMS Support
MMS messages sent to Austrian numbers are automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link to view the multimedia content. This ensures compatibility across all devices while maintaining the ability to share rich media content.
Recipient Phone Number Compatibility
Number Portability
Number portability is fully available in Austria, allowing users to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. This feature is managed through a central database system and doesn't significantly impact message delivery or routing.
Sending SMS to Landlines
Sending SMS to landline numbers is not supported in Austria. Attempts to send SMS to landline numbers will result in delivery failure, with the message being rejected at the API level (error code 21614 for Twilio, for example) and no charges being incurred.
Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Austria
SMS communications in Austria are governed by both the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Austrian Telecommunications Act 2021 (TKG). The primary regulatory authority is the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde) and the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR).
Consent and Opt-In
Explicit Consent Requirements:
Written or electronic consent must be obtained before sending marketing messages
Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous
Pre-checked boxes or passive consent methods are not acceptable
Keep detailed records of when and how consent was obtained
Include clear information about message frequency and content type
HELP/STOP and Other Commands
All marketing messages must include clear opt-out instructions
STOP ("STOP", "STOPP") must be supported in both German and English
HELP ("HILFE", "HELP") commands must provide information in German
Response to STOP commands must be immediate and confirmed
Maintain records of all opt-out requests
Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries
Austria maintains the RTR's "Robinson List" for marketing communications. Best practices include:
Regular checks against the Robinson List database
Maintaining internal suppression lists
Immediate processing of opt-out requests
Proactive filtering of numbers before campaigns
Documentation of all opt-out processing procedures
Time Zone Sensitivity
While Austria doesn't have strict legal time restrictions for SMS, recommended practices include:
Sending messages between 8:00 and 20:00 local time (UTC+1/UTC+2)
Avoiding messages on Sundays and public holidays
Limiting urgent messages outside these hours to essential communications only
Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Austria
Alphanumeric Sender ID
Operator network capability: Fully supported Registration requirements: No pre-registration required Sender ID preservation: Yes, sender IDs are preserved across all major networks Character limit: Maximum 11 characters, alphanumeric only
Long Codes
Domestic vs. International:
Domestic: Fully supported
International: Not supported for origination
Sender ID preservation:
Domestic: Yes
International: No, replaced with local format
Provisioning time: 1-2 business days for domestic numbers
Use cases:
Two-way communication
Customer support
Transactional messages
Note: M2M (Machine-to-Machine) messaging not supported over domestic long codes
Short Codes
Support: Available through major carriers
Provisioning time: 8-12 weeks
Use cases:
Financial services (must comply with FMA guidelines)
Healthcare (subject to strict privacy regulations)
Insurance (requires specific disclaimers)
Content Filtering
Carrier Filtering Rules:
URLs from unknown domains may be blocked
Messages containing certain keywords related to restricted content
Multiple identical messages to the same recipient
Best Practices to Avoid Filtering:
Use registered URL shorteners
Avoid excessive punctuation and special characters
Maintain consistent sending patterns
Include clear sender identification
Use approved templates for sensitive content
Best Practices for Sending SMS in Austria
Messaging Strategy
Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Include clear call-to-action
Personalize using recipient's name or relevant details
Maintain consistent brand voice
Use URL shorteners for tracking and space efficiency
Sending Frequency and Timing
Limit to 2-4 messages per month per recipient
Respect Austrian business hours (8:00-20:00)
Consider Austrian holidays and cultural events
Space out messages to avoid overwhelming recipients
Localization
Primary language: German
Consider bilingual messages (German/English) for international audiences
Use proper formal address ("Sie" instead of "du")
Adapt content for local cultural context
Opt-Out Management
Process opt-outs within 24 hours
Maintain centralized opt-out database
Confirm opt-out status via SMS
Regular audit of opt-out lists
Train staff on opt-out procedures
Testing and Monitoring
Test across all major Austrian carriers (A1, Magenta, Drei)
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Track engagement metrics
Regular testing of opt-out functionality
Document and analyze failure patterns
SMS API integrations for Austria
Twilio
Twilio provides a robust REST API for sending SMS messages to Austrian numbers. Authentication uses your Account SID and Auth Token.
import{ Twilio }from'twilio';// Initialize Twilio client with your credentialsconst client =newTwilio(process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN);// Function to send SMS to Austrian numberasyncfunctionsendSmsToAustria( to:string, message:string, senderId:string):Promise<void>{try{// Ensure number is in E.164 format for Austria (+43...)const formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+43')? to :`+43${to.replace(/^0/,'')}`;const response =await client.messages.create({ body: message, from: senderId,// Alphanumeric sender ID or Twilio number to: formattedNumber,// Optional parameters for delivery tracking statusCallback:'https://your-webhook.com/status',});console.log(`Message sent successfully! SID: ${response.sid}`);}catch(error){console.error('Error sending message:', error);throw error;}}
Sinch
Sinch offers a REST API with JSON payload support for Austrian SMS delivery.