Lithuania SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features

Lithuania SMS Market Overview

Locale name:	Lithuania
ISO code:	LT
Region	Europe
Mobile country code (MCC)	246
Dialing Code	+370

Market Conditions: Lithuania has a highly developed mobile telecommunications market with widespread SMS usage. The country has three major mobile operators: Telia Lithuania, Bitė Lithuania, and Tele2. While OTT messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger are popular, SMS remains crucial for business communications, authentication, and notifications. The mobile market shows a balanced distribution between Android and iOS devices, with Android having a slight edge in market share.

Key SMS Features and Capabilities in Lithuania

Lithuania offers comprehensive SMS capabilities including two-way messaging, concatenated messages, and number portability, making it a robust market for business messaging.

Two-way SMS Support

Two-way SMS is fully supported in Lithuania with no significant restrictions. This enables interactive messaging campaigns and customer engagement through SMS conversations.

Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)

Support: Yes, concatenation is fully supported across all major carriers.
Message length rules: Standard 160 characters for GSM-7 encoding, 70 characters for Unicode (UCS-2) before splitting occurs.
Encoding considerations: Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 encodings are supported. Messages using Latin characters typically use GSM-7, while messages containing Lithuanian-specific characters require UCS-2 encoding.

MMS Support

MMS messages are automatically converted to SMS with an embedded URL link. This ensures compatibility across all devices while still allowing rich media content to be shared through linked web pages.

Recipient Phone Number Compatibility

Number Portability

Number portability is available in Lithuania, allowing users to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers. This feature doesn't significantly impact SMS delivery or routing as the messaging infrastructure is well-established to handle ported numbers.

Sending SMS to Landlines

Sending SMS to landline numbers is not supported in Lithuania. Attempts to send messages to landline numbers will result in delivery failure, and the system will return a 400 response with error code 21614. These messages won't appear in logs, and accounts won't be charged for failed attempts.

Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in Lithuania

Lithuania follows both national telecommunications laws and EU regulations, including GDPR. The Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) oversees telecommunications services, while the State Data Protection Inspectorate handles data privacy matters. All SMS marketing must comply with both Lithuanian Law on Electronic Communications and EU privacy directives.

Explicit Consent Requirements:

Written or electronic consent must be obtained before sending marketing messages
Consent records must be maintained and easily accessible
Clear disclosure of the company's identity and message purpose is mandatory
Consent must be specific to SMS marketing and cannot be bundled with other services

Best Practices for Documentation:

Store consent timestamps and methods
Maintain detailed records of opt-in sources
Regularly update consent databases
Implement double opt-in for additional security

HELP/STOP and Other Commands

Required Keywords: STOP, SUSTABDYTI (Lithuanian for "stop"), and PAGALBA (Lithuanian for "help") must be supported
Language Requirements: Commands must be recognized in both English and Lithuanian
Response Time: Acknowledgment messages must be sent within 24 hours
Cost: Stop and help commands must be free for users

Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries

Lithuania doesn't maintain a centralized Do Not Call registry, but businesses must:

Maintain their own suppression lists
Honor opt-out requests immediately
Remove numbers within 24 hours of receiving STOP commands
Keep records of opted-out numbers for at least 2 years

Time Zone Sensitivity

Lithuania observes Eastern European Time (EET/EEST). Recommended Sending Hours:

Weekdays: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM EET
Weekends: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM EET
Avoid sending during national holidays
Emergency messages exempt from time restrictions

Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for Lithuania

Alphanumeric Sender ID

Operator network capability: Fully supported across all major networks
Registration requirements: No pre-registration required, dynamic usage allowed
Sender ID preservation: Sender IDs are preserved and displayed as sent
Length restriction: Maximum 11 characters, alphanumeric only

Long Codes

Domestic vs. International: Both supported with full functionality
Sender ID preservation: Yes, original sender ID is preserved
Provisioning time: 1-2 business days
Use cases:

Two-way communication
Customer support
Transactional messages
Authentication services

Short Codes

Support: Not currently supported in Lithuania
Alternative: Use long codes or alphanumeric sender IDs for marketing campaigns

Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases

Restricted Industries:

Gambling and betting services
Adult content
Unauthorized pharmaceutical products
Unlicensed financial services

Regulated Industries:

Banking (requires additional authentication)
Healthcare (must comply with patient privacy laws)
Insurance (subject to financial services regulations)

Content Filtering

Known Carrier Filters:

URLs from suspicious domains
Keywords associated with spam
High-frequency sending patterns

Best Practices to Avoid Filtering:

Use registered URL shorteners
Avoid excessive punctuation
Maintain consistent sending volumes
Include clear company identification

Best Practices for Sending SMS in Lithuania

Messaging Strategy

Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Include clear call-to-actions
Personalize using recipient's name or preferences
Maintain consistent brand voice

Sending Frequency and Timing

Limit to 4-5 messages per month per recipient
Respect Lithuanian holidays and observances
Avoid sending during early morning or late evening
Space out messages to prevent fatigue

Localization

Primary language: Lithuanian
Consider bilingual messages (Lithuanian/English) for international audiences
Use proper Lithuanian characters and encoding
Respect cultural sensitivities and local customs

Opt-Out Management

Process opt-outs within 24 hours
Send confirmation of opt-out
Maintain clean suppression lists
Regular audit of opt-out processes

Testing and Monitoring

Test across all major Lithuanian carriers
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Track engagement metrics
Regular A/B testing of message content
Maintain quality scores above industry benchmarks

SMS API Integrations for Lithuania

Twilio

Twilio provides a robust SMS API with excellent support for Lithuanian numbers.

Authentication & Setup:

Account SID and Auth Token required
Region selection available (EU data center recommended)
E.164 number formatting required (+370)

import { Twilio } from 'twilio';

// Initialize Twilio client
const client = new Twilio(
  process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID,
  process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN
);

// Function to send SMS to Lithuania
async function sendSMSToLithuania(
  to: string,
  message: string,
  senderId: string
): Promise<void> {
  try {
    // Ensure proper number formatting for Lithuania
    const formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+370') ? to : `+370${to}`;
    
    const response = await client.messages.create({
      body: message,
      from: senderId, // Alphanumeric or phone number
      to: formattedNumber,
      // Optional parameters for delivery tracking
      statusCallback: 'https://your-webhook.com/status'
    });
    
    console.log(`Message sent! SID: ${response.sid}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error);
  }
}

Sinch

Sinch offers comprehensive SMS capabilities for the Lithuanian market with strong delivery rates.

Key Features:

REST API with JSON payload
Batch sending support
Delivery reports
Unicode support for Lithuanian characters

import axios from 'axios';

interface SinchSMSConfig {
  apiToken: string;
  servicePlanId: string;
  senderId: string;
}

class SinchSMSService {
  private readonly baseUrl: string;
  private readonly headers: Record<string, string>;
  
  constructor(private config: SinchSMSConfig) {
    this.baseUrl = 'https://eu.sms.api.sinch.com/xms/v1';
    this.headers = {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${config.apiToken}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    };
  }

  async sendSMS(to: string, message: string): Promise<void> {
    try {
      const response = await axios.post(
        `${this.baseUrl}/${this.config.servicePlanId}/batches`,
        {
          from: this.config.senderId,
          to: [to],
          body: message,
          encoding: 'auto' // Automatically handles Lithuanian characters
        },
        { headers: this.headers }
      );
      
      console.log('Message sent:', response.data.id);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Sinch SMS error:', error);
    }
  }
}

Bird (MessageBird)

Bird provides reliable SMS delivery in Lithuania with support for local number formatting and Unicode.

import { MessageBirdClient } from 'messagebird';

class BirdSMSService {
  private client: MessageBirdClient;

  constructor(apiKey: string) {
    this.client = new MessageBirdClient(apiKey);
  }

  async sendSMS(
    to: string,
    message: string,
    senderId: string
  ): Promise<void> {
    const params = {
      originator: senderId,
      recipients: [to],
      body: message,
      encoding: 'auto',
      reportUrl: 'https://your-webhook.com/delivery-reports'
    };

    try {
      const response = await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
        this.client.messages.create(params, (err, response) => {
          if (err) reject(err);
          else resolve(response);
        });
      });
      
      console.log('Message sent with Bird:', response);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Bird SMS error:', error);
    }
  }
}

API Rate Limits and Throughput

Rate Limits by Provider:

Twilio: 100 messages/second
Sinch: 30 messages/second
Bird: 60 messages/second

Throughput Management Strategies:

Implement exponential backoff
Use queue systems (Redis/RabbitMQ)
Batch messages when possible
Monitor delivery rates

Error Handling and Reporting

Best Practices:

Implement retry logic for failed messages
Log all API responses
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Set up alerting for error thresholds

// Example error handling implementation
interface SMSError {
  code: string;
  message: string;
  timestamp: Date;
  recipient: string;
}

class SMSErrorHandler {
  private errors: SMSError[] = [];

  logError(error: SMSError): void {
    this.errors.push(error);
    
    // Log to monitoring system
    console.error(`SMS Error [${error.code}]: ${error.message}`);
    
    // Trigger alerts if needed
    if (this.shouldTriggerAlert(error)) {
      this.sendAlert(error);
    }
  }

  private shouldTriggerAlert(error: SMSError): boolean {
    // Implement alert logic
    return error.code === 'CRITICAL_ERROR';
  }

  private sendAlert(error: SMSError): void {
    // Implement alert notification
  }
}

Recap and Additional Resources

Key Takeaways

Compliance Priorities:
- Obtain explicit consent
- Honor opt-out requests
- Maintain proper documentation
- Follow time zone restrictions
Technical Considerations:
- Use proper character encoding
- Implement error handling
- Monitor delivery rates
- Manage throughput effectively
Best Practices:
- Localize content
- Test across carriers
- Maintain clean contact lists
- Regular performance monitoring

Next Steps

Review the Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) guidelines
Consult with legal counsel for compliance review
Set up test accounts with preferred SMS providers
Implement monitoring and reporting systems

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