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SMS Sender ID Register

Here's what you need to know about Australia's new SMS Sender ID Register: 

 

What it is?

Australia is rolling out a mandatory SMS Sender ID Register from 1 July 2026. The initiative, led by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), is designed to protect consumers from impersonation scams by requiring businesses to register their alphanumeric sender IDs. 

 

Why it was introduced? 

Australians have reported losing more than AU$11.5 million (US$7.6 million) to text message scams in just the first seven months of 2025. Many of these scams use impersonation, where scammers try to convince people they are from a legitimate business or organisation. SMS now accounts for 31% of all reported scams across communication channels. 

 

How it works

After the register goes live, only participating providers will be able to send SMS and MMS messages with registered sender IDs. Messages with unregistered sender IDs will appear in a single "Unverified" thread, indicating that they may be scams. 

 

Key dates 

The timeline is: 

  • From 15 October 2025: telcos and messaging providers needed to apply to the ACMA to participate in the register. 

  • Between 30 November 2025 and 30 June 2026: businesses and organisations need to register their sender IDs via their participating telco or messaging provider. 

  • From 1 July 2026: only participating telcos will be able to send SMS and MMS with sender IDs, and unregistered sender IDs will be replaced with the word "Unverified". 

 

Who needs to register?

If an entity wishes to send messages using a text sender ID, it must register that sender ID in the register and ensure it uses one or more participating telecommunications providers to send those messages. To be registered, an entity must be eligible and must show a valid use case for each sender ID. 

 

What counts as a Sender ID? 

A Sender ID is the alphanumeric name shown as the sender of an SMS message, such as a brand or organisation name. Examples include organisation names like "NAB," "ATO," or "CBA." Note that messages from numeric sender IDs (Virtual Mobile Numbers / long number sender IDs) will not be impacted. 

 

What businesses should do now?

The ACMA Chair urged: "We urge all organisations that use sender IDs — including banks, medical and dental surgeries, retailers, utilities and not-for-profits — to start talking to your telco provider now about what you need to do. July 2026 will be here faster than you think." 

 

For ABN entities, the ACMA register will check the authority of the representative acting on behalf of an entity by cross-referencing the entity's authorised contacts listed on the Australian Business Register (ABR). So it's a good idea to ensure your ABR details are current before registering. 

 

You can find a copy of the legislation at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L01235/latest/text 

 

Contact AutoForce Digital today if you use our platform but have not yet registered for your Sender ID info@autoforce.io

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