This industry standard is the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025.
2 Commencement
Note: Each provision of this industry standard specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table.
Column 1
Column 2
Provisions
Commencement
1. Sections 1 to 8, subsection 15(2), Part 4 and Part 6
15 October 2025.
2. Sections 9 to 14, Part 7 and Schedule 1
30 November 2025.
3. Part 3 except subsection 15(2), and Part 5
1 July 2026.
Note 1: This table relates only to the provisions of this industry standard as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this industry standard.
Note 2: The Federal Register of Legislation may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
3 Authority
This industry standard is made under subsection 125AA(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 and in accordance with sections 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025.
4 Application of industry standard
Subject to subsection (2), for the purposes of subsection 125AA(1) of the Act, this industry standard:
applies to the following sections of the telecommunications industry:
carriers;
carriage service providers;
electronic messaging service providers; and
gives effect to the objectives set out in section 7 of the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025.
This industry standard does not apply to a carrier, or a carriage service provider, in its capacity as a statutory infrastructure provider.
An electronic messaging service provider may comply with its obligations under this industry standard by:
fulfilling the obligations itself; or
arranging with another person who is a participating telecommunications provider to fulfill some or all of the obligations on its behalf under subsection 13(5).
5 Definitions
In this industry standard:
ABN (short for “Australian Business Number”) has the meaning given by section 41 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.
ABN entity means an entity that has an ABN.
Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.
Australian Business Register means the register established under section 24 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.
Business Names Register means the register established and maintained under section 22 of the Business Names Registration Act 2011.
certified telecommunications provider means a participating telecommunications provider that is an originating telecommunications provider that has been approved to be a certified telecommunications provider under a determination made under subsection 484L(4) of the Act.
Note 1: See paragraph 589(2)(b) of the Act.
Commonwealth agency means:
(a) the Commonwealth; or
(b) an authority of the Commonwealth; or
(c) a corporation in which the Commonwealth, or an authority of the Commonwealth, has a controlling interest;
and includes the Australian Defence Force.
company has the meaning given by section 9 of the Corporations Act 2001.
customer, in relation to a telecommunications provider, means an entity that has a contractual arrangement with the provider relating to the sending of sender identification messages.
Note: A customer can be an ABN entity or a non-ABN entity.
disrupt, in relation to a sender identification message, means where the sender identification included in the message is over-stamped by a participating telecommunications provider with a new sender identification of “Unverified”.
domain name registrar means a business that handles the reservation of domain names as well as the assignment of IP addresses for those domain names.
electronic messaging service provider has the same meaning as in section 108A of the Act.
EMSP partner means an electronic messaging service provider that has a direct relationship with an entity and who has partnered with:
for an ABN entity or non-ABN entity – a certified telecommunications provider; or
for an ABN entity – a participating telecommunications provider that is an originating telecommunications provider, and that is not a certified telecommunications provider;
and who has made a request for the provider to fulfill some or all of the partner’s obligations under this industry standard on its behalf.
entity means an entity covered by subsection 484F(2) of the Act that uses or proposes to use sender identification messages.
entity associate means an entity who is authorised by another entity to send sender identification messages using the sender identification registered in the Register for that other entity.
excluded satellite service means a satellite service that may be used by a consumer in an overseas location where the charge for that service is the same or lower than the charge for the same service in Australia.
existing customer, in relation to a participating telecommunications provider, means an entity who is a customer of the provider as at 30 November 2025.
government agency means:
(a) a Commonwealth agency; or
(b) a State or Territory of Australia; or
(c) an authority of a State or Territory of Australia; or
(d) a corporation in which a State or Territory of Australia, or an authority of a State or Territory of Australia, has a controlling interest.
identity verification service means:
an identity verification service as defined in section 5 of the Identity Verification Services Act 2023; or
a service designed to provide a high assurance level to verify an individual’s identity accurately, including through the use of government-issued identity documents, biometric or other information. This includes services that have been authorised, approved, or recognised by a foreign government.
international mobile roaming service means a carriage service that is not an excluded satellite service and enables a consumer to automatically and seamlessly do any or all of the following when travelling overseas outside the normal coverage area without losing the connection:
make, send, access or receive voice calls or SMS/MMS messages;
download or upload data.
international partner means an international telecommunications service provider that has a direct relationship with an entity and who has partnered with:
for an ABN entity or non-ABN entity – a certified telecommunications provider; or
for an ABN entity – a participating telecommunications provider;
to make an application for registration of a sender identification and to send sender identification messages on behalf of the relevant entity.
international telecommunications service provider means a telecommunications service provider or electronic messaging service provider based outside of Australia that is a non-ABN entity.
mobile number has the meaning given by section 18 of the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2025.
Note: The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2025 is a legislative instrument registered on the Federal Register of Legislation and may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
non-ABN entity means an entity that does not have an ABN.
Note: For example, a foreign company or an Australian entity that does not have an ABN will be a non-ABN entity.
originating telecommunications provider means a telecommunications provider that agrees to send sender identification messages on behalf of:
a customer; or
an international partner; or
an EMSP partner.
participating telecommunications provider means a telecommunications provider that holds an approval under section 484F of the Act.
personal information has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988.
prospective customer, in relation to a participating telecommunications provider, means any entity who is not an existing customer but may become a customer of the provider.
quarter means a period of 3 months beginning on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October in any year.
Register means the SMS Sender ID Register.
register data means the list of registered sender identifications in the Register.
Register of Trade Marks means the register kept under section 207 of the Trade Marks Act 1995.
registered business name means a name that is registered under a law of a State or Territory that relates to the registration of business names and is entered on the Business Names Register.
registered domain name means a unique address or name that represents a website or other online resource on the internet that has been acquired from a domain name registrar.
satellite service means a carriage service where customer equipment used in connection with the supply of the service communicates directly with a satellite-based facility.
scam message means any communication sent via SMS/MMS to a mobile number that includes a sender identification that is registered in the Register, that, based on the content of the communication, or other information available to a telecommunications provider, appears to have been sent for the purpose of dishonestly obtaining a benefit, or causing a loss, by deception or other means.
sender identification match has the meaning given by subsection (2).
sender identification message means an SMS/MMS message that includes a sender identification and is sent to a mobile number issued in Australia.
SMS/MMS message means a message sent using a short message service or a multimedia messaging service on a public mobile telecommunications service.
telecommunications provider means:
a carrier; or
a carriage service provider; or
an electronic messaging service provider.
terminate, in relation to an SMS/MMS message, means to deliver the message to the message recipient.
terminating telecommunications provider means a carrier that is responsible for delivering sender identification messages to message recipients who are connected to a public mobile telecommunications service owned or controlled by the carrier.
trade mark has the meaning given by section 17 of the Trade Marks Act 1995.
transit means to receive or send a sender identification message to facilitate the passing of the message between telecommunications providers over a telecommunications network.
transiting telecommunications provider means a telecommunications provider who connects with other telecommunications providers to transit sender identification messages between two telecommunications providers over a telecommunications network.
valid use case, in relation to a sender identification of an entity, means evidence that demonstrates a sender identification relates to, or is owned by, the entity.
To have a sender identification match for an entity, the sender identification:
for an ABN entity must be:
the same as; or
a contraction or abbreviation of; or
an acronym of; or
initialism of;
the entity’s registered business name, company name, trademark registered on the Register of Trade Marks; or registered domain name; or
for a non-ABN entity must be:
the same as; or
a contraction or abbreviation of; or
an acronym of; or
initialism of;
the entity’s trademark or its name entered on an official register or record in the country in which the entity is based; and
may also include one or more other words associated with the entity’s functions, location or which indicates the purpose of the sender identification message.
Note 1: For example, if an entity’s:
• company name is TS Pty Ltd;
• business name is Telservice;
• trade mark is TelService; and
• registered domain name is Zrates.com.au;
sender identification matches would include: “Telservice”, “TelServs”, “Telser”, “TS”, “TS_Track”, “TelServSale”, “Zrates” and “TS-Sydney”.
Note 2: A number of other expressions used in this industry standard are defined in the Act, including the following:
ACMA;
carriage service;
carriage service provider;
carrier;
customer equipment;
public mobile telecommunications service;
sender identification;
SMS Sender ID Register;
statutory infrastructure provider;
telecommunications network.
Note 3: Business day is defined in the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to mean a day that is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday in the place concerned.
6 References to other instruments
In this industry standard, unless the contrary intention appears:
a reference to any other legislative instrument is a reference to that other legislative instrument as in force from time to time; and
a reference to any other kind of instrument is a reference to that other instrument as in force or existing from time to time.
Note 1: For references to Commonwealth Acts, see section 10 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901; and see also subsection 13(1) of the Legislation Act 2003 for the application of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to legislative instruments.
Note 2: For references to instruments that are not legislative instruments, see section 589 of the Act.
Note 3: All Commonwealth Acts and legislative instruments are registered on the Federal Register of Legislation. The Federal Register of Legislation may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
Part Part 1 - Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025 - Preliminary | Zoe