The ACMA is seeking feedback on requirements that will apply to businesses and agencies who use sender IDs, and telcos who participate in the SMS sender ID register to disrupt scams.
When launched in mid-December 2025, the register will provide new protections for SMS that are sent using text-based sender IDs (i.e. shortened business or organisation names that appear at the top of SMS messages such ATO or myGov) to restore consumer and brand confidence in the communications channel.
The draft SMS Sender ID Register (Application, Access and Administration) Determination 2025 sets out the proposed requirements for participation in the register, including the types of sender IDs that will be able to be used.
The draft also sets out the proposed application process for telcos that want to obtain certification from the ACMA to deal with international and domestic entities who don’t have an Australian Business Number and who want to use sender IDs.
The consultation package is available on the ACMA website and submissions close on 8 September 2025.
More information
This is the ACMA’s third public consultation about the register. The ACMA consulted on the proposed operation of the register and a draft of the standard that sets out rules that will apply to telcos in March/April 2025, and on further refining the draft standard in July/August 2025.
The ACMA anticipates onboarding telcos to the register from 15 October 2025. Organisations that want to use sender IDs in their SMS/MMS communications will need to register their IDs with their telco from 30 November 2025.
The register will commence on 15 December 2025, and all SMS/MMS messages sent with unregistered sender IDs will be disrupted from this time. Disruption will mean all messages with unregistered sender IDs will be over-stamped to indicate they are not registered. These messages will appear in a single message thread on consumer devices.
The Sender ID Register is part of the government’s Fighting Scams initiative to address scams and online fraud and protect Australians from financial harm. The ACMA supports the work of the National Anti-Scam Centre, which coordinates government, law enforcement and the private sector to combat scams.
More information about the SMS sender ID register is on the ACMA website.