Certified telcos
Participating telcos that send messages (originating telcos) can apply to become a certified telecommunications provider (certified telco).
A certified telco is an Australian carriage service provider, carrier or electronic messaging service provider (message provider) that has been approved by the ACMA to register sender IDs and send sender ID messages on behalf of organisations with an ABN as well as organisations without an ABN (including international organisations).
Certified telcos have additional responsibilities, including verifying the identity and legitimacy of the organisation they are registering sender IDs for.
To apply to become a certified telco, you will need to demonstrate that you have robust processes in place, and that you will use those processes, to confirm the identification and legitimacy of organisations that wish to register sender IDs.
Certified telcos have additional and different responsibilities to other types of participating telco:
| Responsibilities of participating telcos |
Originating telco (not certified) |
Transiting telco |
Terminating |
Certified telco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Register sender IDs on behalf of customers with an ABN |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Register sender IDs on behalf of customers without an ABN |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Verify identity and legitimacy of sender ID customers using own processes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Send sender ID messages |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Transit sender ID messages |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Terminate sender ID messages |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Partner with Australian electronic messaging service providers |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Partner with international telcos to register and send sender ID messages for organisations with an ABN |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Partner with international telcos to register and send sender ID messages for organisations without an ABN |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Report quarterly to the ACMA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
If you operate as more than one type of telco, all the relevant responsibilities for that type of telco will apply.
Register to become a certified telco
1. Register as a participating telco
To become a certified telco, you must first:
- register to be a participating telco
- be approved by the ACMA to participate as an originating telco.
2. Apply to become a certified telco
- Log in to ACMA Assist.
- Under ‘Settings’, click on the ‘Apply to become a certified telco’ button.
- Complete the application form.
Applications will be manually reviewed and processed, so you should allow up to 7 days for us to finalise your application.
User guide
Refer to ‘3.1 Apply to participate in the SMS Sender ID Register’ in the SMS Sender ID Register: User guide for telcos for more information.
Partnering
Partnering with Australian message providers
Certified telcos can partner with Australian message providers that participate in the register indirectly.
Partnering with international telcos
Certified telcos can partner with international telcos (including international message providers) to register sender IDs on behalf of organisations without an ABN, including international organisations.
This partnership must be formalised through a written agreement.
Refer to section 13 of the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025 for information about partnering with an international telco.
Compliance and reporting
Reporting
Certified telcos have additional reporting requirements.
You must report quarterly to the ACMA on:
- complaints received about the register
- messages sent or disrupted
- attempts by non-participating providers to send messages
- requests from non-ABN organisations that could not be registered due to failed verification.
Record-keeping
You must:
- keep records to demonstrate compliance with the register
- retain these records for 2 years
- protect records from misuse
- securely destroy them when they are no longer required.
System breaches
If you experience a system breach, you must notify the ACMA as soon as practicable and outline the steps taken to resolve the issue. You can either:
- email: info@acma.gov.au
- phone: 1300 850 115.
Fees to use the register
There may be fees in future for using the SMS Sender ID Register. Any fees will be subject to future arrangements and will be communicated before their implementation.