1. Introduction (User guide for certified telcos)

Certified telcos can register sender IDs, and send sender ID messages, on behalf of organisations without an Australian Business Number (ABN). Only an originating telco who the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has approved to participate in the register can apply to become a certified telco. 

Certified telcos have additional responsibilities under the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025, including verifying the identity and legitimacy of the organisation.

Organisations without an ABN may include:

• An international entity
• A domestic entity such as:
• schools and educational institutions
• small non-profit organisations
• religious institutions or trusts
• social clubs and council groups
• hobby groups or neighbourhood sports groups
• individuals hosting one-off events, content creators or digital personalities
• foreign embassies and consulates based in Australia
• government entities/agencies
• small sole traders.

Certified telcos can also register sender IDs for entities with an ABN. 

There are 2 options if an entity with an ABN applies to register a sender ID via a certified telco:

Option 1: 

The certified telco applies on behalf of an ABN entity as a participating telco – section 11 of the Standard applies.

Option 2:

The certified telco applies on behalf of an ABN entity as a certified telco – section 12 of the Standard applies. 

Both options are covered in section 6.2 of this guide. ABN entities may prefer Option 2 because they do not need to access the register system (which can only be accessed with Australian Business Register (ABR) checks and Australian identity checks). This means:

• the entity’s participation is not reliant on its ABR records being up to date and including current/accessible contacts (depending on the mechanism/s a certified telco uses to verify an entity and its authorised representatives)
• entity employees that do not have Australian identity documents (for example, an Australian driver licence or passport) can represent the entity for the purposes of the register through a certified telco (for example, where an entity with an ABN has offices and staff offshore). 

This document provides instructions for originating telcos that have been approved to participate in the register about:

• how to apply to become a certified telco
• as a certified telco, how to apply to register sender IDs on behalf of entities. 

See the SMS Sender ID Register: User guide for telcos for instructions for all originating telcos, instructions for transiting and terminating telcos, and functions common to all telco types.

ABN (Australian Business Number) 

Has the meaning given by section 41 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.

ABR (Australian Business Register) 

The register established under section 24 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.

ABN entity

An entity with an ABN as listed on the ABR.

ACMA Assist

ACMA Assist is the online portal for the ACMA.

Certified telecommunications provider (certified telco)

A participating telco that is an originating telco that has been approved by the ACMA to be a certified telecommunications provider. A certified telco can apply to register sender IDs and send sender ID messages on behalf of non-ABN entities.

Customer

An entity that has a contractual arrangement with their telco relating to the sending of sender ID messages.

Electronic messaging service provider (EMSP)

EMSPs are defined in section 108A of the Telecommunications Act 1997 and include providers involved in sending text messages, such as:

• SMS aggregators
• customer relationship management platform providers
• software as a service providers
• communications platform as a service providers
• automated marketing platform providers
• two-factor authentication providers
•  

After the ACMA approves the application, and in accordance with subsection 4(3) of the Standard, an EMSP can comply with its obligations under the Standard by: 

• fulfilling the obligations itself, or
• becoming an EMSP partner, by arranging with another participating telco to fulfill some or all of the obligations on its behalf under subsection 13(5) of the Standard.

EMSP partner

An electronic messaging service provider that has a direct relationship with an entity and who has partnered with:

• any participating telco that is an originating telco – if the EMSP’s customers are ABN entities, or
• an originating telco that is a certified telco – if the EMSP’s customers are a non-ABN entity. 

and has arranged for the provider to fulfill some or all of the EMSP’s obligations under the Standard on its behalf.

Entity

One of the following who uses or proposes to use sender ID messages:

1. an individual
2. a body corporate
3. a corporation sole
4. a body politic
5. a government entity (within the meaning of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999)
6. a partnership
7. any other unincorporated association or body of persons
8. a trust
9. a superannuation fund (within the meaning of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993).

Entity associate 

An entity who is authorised by another entity to send sender ID messages using the sender ID registered in the register for that other entity. Examples of entity associates are:

• a research company that has been engaged by a bank to send messages for the bank, using its sender ID
• a sports club that is authorised to send messages, using a sender ID that is owned by a sports league
• an advertising or marketing agency engaged by a business to run advertising and promotional campaigns, using a sender ID owned by that business. 

International partner

An international telecommunications service provider that has a direct relationship with an entity and who has partnered with either:

• any participating telco that is an originating telco – if the international telco’s customers are ABN entities.
• an originating telco that is a certified telco – if the international telco’s customers are a non-ABN entity. 

to make an application for registration of a sender ID and to send sender ID messages on behalf of the relevant customer.

Non-ABN entity

An international entity or a domestic entity without an ABN.

Domestic entities without an ABN may include: 

• schools and educational institutions
• small non-profit organisations
• religious institutions or trusts
• social clubs and council groups
• hobby groups or neighbourhood sports groups
• individuals hosting one-off events, content creators or digital personalities
• foreign embassies and consulates based in Australia
• government entities/agencies
• small sole traders.

Originating telecommunications provider (originating telco) 

A telco that agrees to send sender ID messages on behalf of any of the following:

• a customer
• an international partner
• an EMSP partner.

Participating telecommunications provider (participating telco)

A telco that has been approved by the ACMA to participate in the register.

Telecommunications provider (telco)

Any of the following:

• a carrier
• a carriage service provider
• an electronic messaging service provider.

Telco partner

An international partner or EMSP partner. Requirements relating to telco partners are set out in section 13 of the Standard.

Terminating telecommunications provider (terminating telco)

A carrier that is responsible for delivering sender ID messages to message recipients who are connected to a public mobile telecommunications service owned or controlled by the carrier.

Transiting telecommunications provider (transiting telco)

A telco that connects with other telcos to transit sender identification messages between 2 telcos over a telecommunications network.