SMS remains one of the most trusted and effective communication channels for businesses. From sharing promotional offers to delivering critical service updates, SMS services are widely used for a range of purposes, including OTP authentication, order confirmations, shipping alerts, marketing offers, and more.

While platforms like RCS and WhatsApp offer advanced engagement features & multimedia support, SMS continues to dominate due to its cost-effectiveness, reliability, and the fact that it works without internet access.

To further strengthen trust and transparency, TRAI has recently mandated the addition of suffixes (P, S, G) in SMS sender IDs. This update helps recipients quickly identify the nature of the message and ensures better compliance across all businesses. In this blog, we’ll explain what these suffixes mean, how they affect your messaging strategy, and what steps you need to take to stay compliant.

What’s The New Update

Under the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) framework, TRAI has instructed all telecom operators to append a one-letter suffix to every SMS sender ID (also known as the sender header). This suffix indicates the type of message being sent.

Here’s what each suffix stands for

• P – Promotional messages (ads, offers, marketing content)
• S – Service messages (transactional updates, account alerts)
• T – Transactional messages (OTPs and transaction codes)
• G – Government communications (messages from official bodies or departments)

For Example

• A promotional SMS might now come from ACMECO-P
• An OTP from your bank may appear as HDFCBK-S
• A public advisory could read MYGOVIN-G

Why Has TRAI Implemented This?

The goal behind this initiative is to

• Improve transparency for end users
• Reduce fraud from spoofed or misleading sender names
• Help recipients identify message intent/type instantly
• Strengthen regulatory compliance for bulk SMS providers and enterprises

This is part of TRAI's ongoing effort to make the Indian SMS ecosystem safer, cleaner, and more transparent.

What This Change Means for Your Business

If your business uses SMS for customer communication, whether it’s for sending OTPs, marketing offers, or updates, this change directly affects you. Here's what you need to do to make sure your SMS communication is compliant

1. Understand Message Categorization

Review your SMS content and classify messages into Promotional, Service, or Government categories accurately.

2. Ensure DLT Registration

Your business must be registered with a telecom operator’s DLT platform. This includes:

• Sender ID approval
• Template registration
• Header (sender name) mapping

Not registered yet? Go2Market offers full assistance with DLT registration and onboarding process.

3. Update Your SMS Gateway / API

If you’re using APIs or CRM tools to send messages, ensure they support the new suffix format and are properly mapped to the correct message type.

4. Test & Monitor

Run test campaigns to confirm that messages are delivered with the correct suffix and are not being filtered or delayed.

Why Choose Go2Market for Bulk SMS Service?

Faster Delivery – Our reliable infrastructure is perfect for high-volume SMS delivery.

DLT-Compliant – We help you get registered and stay compliant as per DLT.

OTP & Transactional Routing – Secure delivery of sensitive information & OTPs.

Real-Time Reports – Get full transparency with detailed delivery analytics & real-time reports.

API & CRM Integrations – Seamless integration with your existing systems.

Multi-Channel Ready – Get SMS, Voice, IVR, WhatsApp, all in one platform

Trusted by Government Bodies & Enterprises – Our SMS service is trusted by government bodies like PCMC, GHMC, REIL, DoP and other organizations.

Conclusion,

In conclusion, we can say that TRAI’s new SMS suffix rule is a small but powerful step toward secure SMS communication in India. By adapting early and ensuring proper categorization of your messages, you can continue to leverage SMS as a powerful tool for customer engagement. As a business, staying compliant not only protects you from regulatory issues but also helps strengthen trust with your customers.

With TRAI’s new regulations in place, choosing a compliant and trusted SMS service provider is more important than ever. At Go2Market, we offer not just compliance and performance, but also some of the most competitive pricing in the industry, starting as low as 11 paise per SMS for government and enterprise clients with high volumes.

Whether you're scaling your outreach or starting fresh, Go2Market ensures your messages are delivered safely, quickly, and affordably. For more information about our SMS services, connect with go2market or visit https://go2market.in/bulk-sms