Canada has very specific messaging restrictions and a direct connection is necessary in order to ensure message delivery to the numerous networks. Nexmo uses an extremely high-quality, direct connection in order to deliver your SMS to Canada.
Sender ID
All SMS sent to Canada must originate from either a U.S. or Canadian pre-approved long number that is associated with your Nexmo account. Alpha sender IDs are not supported.
Limited numeric sender only --> In the “from” field you need to specify your pre-approved Canadian (or US) virtual number in international format e.g. 18479121345. Otherwise your message will get rejected with the API response code 15 Illegal Sender Address - rejected.
You can purchase pre-approved long virtual numbers very inexpensively from the Numbers tab in your Nexmo dashboard.
Definitions
P2P: Person-to-Person traffic may be sent to Canada from a long virtual number using our SMS API. An SMS may originate from a mobile phone, a computer application or an internet-based service, but the message must have been initiated due to human interaction.
A2P: Application-to-Person (A2P) traffic may be sent to Canada, using our Alerts Short code API.
Other features/restrictions of note:
- All carriers send handset delivery receipts except Eastlink.
- Intermediate DLR (accepted status) will be provided as soon as the message reaches the operator's platform.
Restricted Content:
All CA Numbers traffic adheres to the CWTA guidelines. For more information please see CWTA Handbook Guidelines
| Cannabis |
Emergency notifications |
Betting |
Gambling |
Get Rich Quick Campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi Level Marketing |
Risk Investment Opprotunities |
Debt Collection |
Credit Repair |
Debt Consolidation |
| Lead Generation |
Tobacco |
Vape |
Pornography |
Profanity or Hate Speech |
| Pay Day Loans |
Mortgage Loans |
Student Loans |
Stock Alerts |
Cryptocurrency |
Messages directed through Canadian operators shall not:
1. relate to narcotics, marijuana, steroids, or other controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, firearms, adult oriented content or services;
2. involve purchases of real property, annuities or lottery contracts, lay-away systems, off-shore banking or transactions to finance or refinance debts funded by a credit card;
3. offer for sale items before the sender has control or possession of the item;
4. offer for sale traveler’s checks or money orders, currency exchanges or check cashing;
5. provide credit repair or debt settlement services;
6. where the program includes “psychic service," specifically inform recipients that they will win a lottery or any games/contests, or become bankrupt/poor/destitute; or
7. make specific health-related diagnosis or tell a message recipient that he/she or anyone they know will die or become terminally ill
For Specific Features and Restrictions for each type of number please see
Canada LVN Long Virtual Number - Local Area Code Numbers
Canada Shortcodes 5-6 digit numbers used only for SMS & MMS
Global SMS Features Overview (Outbound only)
Global SMS Numbers Features Overview
|
Canadian Carriers Delivery Receipt Support |
|||
|
Carrier |
Gateway accepted/rejected |
Carrier Ack/Nack |
Handset delivery receipt |
|
Bell Mobility |
• |
• |
• |
|
Fido |
• |
• |
• |
|
Rogers + Vidéotron |
• |
• |
• |
|
Telus Mobility + Koodo |
• |
• |
• |
|
SaskTel Mobility |
• |
• |
• |
|
Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) |
• |
• |
• |
|
Aliant Mobility |
• |
• |
• |
|
Virgin Mobile CA |
• |
• |
• |
|
NorthernTel Mobility |
• |
• |
• |
|
Télébec Mobilité |
• |
• |
• |
|
Vidéotron 3G |
• |
• |
• |
|
Freedom Mobile |
• |
• |
• |
|
Eastlink |
• |
• |
|
Canada SMS Delivery Options
|
Canada SMS Sending Options |
Long Code |
Dedicated Short Code |
Toll Free SMS (purchase under U.S.) |
|
Example |
12013511943 |
12345 |
1-888-555-5555 |
|
Daily Send Limit |
250 SMS / Day / Number |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Throughput Limit |
1 SMS / sec. / Number |
Up to 30 mps |
30 SMS / sec. / Number |
|
U.S. Reach |
Yes |
No (Customer must purchase a U.S. short code) |
Yes |
|
2 way SMS support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Suggested Use Case |
P2P, Non-Marketing, Customer Service, and Chat Applications |
Marketing, High Volume School/Flight/ Appt reminders. |
A2P with CWTA compliant opt-ins |
|
Price Per Number / Month |
See |
See |
See |
|
Price Per Outbound Message |
See |
See |
See |
|
Price Per Inbound Message Y/N |
No |
Y - See |
Y - See |
|
Set Up Time |
Available Immediately. Log in to your Nexmo account to get started. |
6-8 Weeks. Contact sales@nexmo.com to get started. |
Nexmo Pre-Approved: Available Immediately. Customer Owned: 3-7 business days. |
|
Unicode |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Concatenated* |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Regulatory |
Immediate code shutdown for marketing messages. Subject to carrier filtering. |
CWTA Guidelines |
CWTA Guidelines. Immediate code shutdown for marketing message |
* Bell Mobility does not support proper concatenation in Canada. View details above under Concatenation section of this article.
