Overview
Canada has very specific messaging restrictions and a direct connection is necessary to ensure message delivery to the numerous networks. Vonage uses an extremely high-quality, direct connection to deliver your SMS to Canada.
Sender ID
All SMS sent to Canada must originate from either a US or Canadian pre-approved long number that is associated with your Vonage API 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, for example, 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 from the Numbers tab in your Vonage API account dashboard.
Definitions
P2P: Person-to-Person traffic may be sent to Canada from a long virtual number using the SMS API. 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 the Alerts Short Code API.
Restricted Content
All CAN Numbers traffic adheres to the CWTA guidelines. For more information, see the CWTA Handbook Guidelines.
- Betting
- Cannabis
- Credit Repair
- Cryptocurrency
- Debt Collection
- Debt Consolidation
- Emergency Notifications
- Gambling
- Get Rich Quick Campaigns
- Lead Generation
- Mortgage Loans
- Multi-Level Marketing
- Pay Day Loans
- Pornography
- Profanity or Hate Speech
- Risk Investment Opportunities
- Stock Alerts
- Student Loans
- Tobacco
- Vape
Messages directed through Canadian operators shall not:
- Relate to narcotics, marijuana, steroids, or other controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, firearms, adult oriented content or services;
- 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;
- Offer for sale items before the sender has control or possession of the item;
- Offer for sale traveler’s checks or money orders, currency exchanges or check cashing;
- Provide credit repair or debt settlement services;
- 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
- Make specific health-related diagnosis or tell a message recipient that he/she or anyone they know will die or become terminally ill.
Other Features or Restrictions
- 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.
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 US) |
|
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 30mps |
30 SMS / sec / Number |
|
US Reach |
No (User must purchase a US 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 Vonage Pricing |
See Vonage Pricing |
See Vonage Pricing |
|
Price Per Outbound Message |
See Vonage Pricing |
See Vonage Pricing |
See Vonage Pricing |
|
Price Per Inbound Message Y/N |
No |
Y - See |
Y - See |
|
Set Up Time |
Available Immediately. Log in to your Vonage API account to get started. |
6-8 Weeks. Contact Sales to get started. |
Vonage 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.
Additional Information
For Specific Features and Restrictions for each type of number see the following articles:
- Canada LVN Long Virtual Number - Local Area Code Numbers
- Canada Short Codes 5-6 digit numbers used only for SMS & MMS
- Canada Toll-Free
- Global SMS Features Overview (Outbound-Only)
- Global SMS Numbers Features Overview
