Getting started with SMS in Telerivet: choosing the right route

SMS works on every mobile phone in every market. That universality is what makes it the default starting point for most organizations, and it is also what makes the route decision more consequential than it first appears. Not all SMS routes are equal. The route you choose affects whether you can receive replies, what your sender identity looks like, how much throughput you can push, whether two-way conversations are possible, and how your messages behave in markets where infrastructure is inconsistent.

Telerivet connects to SMS through five distinct route types. This article explains what each one is, when to use it, and how to choose the right starting point for your situation.

SMS route types at a glance

Route type	Two-way	Best for	Setup complexity
Virtual phone number	Yes	Standard two-way SMS in supported markets	Low
Custom Sender ID	No	High-volume outbound broadcasts where sender recognition matters	Low
SMS Shortcode	Yes	Very high volume, dedicated throughput, national campaigns	Medium
Android Gateway	Yes	Markets without virtual numbers, local SIM routing, low-volume programs	Very low
SMPP / HTTP API	Yes	Bring-your-own aggregator, custom carrier relationships	Medium to high

Virtual phone number

A virtual phone number is a local number hosted in Telerivet's cloud. Once connected, it sends and receives SMS without any hardware on your end. Your contacts see a local number as the sender, replies come back into Telerivet, and the whole setup takes a few minutes.

Virtual numbers are available in 34 countries and are the most straightforward SMS route for organizations that need two-way messaging: appointment confirmation flows, keyword opt-ins, survey responses, support conversations, and OTP delivery with reply-based verification.

Use a virtual phone number when:

You need two-way SMS (contacts can reply and you can receive those replies)
You want a consistent local number your contacts recognize
You are operating in a country where virtual numbers are available
Volume is moderate and dedicated shortcode throughput is not yet needed

To check availability in your target country, use the per-country route recommendation tool.

Custom Sender ID

A custom sender ID replaces a numeric sender with your organization's name. When your contact receives a message, they see "ACMECORP" or "HealthAlert" rather than a phone number. This improves open rates for broadcast campaigns because recipients immediately recognize the sender without needing to look up the number.

The trade-off is significant: sender ID routes are outbound only. A contact cannot reply to a sender ID message in a way that comes back into Telerivet. If your workflow requires replies, a sender ID is the wrong route for that use case.

Sender ID availability and regulations vary substantially by country. Some markets require pre-registration of sender IDs with the mobile network. Some prohibit them entirely. Others allow them freely. Check local regulations for your target market before committing to this route type.

Use a custom sender ID when:

Your workflow is outbound only (alerts, notifications, reminders, broadcasts)
Sender recognition matters at scale (high-volume campaigns where a number-based sender would be unrecognized)
Your target market supports sender ID registration

SMS Shortcode

A dedicated SMS shortcode is a 5 or 6 digit number designed for high-throughput, two-way messaging at scale. Shortcodes are built for volume: if your operation sends more than 10,000 messages per day, or runs national text-to-win and opt-in campaigns at the scale where a long number would struggle, a shortcode is the infrastructure built for that load.

Shortcodes are also used for text-to-join campaigns ("Text WIN to 12345") because the short, memorable number drives higher response rates than a standard long number.

Shortcodes require registration with mobile carriers, which varies by country, and carry higher costs than virtual numbers. They are not a starting route for early-stage programs. They are the right upgrade once volume demands it.

Use an SMS shortcode when:

You are sending more than 10,000 messages per day on a consistent basis
You are running national text-to-join or text-to-win campaigns where a memorable number matters
Throughput and delivery speed at high volume is a priority

For more on the cost implications of scaling SMS, see The Hidden Costs of SMS at Scale.

Android Gateway

The Android Gateway turns any Android phone into an SMS route by installing Telerivet's gateway app and routing messages through the phone's SIM card. One Android phone with a local SIM is all you need to start sending and receiving SMS on that network, with no virtual number, no aggregator relationship, and no additional infrastructure.

This is the fastest route to deployment in markets where virtual numbers are unavailable, unaffordable, or unreliable. It is also the right choice for programs that need a local, in-network number for regulatory or cost reasons, and for organizations operating in areas where internet-dependent infrastructure is inconsistent.

The Android Gateway is not a workaround or a fallback. For many organizations operating in Africa, Southeast Asia, and other emerging markets, it is the primary route and remains so at scale. Mobile money operators, NGOs, logistics platforms, and field programs across dozens of countries run production SMS programs on the Android Gateway.

Use the Android Gateway when:

Virtual numbers are not available or not cost-effective in your target market
You need a local SIM-based number for regulatory compliance or in-network routing
You want the lowest-friction path to getting SMS running in a new market
You are operating in an area where cloud-hosted SMS infrastructure is unreliable

For a full look at what the Android Gateway can do and how organizations deploy it, see Understanding the Android Gateway and the Android Gateway Field Guide.

SMPP / HTTP API (bring your own aggregator)

If you already have a relationship with an SMS aggregator or mobile network operator, Telerivet can connect to it directly via SMPP or HTTP API. This is the right option when you have negotiated carrier rates you want to keep, when you need a connection type that is specific to a regional network, or when your existing aggregator provides coverage that Telerivet's virtual number network does not.

This route type requires more configuration than the others and assumes you already have an aggregator or carrier relationship in place.

Use SMPP / HTTP API when:

You have an existing aggregator or carrier relationship you want to maintain
Your target market requires a connection type not covered by Telerivet's native route options
Your aggregator provides better rates or coverage for your specific geography

For more on evaluating aggregator relationships, see You Own the Route. You're Missing the Platform.🔹

Using multiple routes

Most organizations running SMS at scale use more than one route. Telerivet supports multi-route setups with automatic load balancing and fallback logic.

Common patterns include:

Load balancing across multiple virtual numbers or Android phones to distribute volume and maintain throughput
Fallback routing where a primary route failure automatically switches traffic to a backup route, keeping delivery running without manual intervention
Market-specific routing where different routes handle traffic for different countries or networks within the same project

For more on how Telerivet handles multi-route configurations, see Understanding Routes in Telerivet. For a look at how failover works in practice, see The Art of the Failover.

SMS alongside other channels

SMS is the default starting point, but most programs eventually add a second channel. WhatsApp with SMS fallback is the most common pattern: WhatsApp where it is available and preferred, SMS as the guaranteed delivery layer where it is not.

Once you have your SMS route running, these articles cover the next most common additions:

Finding the right route for your country

Telerivet's per-country route recommendation tool shows which SMS route types are available and recommended for each market. Use it before committing to a route type for a new geography.

View per-country SMS route recommendations (select your country on the footer)

Best practice tip

Start with the simplest route that covers your needs and add complexity only when volume or operational requirements demand it. An Android Gateway or virtual number that gets you sending in a day is more valuable than a shortcode setup that takes three weeks to register. You can always add routes, upgrade throughput, or migrate to a shortcode once your program is running and your volume justifies it. The routing logic in Telerivet makes it straightforward to switch or add routes without rebuilding your services or campaigns.

Reach out to your customer success lead or get in touch if you need help choosing the right route for your market or designing a multi-route setup.