Sender IDs

Under Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) regulations and operator routing agreements, every SMS must use an approved alphanumeric Sender ID.

Default Sender ID

UGATEXT is approved and provisioned on every account. Pass it in the sender_id field:

{
  "to": "+256700000000",
  "sender_id": "UGATEXT",
  "message": "Hello from UgaText"
}

sender_id is required. Missing, blank, or unapproved values are rejected with 403 SENDER_ID_NOT_APPROVED. Accepted field aliases are senderId and from.

Pricing and approval times

Custom Sender IDs are available in Uganda, Kenya, and DR Congo.

Country	`network` value	Coverage	Fees	Approval time
Uganda	`both`	MTN + Airtel	UGX 750,000 setup + UGX 250,000 per month MTN recurring (UGX 1,000,000 initial total)	5 to 10 working days
Uganda	`mtn`	MTN Uganda only	UGX 500,000 setup + UGX 250,000 per month recurring (UGX 750,000 initial total)	3 to 7 working days
Uganda	`airtel`	Airtel Uganda only	UGX 750,000 one-time (UGX 500,000 integration + UGX 250,000 Airtel one-time, no recurring fee)	5 to 10 working days
Kenya	`both_ke`	Safaricom + Airtel Kenya	KES 14,100 one-time	7 to 14 working days
Kenya	`safaricom` or `airtel_ke`	Single operator	KES 8,700 one-time	7 to 14 working days
DR Congo	`all_cd`	All DRC networks (Vodacom, Airtel, Orange, Africell)	USD 120 one-time	5 to 10 working days

You can keep sending with the default UGATEXT Sender ID while your request is under review.

Register a custom Sender ID

A custom Sender ID shows your brand name (up to 11 characters, for example MYSCHOOL) to recipients.

Check pricing

GET /sender-ids/pricing?country=Uganda returns the current price list, setup fees, and lead times for Uganda, Kenya, or DR Congo (country=DR Congo). This endpoint does not require authentication.

Create a request

POST /sender-ids/requests with:

Field	Required	Description
`sender_id`	Yes	3 to 11 uppercase alphanumeric characters.
`purpose`	Yes	What you will send (max 1,000 characters).
`network`	No	`both` (default), `mtn`, `airtel`, `safaricom`, `airtel_ke`, or `both_ke`.
`country`	No	`Uganda`, `Kenya`, or `DR Congo`.
`is_default`	No	Make this your default Sender ID.

The request is created in the awaiting_payment state. A 409 means the name is already registered by another account.

Get an authorization letter

GET /sender-ids/letter-template/{network} generates a pre-filled official telecom authorization letter.

Parameter	Required	Description
`network` (path)	Yes	`mtn`, `airtel`, `safaricom`, `airtel_ke`, or `both_ke`.
`sender_id`	No	Sender ID to fill in.
`purpose`	No	Purpose to fill in.
`country`	No	Country to fill in.
`download`	No	Set to `true` to download the letter as a `.txt` file.

Sign and stamp the letter, then upload it in the next step.

Upload documents

POST /sender-ids/requests/{id}/documents with a base64-encoded PDF, PNG, or JPG (max 5 MB).

Field	Required	Description
`kind`	Yes	`mtn_letter`, `airtel_letter`, `kenya_letter`, `safaricom_letter`, `airtel_ke_letter`, `certificate_of_incorporation`, `tin_certificate`, `kra_pin`, or `other`.
`file_base64`	Yes	Base64-encoded file content.
`filename`	No	File name, for example `authorization_letter.pdf`.
`mime_type`	No	File type, for example `application/pdf`.

GET /sender-ids/documents/{docId} downloads an uploaded document as a binary stream with its original Content-Type.

Pay and submit

POST /sender-ids/requests/{id}/pay debits your wallet and submits the request for telecom review. It returns 402 INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE if your wallet is too low.

Track status

GET /sender-ids lists your Sender IDs with status and document counts. GET /sender-ids/requests/{id} returns details, documents, and audit history.

Edit or discard a request

You can change or delete a request while it is a draft or unpaid (awaiting_payment).

Action	Endpoint	Notes
Update a request	`PATCH /sender-ids/requests/{id}`	Accepts `sender_id`, `network`, `purpose`, `country`, `is_default`, and `status`.
Delete a request	`DELETE /sender-ids/requests/{id}`	Returns `400 CANNOT_DELETE_ACTIVE_REQUEST` if the request was already submitted or is active.

Manage active Sender IDs

Action	Endpoint	Notes
Set as default	`POST /sender-ids/{id}/default`	Makes an active Sender ID the default for your account.
Renew	`POST /sender-ids/{id}/renew`	Renews an active or expired Sender ID for another 1-year validity period.
Revoke	`POST /sender-ids/{id}/revoke`	Permanently revokes an approved Sender ID. Sends using it are blocked immediately.

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Default Sender ID

Pricing and approval times

Register a custom Sender ID

Edit or discard a request

Manage active Sender IDs

​Default Sender ID

​Pricing and approval times

​Register a custom Sender ID

​Edit or discard a request

​Manage active Sender IDs

Default Sender ID

Pricing and approval times

Register a custom Sender ID

Edit or discard a request

Manage active Sender IDs