Getting Started

International Number Format

The recommended format is:

[Country Code][Mobile Number]

When converting a domestic mobile number to international format:

1. Remove the leading 0 (or + if present).
2. Add the appropriate country code to the beginning of the number.

For example:

• Australian mobile: 0443123123 → 61443123123
• New Zealand mobile: 0222123123 → 64222123123

Using incorrectly formatted numbers may result in messages not being delivered, or in rare cases, being sent to an unintended recipient.

Default Sending Country

Edgility can automatically identify and format mobile numbers based on the country you primarily send messages to.

You can set your Default Sending Country in two places:

• Settings > Profile & Settings > SMS Settings or
• The Send SMS page by selecting the country flag in the top-right corner

Your Default Sending Country tells the system which country’s mobile number format should be checked first when processing recipient numbers.

For example, if your Default Sending Country is set to Australia, the platform will first attempt to identify numbers as Australian mobile numbers. If a number does not match the Australian format, the platform will then look for international prefixes and other recognised number formats to determine whether the number belongs to another country.

This setting helps improve the accuracy of number detection, particularly when importing contact lists that contain domestic mobile numbers without country codes.

Tip: For the best results, store mobile numbers in full international format wherever possible, especially if your contact lists contain recipients from multiple countries.

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Australia

• Country Code: 61
• Mobile Number Length: 9 digits (excluding the leading 0)
• Domestic Format: 0443123123
• International Format: 61443123123

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New Zealand

• Country Code: 64
• Mobile Number Length: Typically 8-9 digits (excluding the leading 0)
• Domestic Format: 0222123123
• International Format: 64222123123

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United Kingdom

• Country Code: 44
• Mobile Number Length: 10 digits (excluding the leading 0)
• Domestic Format: 0778123123
• International Format: 44778123123

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Best Practice

For maximum delivery reliability:

• Store mobile numbers in full international format (country code + mobile number)
• Set your Default Sending Country to match the country you most commonly send SMS messages to
• Review imported contact lists for any incomplete or incorrectly formatted numbers
• Avoid mixing formatting styles within the same contact list where possible

By following these guidelines, Edgility can more accurately identify recipient numbers and maximise SMS delivery success.

For the best delivery results, we recommend storing all contacts in international format, including the country code.

Example

When entering numbers in international format:

1. Remove the leading 0 from the mobile number.
2. Add the country code to the beginning of the number.
3. Do not include spaces or special characters unless required by your import process.

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Supported International Destinations

Edgility supports SMS delivery to the following countries:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Ireland
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Philippines
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

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Default Sending Country

Edgility includes a Default Sending Country setting to help the platform correctly identify and validate mobile numbers.

You can configure your Default Sending Country from:

• Settings → Profile & Settings → SMS Settings
• The Send SMS page by selecting the country flag in the top-right corner

When a message is sent, Edgility will first attempt to interpret mobile numbers using the selected country’s numbering rules. If a number does not match that country’s format, the system will then look for international prefixes and formatting patterns associated with other supported countries.

This feature is particularly useful when:

• Importing contact lists that contain domestic mobile numbers
• Sending primarily within one country
• Managing databases that contain a mixture of local and international contacts

Tip: Even with the Default Sending Country configured, storing numbers in full international format remains the most reliable approach.

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Important Notes

• International message rates vary by destination country.
• Some countries have additional regulatory requirements for SMS delivery.
• Certain sender ID types may require registration before messages can be delivered.
• If you regularly send messages to recipients outside Australia, we recommend testing with a small batch first to confirm successful delivery.

If you’re unsure whether a destination country is supported, contact the Edgility support team for assistance.

Unlike a mobile number or virtual number, an alpha sender ID is a text-based identifier (for example, EDGILITY, MyBusiness, or ABC Realty) and does not have the ability to receive SMS replies.

What Is an Alphanumeric Sender ID?

An alphanumeric sender ID replaces the sender’s phone number with a name or brand when the message is delivered to the recipient.

For example:

Using a phone number

From: 61412345678

Using an alphanumeric sender ID

From: EDGILITY

This can improve brand recognition and help recipients immediately identify who the message is from.

Why Can’t Recipients Reply?

SMS replies require a valid mobile number, virtual number, or shortcode for the mobile network to route the response.

Because an alpha sender ID is simply text and not an actual phone number, there is nowhere for the recipient’s reply to be delivered. As a result, most handsets will either:

• Disable the reply function entirely.
• Allow the recipient to type a reply, but the message will fail to send.
• Display a warning that replies are not supported.

The exact behaviour varies depending on the recipient’s mobile device and carrier.

How Can I Receive Replies?

If you need recipients to respond to your messages, you should send using a reply-capable number instead of an alpha sender ID.

Options include:

• A dedicated virtual number.
• A shared reply number (where available).

When using a reply-capable number, recipient responses can be received and viewed within the platform.

When Should I Use an Alphanumeric Sender ID?

An alphanumeric sender ID is often the best option when:

• Brand recognition is more important than receiving replies.
• Sending appointment reminders.
• Sending announcements or notifications.
• Sending marketing campaigns with a call-to-action directing recipients to a website, email address, or phone number.

What If I Need Branding and Replies?

Due to mobile network limitations, you typically cannot send from a branded alpha sender ID and receive replies to that same sender identity.

If two-way communication is important, we recommend using a dedicated SMS number and clearly identifying your business within the message content, for example:

“Hi Sarah, this is Edgility. Please reply YES to confirm your appointment.”

This allows recipients to recognise your business while still being able to reply.

Need Help?

If you’re unsure whether your current sender ID supports replies, or you’d like to configure a reply-capable number for your account, contact the Edgility support team for assistance.

Although SMS messages have character limits, recipients will generally receive your message as one continuous message on their device. Long messages are automatically joined together behind the scenes and are not delivered as separate SMS messages.

SMS Character Types

There are two character sets used in SMS messaging:

Standard (GSM) Characters

These are characters included in the GSM 03.38 character set, which covers:

• Standard English letters (A-Z, a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Common punctuation and symbols

Messages containing only GSM characters can use the maximum SMS character allowance.

Unicode Characters

Unicode characters include anything outside the GSM character set, such as:

• Emojis 😊
• Smart quotes (“ ”)
• Curly apostrophes (’)
• Accented characters (é, ñ, ü)
• Non-Latin alphabets and special symbols

If your message contains even a single Unicode character, the entire message is encoded as Unicode, significantly reducing the number of characters available per SMS part.

Important: Emojis and special characters can dramatically increase the number of SMS parts used by a message.

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GSM SMS Length

A standard GSM SMS can contain up to 160 characters.

Once a message exceeds 160 characters, it becomes a multi-part SMS. To allow mobile networks to reassemble the message correctly, each additional part reserves space for invisible message headers.

As a result:

• First SMS part: 160 characters
• Multi-part SMS: 153 characters per part

GSM Character Limits

Example

A 280-character GSM message would be sent as:

• Part 1: 153 characters
• Part 2: 127 characters

This would be billed as 2 SMS parts, but delivered to the recipient as a single message.

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Unicode SMS Length

Unicode messages have a lower character limit because they require a different encoding format.

• Single Unicode SMS: 70 characters
• Multi-part Unicode SMS: 67 characters per part

Unicode Character Limits

Example

A 150-character message containing an emoji 😀 would be encoded as Unicode and use:

• Part 1: 67 characters
• Part 2: 67 characters
• Part 3: 16 characters

This would be billed as 3 SMS parts even though the message is only 150 characters long.

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How SMS Parts Affect Billing

SMS charges are typically based on the number of message parts used, not the number of messages sent.

For example:

• 150 GSM characters = 1 SMS part
• 300 GSM characters = 2 SMS parts
• 700 GSM characters = 5 SMS parts
• 150 Unicode characters = 3 SMS parts

For this reason, avoiding unnecessary Unicode characters can help reduce SMS costs.

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Common Characters That Trigger Unicode Encoding

The most common causes of Unicode messages are:

• Emojis 😊
• Curly apostrophes (’)
• Curly quotation marks (“ ”)
• Bullet symbols (•)
• Long dashes (—)
• Accented characters (é, è, ü, ñ)

Whenever possible, use standard keyboard characters instead:

• ' instead of ’
• " instead of “ or ”
• - instead of —

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Maximum SMS Length

Most modern mobile networks support messages up to 8 message parts.

This means the practical maximum length is:

GSM Messages

• Up to 1,224 characters (8 parts)

Unicode Messages

• Up to 536 characters (8 parts)

Messages exceeding these limits may be truncated or rejected by the recipient’s carrier.

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Best Practices

• Keep messages concise where possible
• Avoid emojis and special characters unless required
• Use standard apostrophes and quotation marks
• Review the SMS part counter before sending large campaigns
• Remember that billing is based on SMS parts, not individual messages

By understanding GSM and Unicode character limits, you can optimise message length, reduce SMS costs, and ensure reliable delivery to your recipients