Sender ID Registration Guide: How to Register Your SMS Header on DLT

Your Sender ID is the first thing a recipient sees when your SMS arrives. Before they read the message, they read who sent it. A clear, recognisable Sender ID builds trust — and in India's DLT-regulated environment, getting it right at registration is critical because you cannot easily change it later.

This guide covers everything you need to know about choosing, registering, and managing SMS headers on India's DLT platform.

What Is a Sender ID (Header)?

A Sender ID — referred to as a "Header" on DLT platforms — is the 6-character alphanumeric label that appears as the sender name on a commercial SMS. Unlike personal messages that show a phone number, regulated commercial SMS in India shows a brand name.

Examples:

• AMAZON — Amazon's order and delivery notifications
• ICICIB — ICICI Bank transactional alerts
• HDFCBK — HDFC Bank communications
• GETCLK — Get Click Media campaigns

This 6-character constraint is a TRAI design decision — it is long enough to convey brand identity but short enough to display without truncation on any phone screen.

Types of Headers and When to Use Each

Under the DLT framework, headers are not just identifiers — they are categorised by the type of communication they are used for. Choosing the wrong type for your use case can get messages blocked.

Transactional Headers

Used for messages that contain critical account or service information — OTPs, payment confirmations, order updates, booking alerts. These can reach all numbers including DND-registered ones.

Best practice: If most of your SMS volume is transactional (OTPs, alerts, notifications), register a clean, brand-representative header specifically for this category.

Promotional Headers

Used for marketing and offers. These are blocked on DND numbers and can only be sent between 9 AM and 9 PM.

Promotional headers sometimes have a slight stigma — some recipients associate them with spam. Consider whether your brand name alone or a campaign-specific variant works better for promotional use.

Service (Implicit) Headers

For service-related messages where the customer relationship implies consent — appointment reminders, account updates, usage alerts. Can reach all numbers.

Service (Explicit) Headers

For messages where you have documented opt-in consent from recipients. Used for newsletters, offers to opted-in subscribers, and similar use cases.

For clarity on which message types fall under which category, see our guide on Transactional vs Promotional SMS.

Choosing the Right Sender ID for Your Brand

Six characters sounds restrictive. For most brands, it is not — it just requires a little creative thinking. Here is a framework:

Option 1: Direct abbreviation

• Get Click Media → GETCLK
• Reliance Jio → RELJIO
• Tata Motors → TATMTR

Option 2: Brand + category signal

• HDFC Bank alerts → HDFCBK
• Axis Bank → AXISBK
• Flipkart → FLPKRT

Option 3: Product or campaign brand If you have a sub-brand or specific product, use that: PAYTMB (Paytm Bank), SWGYOT (Swiggy One), etc.

What to avoid:

• Generic names (ALERTS, OFFERS, NOTIFY) — likely already taken, and offer no brand recognition
• Names that resemble competitor brands — will be rejected during review
• Names that could be confused with government entities — TAXDPT, GOVIND, etc.
• Anything that implies TRAI or telecom authority — TRAIOF, DOTIND

The Header Registration Process

Before you start, ensure your DLT entity registration is complete and approved. If it is not, start with the DLT Registration Guide.

Step 1: Log in to your DLT platform Use your Principal Entity credentials on your chosen platform (Airtel DLT, Vilpower, JioTrueConnect, etc.).

Step 2: Navigate to Header Registration Look for "Headers" or "Sender IDs" in the menu. Select "Add New Header."

Step 3: Enter header details

• Header name: Your 6-character alphabetic string (all caps, no numbers or symbols)
• Header type: Transactional / Promotional / Service Implicit / Service Explicit
• Description: Brief explanation of how this header will be used (e.g., "Used for OTP delivery and account alerts for registered users of Get Click Media's SMS platform")

Step 4: Submit and wait Header approval typically takes 1–3 business days. You will receive an email notification when the status changes.

Step 5: Register additional headers if needed Repeat the process for each header type you need. Most businesses register at least two — one transactional and one promotional.

How Many Headers Do You Actually Need?

More headers is not always better. Here is a practical guide:

Single business, single brand: 2 headers — one transactional, one promotional. Clean and simple.

Multiple brands or product lines: One set of headers per brand if they are genuinely separate in the customer's mind. Avoid creating dozens of headers you will not use consistently — active management is easier with fewer.

Enterprise with department-level messaging: Consider separate headers for distinct departments — HDFCBK for banking alerts, HDFCCC for credit card communications. Customers appreciate the specificity.

What you do not need: A new header for every campaign. Templates handle campaign-level variation — headers represent your brand identity, not individual campaigns.

Managing Headers Across Your DLT Account

Once registered, headers require ongoing management:

Keep headers active: Platforms may deactivate headers that show no traffic for extended periods. If you plan to use a header seasonally, send at least a small volume periodically to keep it active.

Monitor header health: If you start seeing unusually high delivery failures on a specific header, check its status on the DLT platform. Spam complaints can trigger a temporary hold on a header.

Do not share headers: Your registered header belongs to your entity. Never let another business use your header to send their messages — it creates compliance liability for your entity and can result in blacklisting.

Coordinate with your SMS provider: When you register a new header, tell your SMS provider immediately. They need to map it on their end before it can be used in campaigns. This is part of the PE-TM Binding Chain that connects your DLT registration to actual message delivery.

Header Branding: The Trust Factor

In India's DLT environment, customers have become familiar with brand headers. A message from ICICIB lands differently than a message from an unknown number — recipients trust it more before they even read it.

This trust extends to your open rates. According to industry data, messages from recognisable brand headers see 15–20% higher open rates compared to generic or unfamiliar headers. Your Sender ID is not just a compliance checkbox — it is brand equity delivered in 6 characters.

For reference on how headers interact with message content from a recipient trust perspective, see our overview of benefits of bulk SMS marketing, particularly the section on DLT-based credibility.

After Header Registration: Next Steps

With your headers approved, the next piece is template registration — the pre-approved message formats that determine what you can actually send from each header. Head to our SMS Template Approval Guide for the complete process.

For the full compliance picture beyond registration, the TRAI SMS Compliance Guide covers ongoing obligations including DND scrubbing, opt-out management, and content rules.

Conclusion

Your Sender ID is your brand's identity in the SMS channel. Choose something that recipients will recognise, register it under the right category, and keep it active. Do not leave header registration as an afterthought — it is the foundation that all your SMS campaigns are built on.

If you are setting up DLT for the first time or need help mapping headers to your campaigns, Get Click Media's team handles the technical coordination between your DLT registration and our platform so you can focus on the campaigns themselves.