If you send business SMS in India, you send it through DLT — the Distributed Ledger Technology platforms run by telecom operators under TRAI's regulations. Every sender, header and template is registered there, and every message is checked ("scrubbed") against those records before delivery. Unregistered traffic is simply dropped.

This is the process, in order.

1. Register your entity

Sign up on one operator's DLT portal (all operators share the registry). You will need:

• Company PAN and GST certificate (or the equivalent for a proprietorship).
• A letter of authorisation on letterhead naming the person registering.
• Business address and contact details.

Approval typically takes a few working days. You receive an Entity ID used in all further steps.

2. Register headers (Sender IDs)

A header is the six-character sender name customers see, such as MTRXTL. Register separate headers for:

• Transactional / service traffic (OTPs, alerts, updates).
• Promotional traffic (offers).

Headers should relate to your brand name; unrelated headers are rejected.

3. Register templates

Every message text must match a registered template. Variables are written as {#var#}:

{#var#} is your Mantraxtel verification code. It expires in {#var#} minutes.

Rules that cause most rejections:

• The template category (transactional, service-implicit, service-explicit, promotional) must match the content.
• Variables have a character limit; a huge free-text variable will be rejected.
• The header used with the template must be of the matching type.
• Promotional templates need consent and must include an opt-out.

Register the exact text your system will send — a single extra space or a changed punctuation mark fails scrubbing.

4. Consent templates (for promotional SMS)

To send offers you must record customer consent. DLT provides consent templates and a consent registry; your opt-in process (web form, app checkbox, SMS reply) should map to it.

5. Connect the platform

Once the entity, headers and templates are approved, the IDs are configured on the messaging platform so each outgoing message carries the right entity ID and template ID. Our Bulk SMS onboarding does this configuration and keeps templates in sync.

Common reasons messages get blocked

• Template text does not match exactly.
• Promotional content sent on a transactional header.
• Sending promotional messages outside 10 AM – 9 PM or to DND numbers.
• Header not linked to the template.
• Expired or suspended entity registration.

Keep it healthy

Review templates whenever the message copy changes, keep opt-in records, and watch delivery reports for a sudden rise in "blocked" statuses — it usually means a template was edited in your system but not on DLT.

Need help getting through registration? Talk to an expert; we handle the paperwork and template design with you.