A2P vs. P2P Messaging

Depending your target country, the content of your SMS message will determine how it is sent. For your use case, determine whether you want to send application-to-person (A2P) or person-to-person (P2P) SMS messages.

• A2P messaging is used when the sender does not expect the recipient to reply. Common examples of A2P messaging are marketing messages, 2-factor authentication (2FA), and appointment reminders.
• P2P messaging is used by two or more people to communicate back and forth. Common examples of P2P messaging include customer service messages, texting with a rideshare driver, or communicating with a food delivery courier about the status of an order.

Wireless carriers treat A2P and P2P traffic differently, both in terms of the type of content and the volume of traffic allowed. To avoid carrier filtering for your use case, you should know in advance which type of messages you will send.

Country-specific guidelines

Compliance for international SMS texting varies per country. If you already have an SMS Sender ID/Code provisioned for a territory or country, and you want to be able to send to another territory, then you should purchase either a new code/sender ID to use in that territory. You can also see if your existing sender ID is officially provisioned to be used in the new territory. When in doubt, find out the local compliance and then select one of the options that is best suited for your needs.

Two-way messaging allows the end-user to receive a Mobile Terminated (MT) SMS message and to send a Mobile Originated (MO) SMS message. Depending on your country's requirements, you may use a long code or short code to send a two-way message.

Some types of messaging programs may only require a one-way communication to the consumer, in which case neither a short code nor a long number is necessary. The consumer cannot reply to this type of message. The originator of the message (the "number" it appears to come from) can be set to an alphanumeric string, such as a brand name, depending on rules and regulations in a particular country.