United Kingdom (GB)

Locale name

United Kingdom

ISO code
The International Organization for Standardization two character representation for the given locale.

GB

Region

Europe

Dialing code
The dialing prefix used to establish a call or send an SMS from one locale to the given locale.

+44

Use Cases

Short codes are ideal for high-throughput (100 messages per second by default) programmatic messaging. Short codes are approved for specific use cases, so if you are experiencing carrier filtering on long codes you may be a good candidate for short codes.

Some of the most common use-cases for short codes in the UK include: 

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) or one-time passwords (OTP)
• Promotional or marketing alerts
• Account alert notifications
• Reminders (appointments, upcoming payments, etc.)

Restrictions

Short codes can only message users on carriers within the countries in which they are provisioned. If your customers do not have UK phone numbers on carrier networks that have approved that short code, you should not obtain an United Kingdom short code. If you have customers in other countries, Twilio may be able to provision short codes in those countries.

Short codes require express consent from end users before any SMS can be sent; if you cannot obtain consent then you should not use a short code.

Twilio and/or the carriers will not support certain types of campaigns, including: 

• Those in which express end-user consent cannot be obtained. This includes friend-to-friend invite-based campaigns, as well as opt-ins obtained through lead generation.
• Those containing sexual/adult content (which is prohibited by Twilio’s AUP).

Note: Campaigns dealing with age-restricted content (alcohol, gambling, etc.) are allowed, but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by UK carriers.

The notice period before returning the Short Code is 1 month.

Other Options

Traditional long-code or toll-free SMS are the best alternatives.

Requirements

A completed Twilio UK short-code application, submitted through your Twilio console. Because UK carriers do not require example messages when filing for a short code, our application does not ask for them.

Timeframe

12 - 16 weeks, once you submit all required information and documentation.

Please expect delays on any applications submitted from mid December through early January, as the wireless carriers have an annual provisioning freeze during this time.

Regulatory Bodies

Multiple entities determine what is or is not permitted on a given short code.

1. Twilio will not approve short code applications that violate our AUP or Messaging Policy.
2. Twilio’s providers perform their own compliance checks prior to sending applications to the carriers for review.These providers may have their own policies and rules about what they will or will not submit, although they generally align with the carriers. 
3. Finally, each carrier may approve or reject any use case on their network, even if all requirements are met.

Pricing

Click to see SMS pricing, including for short codes.

Next Steps

Once approved, you must configure your short code to respond to the mandatory compliance keywords HELP and STOP and implement proper blacklist functionality for STOP requests. You can either build this functionality yourself or leverage Twilio’s Advanced Opt Out feature.