DLT registration
Also called: TRAI DLT, Distributed Ledger Technology registration
DLT registration is the process, mandated by India's telecom regulator TRAI, of registering a business, its SMS sender IDs, and its message templates on a telecom operator's Distributed Ledger Technology platform before any commercial SMS can be delivered.
DLT registration in dealership marketing
It came out of TRAI's 2018 commercial-communication regulations and has been enforced since 2020. Messages from an unregistered sender, or that do not match an approved template, are dropped by the operator without notice, which is the most common reason a dealership's SMS campaign goes out and nobody receives it.
Registration on any one operator's portal is shared across the network. A dealership registers its entity, its sender IDs, and one template per message type, then shares those IDs with its SMS provider.
Related terms
- Messaging & Compliance
Sender ID
A sender ID, called a header on DLT portals, is the short alphanumeric name that appears as the sender of a commercial SMS in place of a phone number, and in India it must be registered and approved before use.
Read definition - Messaging & Compliance
Message template
A message template is the pre-approved wording of a business message, with placeholders for variable details such as the customer's name or appointment time, that must be registered on DLT for SMS or approved by Meta for WhatsApp before it can be sent.
Read definition - Messaging & Compliance
DND registry
The DND registry is India's national list of mobile numbers whose owners have opted out of promotional calls and messages, and telecom operators block promotional SMS to any number on it regardless of who is sending.
Read definition
Where it applies
AutoSutra services where dlt registration comes into play.
Further reading
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