SMS Sending Costs in Indonesia: Masking, OTP & Blast
SMS pricing isn't one flat rate: it depends on the destination carrier, text length, and volume. See the going rates for Masking, OTP, and blast, and how to estimate your monthly cost.
"So how much is one SMS, really?" The honest answer: it depends. But there's no need to worry, business SMS cost comes down to just a few factors. Once you understand them, budgeting gets much easier and there are no more bills that quietly balloon.
What determines SMS cost
| Factor | Effect on cost |
|---|---|
| Message type | Doesn't change the price, OTP and regular notifications are charged the same rate. The only difference is the route: OTP must go via Premium. |
| Destination carrier | Each carrier has its own rate. Telkomsel splits traffic into Premium and Regular routes, priced the same; OTP just has to use Premium. |
| Message length | Over 160 characters (GSM-7) splits into several SMS, each part is billed. |
| Volume / deposit | Larger usage typically lowers the per-message price. |
| Sender ID (Masking) | SMS Masking adds value (messages from your brand name) and has its own rate. |
Why OTP must use the premium route
OTP messages have to go through the carrier's premium route, the one reserved for codes and tokens, and it's genuinely faster and prioritized. The rate is the same as a regular SMS, so this isn't about cost, it's about the rules. Send OTP on a non-OTP route and the carrier treats it as a violation with a 200% penalty, so make sure you route it correctly from the start.
Message length quietly doubles the cost
One SMS holds 160 characters (GSM-7). Go past that and the message splits into parts of about 153 characters each, and each part is billed on its own. Even a single emoji can flip the message to Unicode and shrink the limit to 70, so keep it short and skip the special characters.
How to keep SMS costs down
- Keep messages under 160 characters and skip emoji to stay one SMS.
- Route OTP on the OTP route, the wrong route triggers a 200% penalty on the SMS price.
- Pick the right channel. For rich/interactive messages, WhatsApp can be cheaper per conversation.
- Consolidate volume to earn a better per-message rate.
SMS rates follow each carrier's policy, so they can shift now and then. For the latest numbers based on your volume, simply use the calculator on the pricing page.
- SMS cost depends on the destination carrier, message length, and volume.
- OTP and regular SMS cost the same; OTP just has to use the carrier's premium route.
- A short message (≤160 chars, no emoji) = one SMS, the cheapest.
Curious about the exact cost for your volume? Open the calculator on the pricing page, or sign up and start sending SMS Masking and OTP with Zenziva.
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