DND: In Nigeria, the mandatory implementation of DND (Do-Not-Disturb) by telecom operators took effect on July 1st, 2016.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave all telecom operators a deadline of the second quarter of the year (June 30th) to switch on the DND 2442 code. This was to enable subscribers who are not interested in receiving unsolicited SMS from operators to ban such messages.
However, this has been a serious challenge for GSM subscribers since its implementation in July 2016. The Bulk SMS service providers were not left out of this challenge.
The management of Nigeria Bulk SMS played a vital role in ensuring that their customers understood the implications of DND.
Without the consent of GSM subscribers, the telecom operators activated the DND code on their numbers.
Most of these subscribers got to know about DND through Bulk SMS service providers.
Some subscribers got to know about DND a few days after its implementation. Several subscribers got to know about it a few months after the implementation. Many got to know about it a year or two after its implementation. And there are still some people who have not heard anything about DND till this moment.
Default Sender ID on DND Delivery
Due to regulatory issues, Airtel Nigeria is facing challenges with DND lines as messages are delivered with a default sender ID like; Infiniti, rUpdate, rNotify, etc.
Due to this strange sender ID, the opening/reading SMS rate was reduced. This is causing a huge dropout in sales.
The challenge has led to the migration of customers from one platform to another. Not all bulk SMS companies can deliver messages to DND lines. Another outrageous challenge is the cost of sending messages to DND lines which is higher than normal.
Conclusively, the challenge of DND in the Nigerian Bulk SMS Industry has introduced the sender ID registration process which takes place before SMS are sent by choosing the sender ID.
Therefore, it is advised that users include their sender ID in the body of messages. This helps recipients to easily identify the sender.
Better still, start your message content with your sender ID.
You can also register your sender ID to avoid the issues completely.
You can also click here to check this out.
Joy Ajang
Digital Marketing Manager
Interbound Media Managers Ltd
