Australian laws regarding SMS sender IDs
From 25 April there is a new requirement in Australia that could affect HosPortal customers. See below for more about what’s happening and what action you might want to take.
Context
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Australia’s peak telecommunications industry body, Communications Alliance, have developed an industry code of conduct (Code) that seeks to reduce scam SMS messages. Refer to the Code here. Relevant to the operation of HosPortal and our customers is clause 5.2 ‘Improving Number and Alphanumeric Sender ID accuracy.’
All SMS messages in Australia allow for an 11 character ‘Sender ID’ (SID) that appears on the recipient’s phone. Prior to this new code coming into effect the party sending an SMS message could theoretically create any SID regardless of who they were. This assisted scammers who would send SMS messages under safe-sounding names, e.g. ‘CommBank’, ‘TaxOffice’, ‘NSWHealth’
As part of the Code, parties sending an SMS now need to provide evidence that they have the right to use the SID.
Impact on HosPortal customers
HosPortal sends over 800,000 SMS messages each year using a US-based specialist third-party SMS manager, Twilio, which is one of the largest and most reputable SMS senders globally.
SMS messages from HosPortal are things like automated shift and event reminders, as well user-created messages using our ‘Direct Message’ function.
HosPortal has been in the habit of using SIDs that are relevant to each customer. For instance, SMS messages sent to users at The St George Hospital receive an SMS with the SID ‘StGeoPublic’.
As a result of the Code, from 25 April we need to show evidence that we have permission to use customer-specific SIDs. If the permission is not received Twlilo has an obligation to block the message. To ensure continuity of messages we will automatically use our own SID ‘HosPortal’ where we do not have permission from a customer.
Why is this important?
We think using our generic HosPortal SID may have some impact on our customers and their users. In Sydney an average anaesthetic VMO is at more than 7 HosPortal sites. A VMO getting all their SMS messages under the one name HosPortal could reduce the clarity of the messages they receive, and puts a greater burden on senders to craft their messages to be clear where the message is coming from.
Actions for customers
For us to be able to send SMS messages using your customer-specific SID, you need to:
Download this template letter here and copy it onto your company letterhead.
Complete all the details highlighted.
In Table 2 in the letter, confirm the SID you want. It needs to be 11 alphanumeric characters or fewer, and cannot contain special characters or the space character.
Have the letter signed by someone with appropriate authority.
Send the completed and signed form to support@hosportal.com.
We will then send a copy of your letter to Twilio and enable your SID. The sooner we have it the quicker we can enable it. If we have not received it by 25 April your messages will be sent under the ‘HosPortal’ SID until such time as we receive the permissions.
You can get further support and information by contacting us at support@hosportal.com or by clicking the smiley-faced help button.
