Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025

Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025

made under subsection 125AA(4) of the

Telecommunications Act 1997

Compilation No. 2

Compilation date: 3 October 2025

Includes amendments: F2025L01222

About this compilation

This compilation

This is a compilation of the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 3 October 2025 (the compilation date).

The notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information about amending laws and the amendment history of provisions of the compiled law.

Uncommenced amendments

The effect of uncommenced amendments is not shown in the text of the compiled law. The details of amendments made up to, but not commenced at, the compilation date are underlined in the endnotes. Any uncommenced amendments affecting the law are accessible on the Register (www.legislation.gov.au).

Application, saving and transitional provisions

If the operation of a provision or amendment of the compiled law is affected by an application, saving or transitional provision that is not included in this compilation, details are included in the endnotes.

Editorial changes

For more information about any editorial changes made in this compilation, see the endnotes.

Presentational changes

The Legislation Act 2003 provides for First Parliamentary Counsel to make presentational changes to a compilation. Presentational changes are applied to give a more consistent look and feel to legislation published on the Register, and enable the user to more easily navigate those documents.

Modifications

If the compiled law is modified by another law, the compiled law operates as modified but the modification does not amend the text of the law. Accordingly, this compilation does not show the text of the compiled law as modified. Any modifications affecting the law are accessible on the Register.

Self‑repealing provisions

If a provision of the compiled law has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law, details are included in the endnotes.

Contents

1 Name

3 Authority

4 Definitions

5 Direction to the ACMA on industry standard in connection with SMS Sender ID Register

6 Application of the industry standard

7 Objectives of the industry standard

8 Matters the industry standard must deal with

9 Matters the industry standard may deal with

Endnotes

Endnote 1—About the endnotes

Endnote 2—Abbreviation key

Endnote 3—Legislation history

Endnote 4—Amendment history

1  Name

  This instrument is the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard) Direction 2025.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under subsection 125AA(4) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

4  Definitions

  In this instrument:

Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.

Note 1: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 7 of the Act, including the following:

(a) ACCC;

(b) ACMA;

(c) carriage service;

(d) carriage service provider;

(e) carrier;

(f) sender identification;

(g) SMS Sender ID Register;

(h) spoofing sender identification;

(i) Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman;

(j) telecommunications network.

Note 2: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in Part 6 of the Act, including the following:

(a) electronic messaging service provider;

(b) section of the telecommunications industry;

(c) telecommunications activity;

(d) telecommunications industry.

5  Direction to the ACMA on industry standard in connection with SMS Sender ID Register

(1) I direct the ACMA to determine a standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Act that:

(a) applies to participants in sections of the telecommunications industry specified in section 6; and

(b) is drafted to give effect to the objectives in section 7; and

(c) deals with the matters in section 8; and

(d) may deal with the matters in section 9.

(2) A standard referred to in subsection 5(1) is to:

(a) be determined no later than 7 October 2025; and

(b) commence in full at the earliest practical opportunity and no later than 1 July 2026.

(3) I direct that the ACMA may vary the standard as it considers necessary from time to time, provided that the standard as varied complies with this instrument.

6  Application of the industry standard

(1) Subject to this section, the standard is to apply to the following sections of the telecommunications industry:

(a) carriage service providers;

(b) carriers;

(c) if the ACMA considers it necessary to apply the standard to electronic messaging service providers, those providers.

Note: Carriage service provider is defined in sections 7 and 87 of the Act, and includes carriage service providers who are intermediaries.

(2) The standard may deal with matters differently for different sections of the telecommunications industry.

(3) The standard may deal with matters differently for different classes of carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers.

(4) The standard may exempt certain classes of carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers from particular provisions of the standard.

(5) The standard may provide for different requirements for carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers in relation to different types of:

(a) end users; and

(b) short message services (SMS), multimedia message services (MMS) and services specified (if any) under section 484C of the Act; and

(c) entities.

7  Objectives of the industry standard

The standard is to be drafted to give effect to the following objectives:

(a) disrupting communications using sender identifications that have not been registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

Note:  Sender identification is defined in section 484C of the Act, and does not include a message header consisting only of numbers.

(b) protecting end users against communications using spoofing sender identifications;

(c) promoting public confidence in sender identifications registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

(d) promoting consistency and accountability of actions taken by carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers in relation to communications using sender identifications registered and not registered on the SMS Sender ID Register.

8  Matters the industry standard must deal with

(1) The standard must:

(a) set out the roles and responsibilities of carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers in relation to their telecommunications activities in connection with the operation and administration of the SMS Sender ID Register; and

(b) deal with how communications using sender identifications registered and not registered on the SMS Sender ID Register will be handled by carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the following are examples of matters that may be included in the standard:

(a) requirements on carriers and carriage service providers to prevent or disrupt the carriage on telecommunications networks of communications using sender identifications not registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

(b) requirements on carriers and carriage service providers to flag sender identifications for end users to be able to identify that the sender of the communication is not registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

(c) requirements on electronic messaging service providers to prevent or disrupt the distribution through carriage services of communications using sender identifications not registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

(d) requirements on carriers and carriage service providers relating to administrative arrangements for access to the SMS Sender ID Register to verify sender identifications;

(e) requirements on electronic messaging service providers relating to administrative arrangements for access to the SMS Sender ID Register to verify sender identifications.

Note 1: Examples are not exhaustive (see section 15AD of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901).

Note 2: The applicability of a particular example will depend on the standard that is determined by the ACMA, and its application to the particular section of the telecommunications industry.

9  Matters the industry standard may deal with

(1) The standard may deal with the following matters as they relate to the telecommunications activities of carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers in connection with the operation and administration of the SMS Sender ID Register:

(a) requirements relating to record keeping and reporting by carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers on the nature or numbers of communications using:

(i) sender identifications not on the SMS Sender ID Register that have been disrupted; and

(ii) sender identifications on the SMS Sender ID Register that have been delivered to end users;

(b) requirements relating to performance reporting and metrics by carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers on:

(i) the speed of any measures taken in compliance with the standard; and

(ii) the effectiveness of any measures taken in compliance with the standard;

(c) requirements relating to complaints handling procedures that carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers must implement in response to:

(i) complaints from end users about spoofing sender identifications; and

(ii) complaints about the SMS Sender ID Register from entities registered on the SMS Sender ID Register;

(d) conferral of functions and powers on the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for the purposes of complaints handling in connection with the SMS Sender ID Register;

Note: The consent of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is required to confer functions and powers on the Ombudsman: see section 114 of the Act.

(e) requirements relating to maintaining the privacy of personal information provided to carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers for the purposes of verifying sender identifications against the SMS Sender ID Register;

(f) requirements for information sharing by carriers, carriage service providers and electronic messaging service providers for the purposes of the functions and powers of the ACCC;

(g) any other matters the ACMA considers necessary to meet the objectives in section 7.

Endnotes

Endnote 1—About the endnotes

The endnotes provide information about this compilation and the compiled law.

The following endnotes are included in every compilation:

Endnote 1—About the endnotes

Endnote 2—Abbreviation key

Endnote 3—Legislation history

Endnote 4—Amendment history

Abbreviation key—Endnote 2

The abbreviation key sets out abbreviations that may be used in the endnotes.

Legislation history and amendment history—Endnotes 3 and 4

Amending laws are annotated in the legislation history and amendment history.

The legislation history in endnote 3 provides information about each law that has amended (or will amend) the compiled law. The information includes commencement details for amending laws and details of any application, saving or transitional provisions that are not included in this compilation.

The amendment history in endnote 4 provides information about amendments at the provision (generally section or equivalent) level. It also includes information about any provision of the compiled law that has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law.

Editorial changes

The Legislation Act 2003 authorises First Parliamentary Counsel to make editorial and presentational changes to a compiled law in preparing a compilation of the law for registration. The changes must not change the effect of the law. Editorial changes take effect from the compilation registration date.

If the compilation includes editorial changes, the endnotes include a brief outline of the changes in general terms. Full details of any changes can be obtained from the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

Misdescribed amendments

A misdescribed amendment is an amendment that does not accurately describe how an amendment is to be made. If, despite the misdescription, the amendment can be given effect as intended, then the misdescribed amendment can be incorporated through an editorial change made under section 15V of the Legislation Act 2003.

If a misdescribed amendment cannot be given effect as intended, the amendment is not incorporated and “(md not incorp)” is added to the amendment history.

Endnote 2—Abbreviation key

Endnote 3—Legislation history

Endnote 4—Amendment history