Can I send SMS to Canadian numbers if the phone number verification is still on submitted status?

Question

Hello Team, I just got a phone number to use wit the Azure communication services, I tried to test the phone number by sending out an SMS through Power Automate, the recipients I tested with didn't receive the messages, even though tit was delivered. I then discovered that there was a verification process for Canadian phone numbers and if it's not initiated, all messages would be blocked. I'd like to understand at what various status level can I be able to send out SMSs, currently it says "Submitted" Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi @BI Team ,

Thanks for the question.

Yes, you're correct about a verification process needed for Canadian phone numbers "effective October 1, 2022, unverified toll-free numbers sending messages to Canadian destinations will have its traffic blocked. To unblock the traffic, a verification application needs to be submitted and be in pending or verified status." Did you receive a verified status for your Canadian numbers? The whole toll-free verification process takes about 5-6 weeks.

There are 3 different application statuses (verified, pending and unverified). Here is what they mean:

• Verified: Verified numbers have gone through the toll-free verification process and have been approved. Their traffic is subjected to limited filters. If traffic does trigger any filters, that specific content is blocked but the number is not automatically blocked.
• Pending: Numbers in pending state have an associated toll-free verification form being reviewed by the toll-free messaging aggregator. They can send at a lower throughput than verified numbers, but higher than unverified numbers. Blocking can be applied to individual content or there can be an automatic block of all traffic from the number. These numbers remain in this pending state until a decision has been made on verification status.
• Unverified: Unverified numbers have either 1) not submitted a verification application or 2) have had their application denied. These numbers are subject to the highest amount of filtering, and numbers in this state automatically get shut off if any spam or unwanted traffic is detected.

There are 5 different SMS status levels in Azure Communication Services:

1. Submitted: This status means that the SMS message has been submitted to the Azure Communication Services platform for delivery.
2. Queued: This status means that the SMS message is waiting in a queue for delivery.
3. Sent: This status means that the SMS message has been sent to the recipient's mobile carrier for delivery.
4. Delivered: This status means that the SMS message has been successfully delivered to the recipient's mobile device.
5. Failed: This status means that the SMS message delivery has failed for some reason, such as an invalid phone number or a network issue.

If your SMS message is showing a "Submitted" status, it means that the message has been submitted to the Azure Communication Services platform for delivery, but it has not yet been sent to the recipient's mobile carrier.

If your SMS message is showing a "Delivered" status that means the SMS message has been successfully delivered to the recipient's mobile device.

If you are having issues with SMS message delivery, you may want to check the phone number format and ensure that it is valid for the recipient's mobile carrier.

Hope that helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions

Best,

Grace