Frequently Asked Questions

SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer) is the standard protocol used by carriers and aggregators to exchange SMS messages at scale. MOBITELSMS implements a full SMPP v3.4 server on port 2775 with optional TLS on port 2777, supporting transceiver, transmitter, and receiver bind modes. Our platform handles submit_sm, deliver_sm, and query_sm PDUs with configurable throughput limits per gateway and built-in delivery report tracking.

Inbound SIP traffic arrives at Kamailio, which forwards an authentication request to the billing core. The core identifies the origination point by IP address, loads the applicable tariff, and builds a routing table of termination points sorted by least-cost routing (LCR), quality, or weighted distribution. Failover dial strings are returned to Kamailio so that if the first carrier rejects the call, the next route is tried automatically.

10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the US carrier framework that requires all application-to-person (A2P) SMS traffic sent over standard phone numbers to be registered with The Campaign Registry (TCR). If you send business messages to US mobile numbers, registration is mandatory — unregistered traffic faces heavy filtering and may be blocked entirely. MOBITELSMS includes built-in TCR integration for brand vetting and campaign registration directly from the admin dashboard.

STIR/SHAKEN (RFC 8224/8225) is a call authentication framework that lets carriers cryptographically sign outbound calls to prove the caller ID has not been spoofed. The originating carrier generates a PASSporT token containing the calling and called numbers, signs it with their certificate, and attaches it as a SIP Identity header. The terminating carrier verifies the signature against the certificate authority chain and assigns an attestation level (A, B, or C) based on the carrier's relationship with the caller.

GSM-7 is the default SMS character encoding that supports 128 Latin characters and common symbols, fitting 160 characters in a single SMS segment (or 153 per concatenated segment). UCS-2 is a 16-bit encoding required for non-Latin scripts such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, and emoji, which reduces capacity to 70 characters per single segment or 67 per concatenated segment. Choosing the wrong encoding in your billing engine can result in incorrect segment counts and systematic overbilling or underbilling.

The MOBITELSMS platform supports up to 30,000 concurrent VoIP calls with a target of 5,000 calls per second (CPS) at the billing core level. SMS throughput reaches 15,000 messages per second. These benchmarks are achieved through highly optimised in-memory data structures, multi-layer caching, non-blocking balance updates, and asynchronous CDR processing pipelines designed for carrier-scale workloads.

MOBITELSMS provides flexible CDR (Call Detail Record) storage with multiple backend options to suit different deployment needs. You can choose traditional database storage for SQL-based reporting, high-throughput queue-based processing for large volumes, or real-time streaming for analytics pipelines. All options support both voice and SMS CDR formats with configurable batch sizes and automatic error retry logic.

SMS rate limiting operates at multiple levels. Each SMPP gateway has a configurable TPS (transactions per second) limit that controls how fast messages are submitted. There is also a global system-wide TPS ceiling. When a gateway exceeds its TPS allocation, the platform returns an SMPP throttle response (0x00000058) and the client is expected to back off. Rate limiting uses a sliding window algorithm tracked per gateway to ensure fair capacity distribution across all connected clients.

A Session Border Controller is a network element that sits at the edge of a VoIP network, managing the signalling (SIP) and media (RTP) streams that cross network boundaries. It provides security functions like topology hiding, protocol normalization, codec transcoding, and DDoS protection. MOBITELSMS uses Kamailio as the SIP proxy with RTPEngine for media relay, providing carrier-grade SBC functionality including TLS/SRTP encryption, header manipulation, and call admission control.

ENUM (E.164 Number Mapping) is a DNS-based protocol that translates telephone numbers into URIs, allowing carriers to route calls directly over IP instead of through the PSTN. A NAPTR (Naming Authority Pointer) record is the specific DNS record type used in ENUM queries. When a call is placed, the platform reverses the E.164 number, appends the ENUM domain suffix, and queries DNS for NAPTR records that point to SIP URIs for direct IP interconnection.

MNP (Mobile Number Portability) and LNP (Local Number Portability) lookups determine which carrier currently serves a given phone number, since users can port their numbers between providers. Before routing a call or SMS, the platform queries an MNP/LNP database to retrieve the current serving network. This ensures traffic is sent to the correct terminating carrier, avoiding misrouting charges and improving delivery rates for both voice and messaging traffic.

5G NSA (Non-Standalone) uses 5G NR radio access but relies on an existing 4G LTE core network (EPC) for control plane functions, making it a faster deployment path for carriers. 5G SA (Standalone) uses a completely new 5G Core (5GC) network with a service-based architecture, enabling advanced features like network slicing, ultra-low latency, and massive IoT connectivity. MOBITELSMS supports both deployment models through its mobile core infrastructure, including integration with open-source EPC and 5GC implementations.

Real-time billing on the platform uses a prepaid authorization model. Before a call connects or an SMS is sent, the system checks the user's balance against the estimated cost based on the destination rate, expected duration or segment count, and any applicable connection fees. Balances are updated atomically with a high-performance synchronisation mechanism that ensures both accuracy and high throughput under heavy concurrent load.

MOBITELSMS supports a comprehensive set of telecom signalling protocols. For IP-based networks: SIP for VoIP, SMPP for SMS, Diameter for online charging (Gy/Ro) and policy control (Gx), and HTTP/2 for RCS and REST APIs. For legacy interconnection: SS7 with full M3UA/SCCP/TCAP/MAP/ISUP stack support via the SS7 gateway engine. SCTP transport is available for multi-homed signalling links with automatic failover between primary and secondary paths.

Getting started takes just a few minutes. Sign up for an account through our portal and choose a plan that fits your needs. Once activated, you get access to the admin dashboard, SMPP credentials, and SIP trunk configuration. From there you can provision origination and termination points, upload rate tables, configure routing rules, and send test traffic. Our technical support team is available to help with initial setup, interconnect testing, and capacity planning for production deployments.