In short
- Hardware gateway: sends from a SIM's mobile number; you maintain the devices and SIM plans.
- Saudi rules: no promotional SMS from a mobile number; bulk SMS through providers CST has authorised; operators filter bulk SMS without an approved sender name.
- Provider: your messages show your registered sender name, with a delivery receipt for each message.
- Already run an SMS server? Connect it to Digital Connect over REST, SMPP or SOAP.
- Permit: Interkey holds CST's permit to provide short message services (SMS).
What SMS gateway hardware is
"SMS gateway hardware" covers several set-ups that send SMS directly over a mobile network from your own premises:
| Set-up | How it sends | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| GSM or USB modem | A SIM card in a modem attached to a computer or server | Alerts from one system to a small group |
| SIM-based appliance | A dedicated box with one or more SIM cards and a web interface | IT and facility alerts inside an organisation |
| Phone running gateway software | An ordinary smartphone that sends messages its software receives | Tests and small projects |
| On-premise SMS server software | Software on your server that queues messages and sends them through SIM hardware or through a provider connection | Organisations that want to keep message handling in-house |
In every hardware case, the message leaves from the SIM's mobile number. The recipient sees a phone number, not your company name.
What the Saudi rules mean for a SIM-based gateway
These points come from CST's regulations for SMS anti-spam (version 3, October 2022, Decision 493/1444):
| Rule | What it says | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| No promotional SMS from a mobile number | A sender may not send promotional SMS from a mobile phone number. | 4.6.9 |
| Mobile contracts | Operators include a condition in the end-user service contract that the mobile number is not used for promotional purposes. | 4.4.11 |
| Authorised providers only | Senders must not contract to buy and send bulk SMS with providers CST has not authorised. | 4.6.3 |
| Sender names | A sender name is the name through which bulk SMS are sent. Sender names are registered with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system. | 2.15, 4.3.1 |
| Filtering | Operators filter out bulk SMS with an unauthorised sender name, and the bulk SMS e-system CST may require operators to run blocks bulk SMS without an approved sender name or approved template. | 4.4.3, 4.2.5 |
| One-time passwords | An OTP message must say why the code was sent. | 4.6.2 |
Read the current text on cst.gov.sa: CST's regulations for SMS anti-spam. This guide is not legal advice; check your own use with your compliance team.
Hardware gateway vs an SMS provider
| SMS gateway hardware | Digital Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| What recipients see | The SIM's mobile number | Your registered sender name |
| Promotional messages | Not allowed from a mobile number | Under a promotional sender name with the "-AD" suffix, within CST's rules |
| OTP and service messages | From a mobile number customers may not recognise | Under your service sender name |
| Delivery results | Whatever the device or software logs | A delivery receipt for each message, and reports you can export |
| Access control | Depends on how you secure the device | Two-factor sign-in, admin and user levels, API access from whitelisted IP addresses or a VPN |
| Account protection | You monitor SIM usage yourself | Fraud protection, country blocking and spending limits |
| What you maintain | Devices, SIM cards, SIM plans, power and spare parts | Your integration and your contact lists |
| How you pay | Hardware plus SIM plans | A quote based on volume and traffic type |
If you already run an on-premise SMS server
You do not have to replace software that already queues messages for your business systems. Point its outbound connection at an authorised provider instead of SIM hardware:
- Choose the interface. Digital Connect supports REST APIs for application traffic, SMPP for sustained high-volume SMS, and SOAP where an existing business system needs it. See SMPP vs REST SMS API.
- Whitelist your server. Access is limited to whitelisted IP addresses or a VPN connection.
- Register your sender names. Interkey registers them with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system during onboarding.
- Approve your templates. Message templates are approved by your team and by Interkey before use.
- Keep promotional campaigns on the web platform. CST's regulations tell senders not to send promotional campaign messages from their own systems to the SMS provider's systems (clause 4.6.5). Use your server for OTP and service messages.
- Test, then switch. Send test traffic, check the delivery receipts, then move live traffic.
Questions to answer before you buy a gateway device
- Will any message promote a product, service or offer?
- Should customers see your company name rather than a phone number?
- Do you send one-time passwords to customers?
- Do you need a delivery record for each message, for audit or support?
- Who will replace SIM cards, renew SIM plans and keep the device running?
- Who checks that the set-up meets CST's regulations?
If you answered yes to the first question, CST's regulations rule out sending those messages from a SIM's mobile number. If you answered yes to any of the next three, an authorised SMS provider is the better fit.
Questions IT teams ask
Can we send bulk SMS to customers from a SIM card in Saudi Arabia?
CST's regulations say promotional SMS may not be sent from a mobile number, and mobile contracts include a condition that the number is not used for promotional purposes. For other message types, check your use with your compliance team. Business messages under a registered sender name go through a provider CST has authorised.
Does Interkey sell SMS gateway devices or server software?
No. Digital Connect is a business SMS platform that your team uses from a browser and your systems reach through an API.
Can we keep our existing SMS server?
Digital Connect supports REST, SMPP and SOAP. Tell us which software you run and we will confirm the connection method during onboarding.
Who registers our sender name?
Interkey registers it with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system during onboarding.
How is Digital Connect priced?
By quote, based on volume and traffic type. OTP traffic and marketing traffic are priced differently.
Is Digital Connect right for very small volumes?
If you send only a few hundred messages a month, or almost all your recipients are outside Saudi Arabia, Digital Connect is not a good fit.