Creating an API for sending SMS

Forums › New Zealand Mobile and Wireless › Creating an API for sending SMS

gary1001001

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#319149 27-Mar-2025 17:58

Hi All,

I'm starting a small business and considering one of the 2degrees business mobile plans, primarily for mobile data usage at my rented office space (on a month-to-month basis). It comes with unlimited SMS and NZ calls.

Basically I'm trying to figure out if I can use this mobile plan for managing SMS contact with customers - appointment reminders, questions, etc, without needing to pay for another SMS service that has an API I can integrate with my CRM.

Keeping costs low is critical until I can confirm the business is worth it.

So, the questions, is there a software app that can interact with sending and receiving SMS that opens some kind of API I can connect to? I came across https://smschef.com/, but I'm unsure if tis legit.

I'm not 100% if this is even possible but the costs are a major issue for me at the moment.

freitasm

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#3357929 27-Mar-2025 18:05

SMS business messaging is expensive and the telcos block some services to prevent t spam, while protecting their prices. But I'm not sure this software is good. I ha e very high reservations about giving so much access to a software that could be doing stuff behind the scenes. Think using your mobile to send unauthorised messages without you knowing.

gary1001001

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Wannabe Geek

#3357932 27-Mar-2025 18:18

I agree, it could do anything.

I guess I was hoping for something open source that allowed my to interact with sending sms. I guess something that has a maybe BASIC AUTH and I guess I would some kind dynamic IP address resolution as well.

The volume would be very low, many 10-30 messages a day. I would also stagger it so I don't have a bunch of auto messages at the same time.

The issues is customers want to interact with SMS but to get any basic from a business perspective is crazy expensive. Its ok if you know how much value is returned from the cost, but until things are working setup is killer.

CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#3358023 27-Mar-2025 20:58

I think the main concern would be 2degrees cutting you off for breaching terms.

Personally, we built a API-like system using a Mikrotik LtAP Mini that just has a SIM and brings SMS into our system and sends it out from our system. We only use it for very limited use (like 3 messages a month) but it works well.

You may want to look into something like Hero's SMS setup, but I don't think they have an API around it yet.

ANglEAUT

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#3358081 28-Mar-2025 06:57

You might also want to look at https://messages.google.com/web

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insane

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#3358206 28-Mar-2025 11:44

2degrees have a Group Text product for this purpose that has APIs etc.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3358394 29-Mar-2025 08:21

Slightly related to this thread, can anyone explain why SMS providers only send to NZ mobiles using shared short codes instead of allowing users to purchase +642 numbers (or use verified numbers)? There seems to be some sort of policy requiring this, but it makes little sense as it prevents users from simply blocking everything from short code numbers, as they contain messages from different companies. Despite this, I still receive plenty of text messages from large companies using +642 numbers, so how are they doing it?

Last time I looked into this was a few years back when I setup SMS messaging for someone. I used a local API to send messages via SMTP to the provider, rather than using their APIs directly.

insane

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#3358609 29-Mar-2025 17:33

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Slightly related to this thread, can anyone explain why SMS providers only send to NZ mobiles using shared short codes instead of allowing users to purchase +642 numbers (or use verified numbers)? There seems to be some sort of policy requiring this, but it makes little sense as it prevents users from simply blocking everything from short code numbers, as they contain messages from different companies. Despite this, I still receive plenty of text messages from large companies using +642 numbers, so how are they doing it?

Last time I looked into this was a few years back when I setup SMS messaging for someone. I used a local API to send messages via SMTP to the provider, rather than using their APIs directly.

Most telcos have short and long code options. I thought the short codes are registered to a specific company, didn't realise they could be shared.

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MadEngineer

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#3358616 29-Mar-2025 19:13

Whatever you do, make sure you make this opt-in only and provide the facility for recipients to reply STOP to end all comms.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

richms

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#3358635 29-Mar-2025 21:49

insane:

Most telcos have short and long code options. I thought the short codes are registered to a specific company, didn't realise they could be shared.

Theres not that many, and the one that work uses has ended up with a lot of samsungs blocking it because some shoe company uses it and sends spammy looking stuff to all their customers.

Richard rich.ms

Shoes2468

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Ultimate Geek

#3358676 30-Mar-2025 10:17

There are a lot of short codes. See a list of most of them here https://one.nz/_document/20230309220133/?id=00000186-c977-d83c-ab96-e97f729b0000&srsltid=AfmBOopBuefgHtKZ8LB5hZdZ-KrvSbOUYieHBmpzTlzfpluDeubSIzbk

if you are doing marketing messaging you really should have your own short code which allows free replies to comply with the anti spam laws and tcf. Business sms is a bit of a minefield. I’ve have delt with Modica and found them to be very knowledgeable in this space.