SMS Sender ID Register

The information about the SMS Sender ID Register that the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025 requires us to publish, and how sender IDs are handled on the Check Networks SMS platform.

Check Networks sends SMS on behalf of its partners and their customers, which makes it an originating telecommunications provider under the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025. The information in this section is published under section 10 of that Standard.

About the Register

Part 24B of the Telecommunications Act 1997 provides for the establishment of the SMS Sender ID Register (the Register), which is operated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
From 1 July 2026, if a sender identification message is sent which includes a sender identification (an alphanumeric sender ID, such as a brand name) that is not registered in the Register, the message will be labelled “Unverified”.
If an entity wishes to send sender identification messages, it must register its sender identification in the Register and ensure that it uses one or more participating telecommunications providers to send them.

Who can register a sender ID

The following types of entities can be approved to make applications to register sender identifications in the Register: an individual; a body corporate; a corporation sole; a body politic; a government entity (within the meaning of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999); a partnership; any other unincorporated association or body of persons; a trust; or a superannuation fund (within the meaning of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993).
Valid use case. For an entity to have its sender identification registered, it must demonstrate that it has a valid use case for that sender identification.

How to register through Check Networks

Applications are made through an originating provider. An entity can apply to register its sender identification through a participating telecommunications provider that is an originating telecommunications provider, such as Check Networks. The ACMA publishes a list of all such providers on its website.
Entities with an ABN can apply through any participating originating provider, or a partner of one. To obtain approval to make the application: the person making the request must be listed as an authorised contact for the entity on the Australian Business Register, or be otherwise authorised by the entity; the person must pass an identification check; and the person must agree to the Register’s terms of use.
After we lodge the application on the entity’s behalf, the person who made the request receives instructions from the ACMA about how to access the Register.
Once the ACMA approves the entity, the entity can confirm the registration of its sender identification in the Register.
Cost. Check Networks does not charge for making a registration application on your behalf, and there is no ongoing annual charge from Check Networks. Any fee the ACMA sets for registration or renewal is payable to the ACMA.
Authorising other providers. Once the sender identification is registered, the entity can authorise other participating telecommunications providers to send messages using it.
Certified providers. An entity with an ABN can also register its sender identification through an originating provider that is a certified telecommunications provider.

Entities without an ABN

An entity without an ABN can only apply to register its sender identification through an originating provider that is a certified telecommunications provider, or a partner of one. That provider or partner conducts checks similar to those described above for ABN entities. Check Networks is not currently a certified telecommunications provider, so we cannot make an application for an entity without an ABN. The ACMA publishes the list of certified providers on its website.
An entity without an ABN that applies through a certified provider or its partner will not be able to gain access to the Register itself.

How we handle sender IDs on our platform

These are the obligations the Standard places on us as an originating provider, and how they apply to your account:

Existing and new customers are told about the Register. We provide this information in writing to every customer who sends, or asks to send, messages with a sender identification, and we offer to make the registration application on their behalf.
Before a sender ID is enabled on an account, we check whether it is registered in the Register for the entity concerned. If it is, we confirm that the entity has authorised us to send messages with that sender ID and that the person making the request is authorised by the entity. A sender ID is not enabled until both are confirmed, and the check is recorded against the approval.
Messages with a sender ID that is not registered for the entity are disrupted: the sender ID is replaced with “Unverified” before the message is sent, from 1 July 2026. Messages sent from a phone number we host for you are not sender identification messages and are unaffected.
If the ACMA notifies us that we are no longer authorised to send messages with a sender ID, or that it is no longer registered, we disable it on the account and stop sending immediately.
Account access. An account enabled to send with a registered sender ID may only be accessed by authorised representatives of that entity. Keep your portal users current.
Scam messages. Where we become aware that a sender identification message is a scam, we report it to the ACMA within 2 business days and, where we did not originate it, notify the provider that sent it to us. We also file a quarterly report with the ACMA on complaints relating to the Register.

Complaints about the Register

If you believe we have not registered a sender identification as you requested, or have not given you the information above, you can complain through our complaints handling process. Complaints relating to the Register are recorded and resolved under that process and reported to the ACMA quarterly.

Reporting misuse of a sender ID

If your brand is being impersonated in SMS, or you believe a sender ID on our platform is being misused, contact us with the sender ID, the date and time, and the message content:

Impersonation should also be reported to Scamwatch.