The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is calling on organisations that use branded identifiers in their SMS messages (such as "myGov" or "AusPost") to act immediately and register their sender IDs with their telco provider ahead of the launch of the SMS Sender ID Register on 1 July 2026.
The register will provide critical safeguards to help protect Australian consumers and brands from scam messages that impersonate legitimate organisations. Once established, it will help restore confidence in branded SMS communications.
Organisations using text messaging to communicate with their customers must register all their sender IDs by 1 July 2026. From that date, any text message (SMS or MMS) sent using a registered sender ID will be delivered with that ID and can be trusted by consumers.
Unregistered sender IDs will be replaced with the word 'Unverified' and grouped together in a single message thread on recipients' phones. This will alert recipients that the text is a potential scam.
ACMA Chair Nerida O'Loughlin said the ACMA is issuing an urgent call to action for all organisations that use sender IDs, including banks, medical and dental surgeries, retailers, utilities and not-for-profits, to talk to their telco provider as soon as possible.
"Anyone using sender IDs must act now to prepare for these changes and get their sender ID registered to take advantage of the new protections.
"If a legitimate organisation does not register their sender ID, their messages could be mistaken for a scam, disrupting customer communications and affecting brand reputation," Ms O'Loughlin said.
Participating telco providers are leading the process for businesses to register sender IDs. Businesses can visit the ACMA website to check the list of participating telcos, which continues to expand as more are approved to participate. From 1 July 2026, Australian telcos must participate in the register to be able to send messages with sender IDs.
The register rules also require participating telco and other providers to educate consumers about what to expect when the register goes live and inform customers about registration requirements.
This includes registered sender IDs being clearly linked to the registering organisation, such as matching a business name or trademark.
The register is being implemented as part of the government's Fighting Scams initiative to address scams and online fraud and protect Australians from financial harm.
Information about the new rules and how to register can be found at https://www.acma.gov.au/sms-sender-id-register.
