DLT Registration
The mandatory TRAI requirement every Indian business must complete before sending commercial SMS.
Why First — The Scenario
Think about how the GST portal works. Before a business can file returns, they must register and get a GSTIN. The government uses this to track every transaction. No GSTIN — no filing. No registration — no business.
TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) did something similar for SMS in 2021. Every company that wants to send commercial SMS must register their business, their Sender ID, and every message template on a government-mandated DLT platform. Telecom carriers check this database before delivering any message. If your Sender ID or template is not in the database — the message is silently dropped.
This is not optional. This is Indian law.
What Is DLT?
DLT stands for Distributed Ledger Technology — the same underlying concept as blockchain. TRAI chose this architecture so no single telecom company controls the approval database — all carriers share a common ledger.
Three telecom providers run approved DLT platforms:
- Jio — jio.com/dlt (most popular choice for startups — simple interface)
- Airtel — airtel.in/business (also widely used)
- BSNL — Register through their enterprise portal
Register on One Platform Only
You do NOT need to register on all three. Registering on any one DLT platform makes your templates and Sender ID valid across all Indian telecom networks (Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL). Choose one and register there. Most Indian startups use Jio DLT.
What You Are Registering
DLT registration has three components:
Your Business (Entity Registration)
Proves you are a real registered company. Requires GST certificate, PAN, company address.
Sender ID
The 6-character name that appears as the sender on the user's phone. Example: EDTRCK for EduTrack, UDYOGA for Udyogaseva.
Message Templates
The exact text of every message you plan to send. Variable parts are marked with {#var#} placeholders.
All three must be approved before a single message reaches a user.
Step-by-Step: Jio DLT Registration
Go to Jio DLT
Visit jio.com/dlt — Jio's DLT portal is called TrueConnect.
Click Register and select Enterprise / Business.
Entity Registration
Fill in your company details:
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Entity Name | Official registered company name (e.g. "EduTrack Private Limited") |
| Entity Type | Private Limited / LLP / Sole Proprietorship / Partnership |
| PAN Number | Company PAN (not personal) |
| GST Number | Your GSTIN |
| Registered Address | As per company registration documents |
| Contact Person | Name of the authorised signatory |
| Mobile Number | Working mobile for OTP verification |
| Business email |
Documents to upload:
- GST Registration Certificate (PDF)
- Company PAN card (PDF or JPG)
- Authorization letter on company letterhead (a simple letter stating that the contact person is authorised to register on DLT — you can write this yourself)
Authorization Letter
Many first-time registrations get rejected because the authorization letter is missing or not on company letterhead. Write it, print it on letterhead, sign it, scan it. This one document stops most registrations from failing.
Wait for Entity Approval
After submission, Jio DLT reviews your documents. Typical timeline: 2–5 business days.
You receive an email when approved. Log back in and proceed to the next step.
Create Your Sender ID
Navigate to Header / Sender ID and click Add New Header.
Rules for Sender IDs in India:
- Exactly 6 alphabetic characters (no numbers, no spaces)
- Must relate to your brand/company name
- Cannot be generic (ALERTS, NOTIFY are not allowed)
Examples:
| Company | Sender ID |
|---|---|
| EduTrack | EDTRCK |
| Udyogaseva | UDYOGA |
| Sahinov | SAHNOV |
| My Law Point | MYLAWP |
Select Transactional as the SMS type for most use cases.
Approval timeline: 24–48 hours.
Create Message Templates
This is the most important step. Navigate to Content Templates → Add New Template.
Each template needs:
- Template Name — internal label (not shown to users)
- SMS Type — Transactional or Promotional
- Sender ID — the one you just created
- Template Content — the exact message text
How variable placeholders work:
Variables (the parts that change per user) are written as {#var#}. The template registry stores the fixed skeleton; your code fills in the variables at send time.
Template Must Match Exactly
The message your code sends must match the approved template exactly — same punctuation, same spacing, same fixed words. Only the {#var#} parts can differ. Even a comma difference can cause the message to be rejected by carriers. Test carefully before production.
Wait for Template Approval
Template approval: 24–48 hours per template.
You can submit multiple templates at once. Create templates for every message type your app will send:
- OTP message
- Fee payment confirmation
- Fee payment receipt
- Overdue fee reminder
- Attendance summary
- Result published notification
Do all of these upfront. Adding a new template later requires another 24–48 hour approval cycle.
Link DLT to MSG91
Once your Sender ID and templates are approved on Jio DLT, you need to connect them to MSG91.
Log into MSG91 dashboard → DLT section.
Enter:
- Your registered DLT Entity ID (from your Jio DLT account)
- Your approved Sender ID
- Your approved Template IDs (copy each template ID from Jio DLT)
MSG91 then uses your DLT-approved templates automatically when you call their API.
Common Rejection Reasons (and How to Avoid Them)
| Rejection Reason | How to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Missing authorization letter | Always include a signed letter on company letterhead |
| Sender ID too generic | Use your brand abbreviation, not words like ALERTS |
| Template does not match usage | Think through all your message types before submitting |
| Documents unclear/low resolution | Scan at 200 DPI minimum, PDF preferred |
| Variable count mismatch | Count your {#var#} blocks carefully — they must match your API calls |
Template Reference: Common Templates for a School Management App
Here are ready-to-use template texts for EduTrack. Adapt the Sender ID to match your approved registration.
How Long the Whole Process Takes
| Step | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Entity submission | Day 1 |
| Entity approval | Day 2–5 |
| Sender ID creation + approval | Day 5–7 |
| Template creation + approval | Day 5–7 (can run in parallel) |
| Link to MSG91 | Day 7 (30 minutes) |
| First SMS delivered in production | Day 7–8 |
Start this process before you start building the SMS features in your code. The approvals run in the background while you write code.
Next Step
With your Sender ID and templates approved, move to Send OTP — building the actual edge function that sends an OTP to a user's phone.