What is Unicode SMS?

An SMS encoded using Unicode (UCS-2) to support regional scripts, special characters, and emojis, with a reduced character limit of 70 characters per message segment.

Standard SMS uses GSM-7 encoding, which supports the Latin alphabet and a limited set of special characters at 160 characters per segment. Unicode SMS uses UCS-2 encoding to support the full range of human writing systems—including Hindi (Devanagari), Tamil, Bengali, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and emoji. This makes it essential for businesses communicating with audiences in their native language. The trade-off is a reduced character limit of 70 characters per SMS segment (compared to 160 for GSM-7), meaning longer messages consume more segments and incur higher costs. BhashSMS's Unicode API automatically detects the character set of your message and selects the appropriate encoding to ensure correct delivery without requiring manual configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Compliance

How many characters can a Unicode SMS contain?

A single Unicode SMS segment supports up to 70 characters. For messages longer than 70 characters, the message is split into concatenated segments of 67 characters each (to accommodate the UDH linking header), with each segment counted and billed separately.

Speed

Will my Unicode SMS be delivered to all phones?

Yes. Unicode SMS (UCS-2 encoding) is supported by all GSM networks and virtually all mobile devices sold in the last 20 years, including basic feature phones. The message will display correctly in the recipient's native script.

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Related Terms

Promotional SMS OTP DND Bulk SMS Sender ID SMS Gateway Priority Route TRAI 2FA

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