Organisations must obtain authorisation for SMS sender IDs in April 2026 to ensure message delivery after 4 May 2026

To ensure that messages sent using a Finnish telephone number or an alphanumeric sender ID can continue without disruption, organisations sending text messages to users must obtain authorisation for the numbers and sender IDs they use.

What organisations need to do

Organisations that send text messages to recipients in Finland must have all sender IDs they use approved in advance. This applies to both Finnish telephone numbers and alphanumeric sender IDs.

If sender IDs are not authorised, it may no longer be possible to send messages to Finnish numbers after 4 May 2026.

Organisations that have not yet ensured their right to use their sender IDs must do so during April 2026.

How to ensure message delivery continues

In practice, the most straightforward approach is for organisations to contact their SMS service provider as soon as possible and ensure that the sender IDs they use are authorised for use after 4 May 2026.

The organisation’s SMS service provider will guide the organisation through the authorisation process and ensure that the requirements are met. The authorisation model and its code of conduct have been prepared under the leadership of Digital Forum Finland, an industry association representing companies that provide digital services in Finland.

Organisations should also assess whether the change requires updates to their current messaging arrangements. This may be necessary in particular if the organisation sends messages to Finland via a foreign operator that does not support sender ID authorisation.

Why is this change being introduced?

Spoofing of SMS sender IDs has been a common form of fraud. Criminals have been able to impersonate trusted entities by using misleading sender information.

Once senders are identified through harmonised procedures, recipients can trust that a message genuinely originates from the stated sender.

Authorisation is the primary approach

Since 2023, Traficom has offered the possibility to protect SMS sender IDs, granting exclusive rights to use a specific sender ID. Several hundred such protections have already been requested.

However, the primary way to ensure continuity of messaging is the sector-wide authorisation practice, as it enables a much broader range of sender IDs to be approved for use than Traficom’s protection mechanism.

It should be noted that Traficom does not protect telephone numbers. The right to use telephone numbers must always be ensured through the authorisation process with the SMS service provider.

Changes will enter into force in phases

• Obligations under Regulation 28 L/2025 M will enter into force on 4 May 2026.
• Stricter procedures concerning application programming interfaces will enter into force on 2 November 2026.