SMS encoded using Unicode, allowing non-Latin languages such as Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and emojis, with a lower character limit than GSM encoding.

Why Unicode SMS Matters

Standard GSM 7-bit encoding only covers a limited Latin character set. The moment a message includes a character outside that set, a regional script, an emoji, even certain punctuation, the entire message has to switch to Unicode encoding, which drops the per-segment limit from 160 characters to 70.

How Unicode SMS Works

Unicode SMS uses UCS-2 encoding instead of GSM 7-bit. A single segment holds up to 70 characters; a message longer than that is automatically split into concatenated segments of 67 characters each to leave room for the multipart header, and reassembled on the handset.

How SMPPCenter Uses This

SMPPCenter automatically detects when a message body contains non-GSM characters, encodes and segments it correctly as Unicode, and bills it per segment the same way any multi-part message is billed.

Related Terms

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

A single non-GSM character anywhere in the message, an emoji, a curly quote, a regional script character, forces the entire message into Unicode encoding, which cuts the per-segment limit from 160 to 70 characters and can push a message that looked short into two or more segments.

Client Feedback

What Our Clients Say

Our clients run regulated, high-volume messaging infrastructure and prefer not to be named publicly. These testimonials are shared with permission while keeping commercially sensitive details confidential.

Excellent documentation, responsive technical support, and an enterprise-grade platform that scales as our business grows.
Engineering Manager, SaaS Provider Canada 5 million notifications per month Runs Messaging Platform Client since 2022
The delivery reports and routing controls give us the visibility we were looking for. The system has integrated well with our internal applications.
Head of Technology, Enterprise Communications Company South Africa 4 operator routes Runs SMPP Server Client since 2021
The migration was completed smoothly and the platform has remained stable under heavy production traffic. The flexibility of self-hosting was one of the biggest advantages for us.
Head of Infrastructure, Financial Services Company India 18 million messages per month Runs SMPP Server Client since 2021
The platform has been reliable for business-critical messaging. Multi-connection support and detailed logging have made daily operations much easier.
Infrastructure Manager, Enterprise Messaging Provider Russia 15 million messages monthly Runs SMPP Client Client since 2019

Names and company details are withheld at our clients' request. This is common among telecom providers, SMS aggregators, fintech companies, and enterprises that consider their messaging infrastructure commercially sensitive.

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