Why the category matters
Under TRAI's commercial communication rules, every SMS template is registered on DLT under a category. Carriers use it to decide three things:
- Who can receive it. Promotional messages don't reach people who have blocked promotions, unless they gave you consent.
- When it can go out. Promotions are limited to 10am to 9pm. Service and transactional messages can go any time.
- Which header sends it. Promotional messages use a numeric header; service and transactional messages use your 6-letter brand header.
The four categories
Promotional
Anything that sells: offers, discounts, launches, sale announcements, event invites and win-back messages. Sent only between 10am and 9pm, and not to numbers on the Do Not Disturb register unless that person consented to hear from you.
Service implicit
Messages a customer expects because of something they did with you: order and delivery updates, booking confirmations, appointment reminders, account alerts and OTPs from businesses other than banks. No separate consent is needed, and they can go out at any hour.
Service explicit
Messages to people who have given you explicit, recorded consent on DLT, even if they've blocked promotions. Useful for things like renewal reminders or updates customers have asked for. The consent has to be collected and verified through the DLT consent process.
Transactional
Reserved for banks: OTPs and alerts for transactions made by the bank's own customers. Most businesses never use this category; OTPs for logins, payments and checkouts go under service implicit instead.
Quick decision guide
- Does the message try to sell something, even in passing? It's promotional.
- Is it about an order, booking, account or login the customer started? It's service implicit.
- Is it an update a customer explicitly opted in to on DLT? It's service explicit.
- Are you a bank sending a transaction OTP or alert? It's transactional.
When a message could fit two categories, split it in two. Send the delivery update as service, and send the offer separately as promotional.
Common mistakes
- Hiding an offer in a service message. “Your order has shipped! Use code SAVE10 on your next order” is promotional. It will be rejected as service, or blocked at send time.
- Registering OTPs as transactional. Unless you're a bank, OTPs belong under service implicit.
- Using the wrong header. Each template is linked to a header of the matching type. A promotional template on a brand header won't deliver.
- Sending promotions after 9pm. They're held or dropped. Schedule them inside the window instead.
The template checker suggests the right category for every draft, flags offers that would turn a service template promotional, links each template to a matching header, and holds promotions to 10am to 9pm IST automatically.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. DLT rules and carrier practices change; check the latest TRAI directions or ask us if you're unsure.
Send the right message, in the right category.
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