Dear Alibaba Cloud SMS users:
According to the latest policy from China Telecom, starting May 30, 2025, China Telecom may implement control on unregistered SMS templates. After the new policy takes effect, SMS templates that are not registered or have not passed the carrier's review will be at risk of being blocked.
Solution:
Due to the urgent timeline for responding, Alibaba Cloud is autonomously submitting registrations for your recently used templates per carrier requirements. However, due to limitations in the carrier's system capabilities, policy changes, and other factors, the platform cannot obtain template registration results.
Once this policy is officially enforced, it will severely impact SMS delivery to China Telecom users. Please be aware of the relevant risks. Alibaba Cloud will continue to follow up and provide timely updates.
Warning:
Although Alibaba Cloud has initiated registrations for existing active templates, there are still risks you should be aware of due to limitations in the carrier's system capabilities and policy changes:
China Telecom has not provided relevant system capabilities, leading to challenges in the efficiency and feedback of registration. Alibaba Cloud cannot obtain registration results, which means all SMS templates are at risk of being blocked after the policy is implemented.
China Telecom has implemented restrictions on SMS messages that include URLs, contact information, and IP addresses since May 20, 2025. For more information, see the previous announcement. Therefore, existing templates containing such content may fail to pass the carrier review.
Due to policy differences between carriers, Alibaba Cloud has not yet implemented restrictions on new SMS templates containing URLs, contact information, and IP addresses. We will closely monitor policy developments and follow up with assessments. We recommend that you avoid such content when adding new SMS templates to prevent impacts on template registration.
FAQ:
Is this requirement only from China Telecom or all three major carriers in China?
Based on current information, this requirement is from China Telecom. We haven't received notifications about relevant requirements from China Mobile or China Unicom. However, as carrier policies continue to tighten, we cannot rule out the possibility of other carriers implementing similar policies.
How are templates submitted for registration? What information needs to be provided?
Due to the urgent timeline for responding, Alibaba Cloud is proactively submitting registrations for your recently used templates per carrier requirements. However, due to limitations in the carrier's system capabilities, policy changes, and other factors, the platform cannot obtain template registration results. Once this policy is officially enforced, it will severely impact SMS delivery to China Telecom users. Please be aware of the relevant risks.
When does template registration begin? Is there a policy document explaining it?
Based on current information, China Telecom may implement this policy starting May 30, 2025. However, we cannot confirm whether it will be officially enforced on that date. China Telecom has not provided Alibaba Cloud with any policy documents.
If the signature has been approved but the template hasn't, do I have to wait until the template registration is approved before sending messages?
Based on current information, after this policy takes effect, all SMS templates that are not registered or have not passed China Telecom's review will be at risk of being blocked. As this is China Telecom's policy, it currently only affects SMS delivery through China Telecom.
How long does it take for the registration to be approved after submission?
China Telecom has not provided relevant system capabilities, leading to challenges in the efficiency and feedback of registration. Alibaba Cloud cannot obtain processing time and registration results. Please monitor the status of SMS delivery to China Telecom users to observe any changes.