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SMS gateway for United Arab Emirates: send SMS from your own United Arab Emirates number

Published and updated

Put a SIM from the United Arab Emirates in an Android phone, install textbee, and every API call sends a real SMS from that +971 number. Recipients see a local number they can reply to. textbee is $14.99 a month for up to 5,000 messages, and the SIM keeps its own carrier plan.

textbee, 5K SMS
$14.99
a month, plus your SIM plan
Twilio, 5K SMS
$588.00
cheapest cloud provider listed
Sender
Local +971
a number recipients can reply to

How it works with a local SIM

  1. Put a United Arab Emirates SIM in an Android phone that stays on and on power, and install the textbee app on it.
  2. Register the device from the dashboard, which pairs the phone with your API key.
  3. Call POST /gateway/send-sms with the recipient in E.164 form. The phone sends it over the SIM and reports the result back.

What it costs at 1K, 5K and 25K messages

Monthly spend sending to the United Arab Emirates, cloud providers and a local SIM against textbee plans
Provider1K messages5K messages25K messages
Twilio$117.60$117.60 messages$588.00$588.00 messages$2,940.00$2,940.00 messages
textbee$14.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included$14.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included$29.99Scale plan, up to 25,000 messages included

textbee plans include the messages shown. There is no per message fee, number rental or carrier surcharge.

Provider prices checked on September 4, 2026

No carrier plan page for the United Arab Emirates could be read on September 4, 2026, so the table shows provider rates and textbee plans only, and your own SIM plan is on top of the textbee plan.

Twilio SMS price in United Arab Emirates

Twilio lists $0.1176 per outbound SMS segment to the United Arab Emirates and $0.1176 per inbound message, checked on September 4, 2026. A message longer than one segment is billed as more than one.

At 5,000 messages a month, Twilio costs $588.00 for messages; textbee Pro is $14.99 flat.

At 25,000 messages a month, Twilio costs $2,940.00 for messages; textbee Scale is $29.99 flat.

textbee

$14.99

Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included

Free plan covers up to 300 messages a month

Twilio

$117.60

$117.60 messages

Provider rates vary by country and time. Check each provider's site for current pricing. textbee uses your Android phone; you pay your carrier, not per-message fees to textbee. Provider prices checked on September 4, 2026.

Quickstart

send.sh
curl -X POST https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"recipients": ["+971501234567"], "message": "Your textbee code is 482913. It expires in 10 minutes."}'

On a dual SIM phone, pass simSubscriptionId to pick the SIM the message goes out on, as the send reference describes.

Format and check United Arab Emirates numbers

The API takes E.164, which for the United Arab Emirates looks like +971501234567, so strip any local trunk prefix before you send.

Result

Enter a phone number above.

Use E.164 format (e.g. +15551234567) for textbee.dev API recipients.

Count segments

A message over one segment is sent as more than one SMS, so it draws more than once on the SIM plan.

Result

  • Characters: 54
  • Encoding: GSM-7
  • Segments: 1 SMS
  • 1 segment = 1 SMS

GSM-7: 160 chars per segment (153 for multi-part). Unicode/emoji: 70 chars per segment (67 for multi-part). Carriers may charge per segment.

Honest limits

One phone sends roughly 10 to 15 messages a minute, so a large blast takes time to drain. Carriers can filter bulk patterns on consumer SIMs. Marketing messages still need consent from the recipient under the local rules.

Local rules to know

  • The TDRA runs an Unsolicited Electronic Communications Regulatory Policy, encourages licensees to give subscribers clear ways to opt in and opt out, and states that it mandates strict action against entities that send messages without prior consent. tdra.gov.ae, checked on September 4, 2026
  • Annex 1 of that policy bans marketing text messages between 9 pm and 7 am, requires effective unsubscribe facilities, and forbids asking for consent by text message or voice call. tdra.gov.ae, checked on September 4, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Does textbee work in the United Arab Emirates?

Yes. Any Android phone with a United Arab Emirates SIM that can send SMS runs the textbee app. Register the SIM first, because the TDRA registration policy requires the licensee to receive the original and a copy of an identification document and record the subscriber details before service.

What number do recipients see?

The local mobile number of the SIM, which recipients can reply to. Replies reach your code through a webhook or GET /gateway/messages. A phone cannot present an alphanumeric sender name, so the number is what appears on the handset.

What does it cost to send SMS in the United Arab Emirates?

textbee is one flat monthly plan: Free for 300 messages, Pro $14.99 for up to 5,000, Scale $29.99 for up to 25,000. On top of that you pay your own carrier for the SIM in the phone. Twilio charges $0.1176 a message to the United Arab Emirates, billed per message on a number rented from them.

How many messages can one phone send?

About 10 to 15 a minute per device. Carriers can filter bulk patterns on a consumer SIM, so pace a large list rather than sending it in one burst. Connect more phones to the account when you need more throughput.

When can I send marketing texts in the United Arab Emirates?

Not between 9 pm and 7 am. Annex 1 of the TDRA Unsolicited Electronic Communications policy bans marketing text messages in those hours, requires effective unsubscribe facilities, and forbids asking for consent by text message or voice call. Messages need the prior consent of the recipient.

Sources

  1. SMS rules the United Arab Emirates, tdra.gov.ae, checked on September 4, 2026
  2. SMS rules the United Arab Emirates, tdra.gov.ae, checked on September 4, 2026
  3. Sending from a local SIM the United Arab Emirates, tdra.gov.ae, checked on September 4, 2026
  4. Twilio SMS pricing, United Arab Emirates, checked on September 4, 2026

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