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

Published and updated

An Android phone holding a United Arab Emirates SIM sends the messages, so the API call goes out over that SIM and recipients see the +971 number that sent it. Any Android phone with a United Arab Emirates SIM that can send SMS runs the textbee app. 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. The SIM keeps its own carrier plan, and textbee is $9.99 a month at 5,000 messages on top of it.

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$118.75$117.60 messages, $1.15 number$589.15$588.00 messages, $1.15 number$2,941.15$2,940.00 messages, $1.15 number
textbee$9.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included$9.99Pro 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.

Rules for application to person SMS in the United Arab Emirates

  • 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

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.

Frequently asked questions

When can marketing SMS be sent in the United Arab Emirates?

Annex 1 of the TDRA Unsolicited Electronic Communications policy states that mobile text messages carrying marketing communication may not be sent between 9 pm and 7 am. Messages need the prior consent of the recipient and an effective unsubscribe facility, and consent may not be requested by text message or voice call.

What consent records does the policy expect?

The policy says the consent record kept by a licensee must include the date, the time, the words or other content by which the customer indicated consent, and the identity of that customer. The TDRA also states that it mandates strict action against entities that send messages without prior consent.

What is needed to register a UAE SIM for the textbee phone?

The TDRA Registration Requirements for Mobile Consumers policy requires the licensee to receive the original and a copy of one identification document, a national ID for UAE citizens, a GCC ID for GCC citizens, or another listed document for everyone else, and to record the subscriber details.

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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