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SMS gateway for Australia: send SMS from your own Australia number

Published and updated

An Android phone holding a Australia SIM sends the messages, so the API call goes out over that SIM and recipients see the +61 number that sent it. Any Android phone with an Australia SIM that can send SMS runs the textbee app. The prepaid identity checks Determination requires a carriage service provider to collect the customer details and verify the customer identity before it activates a prepaid mobile 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 Australia 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 Australia, cloud providers and a local SIM against textbee plans
Provider1K messages5K messages25K messages
Twilio$52.65$51.50 messages, $1.15 number$258.65$257.50 messages, $1.15 number$1,288.65$1,287.50 messages, $1.15 number
Boost Mobile 28 day expiry 8GB, unlimited calls and text to standard numbers$20.17AUD 28 per 28 days$20.17AUD 28 per 28 days$20.17AUD 28 per 28 days
amaysim 28 day SIM plan 15GB, unlimited standard national talk and text$21.61AUD 30 per 28 days$21.61AUD 30 per 28 days$21.61AUD 30 per 28 days
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

The textbee plan is the platform fee and the SIM plan is what the carrier charges for the messages, so a local setup costs the plan price plus the SIM.

Rules for application to person SMS in Australia

  • The Spam Act 2003 bans sending a commercial electronic message with an Australian link unless the account holder consented, requires the message to identify who authorised it with accurate contact details, and requires a working unsubscribe facility. legislation.gov.au, checked on September 4, 2026
  • The SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard 2025 has participating providers over stamp an unregistered alphanumeric sender name as Unverified, and from 1 July 2026 a provider that does not take part may not send, transit or terminate messages carrying such a name. legislation.gov.au, checked on September 4, 2026

Sender ID and OTP delivery

Messages sent from a phone carry the mobile number of the SIM. Alphanumeric sender names fall under the SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard 2025, where an unregistered name is over stamped as Unverified by participating providers.

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": ["+61491570156"], "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 Australia numbers

The API takes E.164, which for Australia looks like +61491570156, 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

What does the Spam Act 2003 require for SMS marketing in Australia?

Three things. Section 16 bans sending a commercial electronic message with an Australian link unless the account holder consented. Section 17 requires the message to identify clearly and accurately who authorised it and how to contact them. Section 18 requires a statement that the recipient can unsubscribe using an electronic address set out in the message.

Does the SMS Sender ID Register affect messages sent from a phone?

The register covers alphanumeric sender names. Under the Industry Standard 2025 an unregistered name is over stamped as Unverified, and from 1 July 2026 providers that do not take part may not send, transit or terminate messages carrying one. A message sent from an Android phone through textbee carries the mobile number of the SIM, not an alphanumeric name.

Can I activate an Australian prepaid SIM without ID?

No. The prepaid identity checks Determination states that a provider must not activate a prepaid mobile service unless it has collected the required customer information and verified the customer identity. Budget for that step before installing the SIM in the textbee phone.

Sources

  1. SMS rules Australia, legislation.gov.au, checked on September 4, 2026
  2. SMS rules Australia, legislation.gov.au, checked on September 4, 2026
  3. Sending from a local SIM Australia, legislation.gov.au, checked on September 4, 2026
  4. Boost Mobile 28 day expiry 8GB, unlimited calls and text to standard numbers, checked on September 4, 2026
  5. amaysim 28 day SIM plan 15GB, unlimited standard national talk and text, checked on September 4, 2026
  6. Twilio SMS pricing, Australia, checked on September 4, 2026

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