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

Published and updated

An Android phone holding a Pakistan SIM sends the messages, so the API call goes out over that SIM and recipients see the +92 number that sent it. Any Android phone with a Pakistan SIM that can send SMS runs the textbee app. Since 23 December 2022 the industry issues SIMs through the Multi Finger Biometric Verification System, and each SIM transaction is logged to a Unique Sale ID that identifies the buyer. 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 Pakistan 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 Pakistan, cloud providers and a local SIM against textbee plans
Provider1K messages5K messages25K messages
Twilio$474.55$473.40 messages, $1.15 number$2,368.15$2,367.00 messages, $1.15 number$11,836.15$11,835.00 messages, $1.15 number
Jazz Weekly WhatsApp Bundle, 1500 SMS$0.48PKR 34 including tax per 7 days$0.48PKR 34 including tax per 7 daysAbove the plan6,000 SMS a month for PKR 34 including tax per 7 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 Pakistan

  • The PTA Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations 2009 require every telecom operator to run standard operating procedures against spam and unsolicited calls and SMS. pta.gov.pk, checked on September 4, 2026
  • Since 23 December 2022 SIMs in Pakistan are issued through the Multi Finger Biometric Verification System run with NADRA, an upgrade of the single finger system in place since 2014. pta.gov.pk, 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": ["+923012345678"], "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 Pakistan numbers

The API takes E.164, which for Pakistan looks like +923012345678, 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

Can I buy a Pakistani SIM for a gateway phone without going in person?

No. The PTA states that since 23 December 2022 the telecom industry issues SIMs through the Multi Finger Biometric Verification System with NADRA, and that every SIM transaction has been biometrically verified and logged to a Unique Sale ID since 2014, so the person responsible for misuse is identifiable.

What rules cover unsolicited SMS in Pakistan?

The PTA Protection from Spam, Unsolicited, Fraudulent and Obnoxious Communication Regulations 2009 oblige operators to run standard operating procedures against spam, fraudulent, unsolicited and obnoxious calls and SMS, and to blacklist subscribers terminated for that activity.

How much does SMS cost on a prepaid Jazz SIM?

Jazz lists a base rate of PKR 2.5 per SMS when no SMS package is active, and a Weekly WhatsApp Bundle with 1500 SMS for PKR 34 including tax, valid for 7 days.

Sources

  1. SMS rules Pakistan, pta.gov.pk, checked on September 4, 2026
  2. SMS rules Pakistan, pta.gov.pk, checked on September 4, 2026
  3. Jazz Weekly WhatsApp Bundle, 1500 SMS, checked on September 4, 2026
  4. Twilio SMS pricing, Pakistan, checked on September 4, 2026

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