SMS Headers & DLT Configuration
The SMS header, also called the sender ID or SMS mask, is the six-character name learners see instead of a phone number when your SMS arrives. By default Edmingle sends under its own shared header. This article covers putting your own header in place and the DLT registration that has to happen first.
What you are changing
| Default | Your own header | |
|---|---|---|
| Header learners see | EDMNGL |
Your six characters, for example ACMEDU |
| SMS content | Edmingle's standard wording | Your own, written by you |
| DLT Template ID | Managed by Edmingle | Entered by you, per template |
| Registration | Nothing to do | You register with your DLT provider first |
[!Important] While you are on the default header you cannot edit the content of transactional SMS or enter DLT template IDs. Those fields stay locked. Setting your own registered header is what unlocks them. That is the whole reason to do this.
About DLT
If you send SMS to Indian numbers, Indian telecom regulation requires every commercial sender to register on a DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform run by the telecom operators. You register three things:
- Your entity, which gives you a Principal Entity ID.
- Your header, the six-character sender ID.
- Each message template, which gives you a DLT Template ID per message.
Edmingle does not do any of this for you. Registration happens entirely on your DLT provider's portal. The product says so plainly: "Before changing the SMS mask, please ensure it's registered at your DLT provider's end." and "Unregistered masks will halt SMS delivery."
Approval on the DLT side typically takes a few working days, so start there before touching anything in Edmingle.
Before you start
Your entity is registered and you have your Principal Entity ID.
Your six-character header is approved on the DLT platform.
Each message you intend to send is registered as a template, and you have its DLT Template ID.
You have the final wording of each message, matching the registered template exactly.
Set your SMS header
- Go to Settings → Integrations and open the Notifications tab.
- Find the Notifications - SMS section and click Manage on the Edmingle SMS card.
- Enter your approved header in SMS Mask.
- Click Save.
The field holds six characters and converts what you type to uppercase automatically.
[!Important] The header must be exactly six characters. Fewer than six is rejected when you save. The on-screen note says "SMS mask can only be of 6 alphabets", and although the form itself will let you type digits, your DLT registration is what actually decides what is accepted, so enter precisely the header that was approved.
A header that does not match your DLT registration character for character will stop SMS delivery entirely. There is no confirmation step and no warning when you save, so check it twice.
Reverting to Edmingle's default header is not something you can do from this screen once you have set your own. Contact support if you need to go back.
Add DLT Template IDs
With your own header in place, the SMS content fields unlock.
For a transactional notification:
- Go to Settings → System Notifications.
- Find the notification, open its actions menu, and choose Edit Template → SMS.
- Enter the DLT Template ID for that message.
- Write the message body so that it matches your registered template.
- Save.
For a promotional template, go to Marketing → Promotional Templates, choose SMS Templates, and create one. The same DLT Template ID field applies.
[!Important] The body has to match the registered DLT template, including the fixed wording and the number and position of variables. Nothing in Edmingle checks this for you. A mismatch between the body you send and the template you registered is the single most common cause of silently rejected SMS.
A missing DLT Template ID stops the send with an error. The ID is required, not optional.
Writing the message
In the SMS editor you get two live counters next to the message:
- Char: how many characters you have typed.
- SMS Count: how many SMS segments that is.
A plain English message fits 160 characters per segment. Add any non-English character, an emoji, or an accented letter and the limit drops, so one message silently becomes two or three segments and costs that many times more.
Avoid emoji and smart quotes in SMS. A single curly apostrophe pasted in from Word is enough to push every message you send into the more expensive encoding.
The editor warns that the count is approximate: "The word count and number of SMS is a tentative number as the placeholders will be replaced with actual data." Write for the longest realistic name, not the shortest.
Placeholders
Use the Placeholders button to see the available variables. Clicking one copies it to your clipboard in {{name}} form, ready to paste into the body.
The variables in your message must line up with the variables in your registered DLT template. If the registered template has two variables, your message needs the same two, in the same order.
Using your own MSG91 account
By default SMS goes through Edmingle. If you have your own MSG91 account, connect it on the MSG91 card in the same Notifications tab:
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Integration Name | Yes | A label for this account |
| Auth Key | Yes | From your MSG91 dashboard |
| Sender | Yes | Your six-character header, same rules as above |
| Entity Id | No | Your DLT Principal Entity ID |
Entity Id is your DLT Principal Entity ID. It is listed as optional, but if your operator requires it on every submission, fill it in.
Where SMS is actually used
| Used for | Notes |
|---|---|
| System notifications | Tick the SMS checkbox on a notification row under Settings → System Notifications |
| Login and signup OTPs | Sent by SMS and email |
| Password reset | The Send SMS option on a learner or instructor profile |
| Attendance alerts | "Send SMS to learners about their attendance status" when marking attendance |
| Campaigns | Not available. Campaigns support WhatsApp, Email, and Push only |
| Workflows | Not available. Workflow message nodes support Email, Push, and WhatsApp only |
SMS is a transactional channel in Edmingle. For bulk marketing, use WhatsApp or email campaigns instead.
A global SMS switch under Manage Notifications on the System Notifications screen turns the channel off entirely.
Checking what was delivered
Go to Analytics → Notification Logs → SMS Logs. The list shows one row per send with Total Recipients, Delivered, Failed, Pending, Rejected, and SMS Used, and you can filter by date or search an exact 10-digit mobile number.
Click a row to see each recipient and their status: Pending, Delivered, Failed, Rejected, or Blocked.
[!Important] Rejected is the status to watch after changing your header. It usually means the operator refused the message because the header or the template was not registered, or the content did not match the registered template. The logs show the status but not the operator's reason, so if you see rejections, verify your DLT registration before anything else.
Use Export to download a report, either for the whole list or for a single send.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| DLT Template ID and message body are greyed out | You are still on the default header. Set your own registered header first |
| "Invalid mask" when saving | The header is not exactly six characters |
| Everything shows Rejected | The header or the template is not registered on DLT, or the body does not match the registered template |
| SMS stopped the moment you changed the header | The new header is not approved, or does not match the registration exactly |
| An error about a missing template ID | A DLT Template ID is required on every SMS template |
| Messages cost more than expected | Check the SMS Count in the editor. Non-English characters shrink the per-segment limit |
| SMS not offered in a campaign | Correct. SMS is not a campaign or workflow channel |