ACMA proposes annual fees of A$17 to A$25 for each registered SMS sender ID
The ACMA wants to charge for every sender ID on its SMS register from 1 July 2027 to recover about A$1.6 million in yearly running costs. Existing registrants would have to re-apply and pay, and comments close on 4 December 2026.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has proposed charging organisations roughly A$17 to A$25 a year for each registered SMS sender ID, which could raise the cost of branded text messaging for businesses, charities and government agencies. The regulator published the proposal on 4 November 2026 to recover the cost of running its SMS Sender ID Register, and plans to start the charges on 1 July 2027, subject to approval. Submissions are open until 5 pm AEDT on 4 December 2026.
Sender IDs let organisations show a name rather than a phone number on SMS or multimedia messages, and under the register's rules unregistered IDs are replaced with the label "Unverified". The ACMA cited 21,695 text-message scams reported to Scamwatch between 1 January and 7 October 2026, with reported losses above A$11.7 million.
Under the proposal, an application fee would be paid for each sender ID at the time of application, and the ACMA would not register or re-register an ID until it was paid. Registrations would last 12 months, and the fee would apply even if an application were rejected or an approved ID expired before the 12 months were up. Owners of IDs already on the register would have to re-apply through a new process and pay the fee when the arrangements start. The regulator is weighing whether all registrations should expire on 30 June each year or 12 months after each approval date.
The ACMA estimates the register costs A$1.6 million a year to operate, covering application processing, applicant verification, enquiries and system maintenance. The indicative fee is A$17 if there are an estimated 89,600 registered IDs by 30 June 2027, or A$25 based on about 62,400 IDs in October 2026. The fee could exceed A$25 if registrations fall below current levels, and the ACMA expects to review charges annually.
Application fees cannot recover everything. The ACMA said the Australian Government Charging Policy bars it from recovering the cost of administering the register rules and of compliance and enforcement through such fees, and it is separately considering a levy on telecommunications providers for some of those costs. Telcos that register sender IDs for customers would pay the fees and decide how to recover them. The regulator is also examining discounts or exemptions for charities, not-for-profits and government agencies, but has not decided who might qualify. It acknowledged a risk that uniform charges could hurt participation in the register and so weaken consumer protections.
The charge would be created by a determination made under the ACMA's governing legislation, with changes to the register's administration rules made at the same time. After reviewing submissions, the regulator will settle a charging model and put it to government, and it intends to consult separately on a Regulatory Charging Statement before any fees start. It has asked for views on the charging model, renewal period, payment arrangements and exemptions.
The register opened on 1 July 2026 with 39,562 registered sender IDs, and by 19 October had 62,406 across 42,148 businesses and organisations and 499 telecom providers. The proposed fees and renewal requirements are not yet in effect.