Terms

Key terms and concepts for Alibaba Cloud Short Message Service (SMS).

Term	Description
Short Message Service	Short Message Service (SMS) enables enterprises to reach mobile users through verification codes, notifications, and promotional messages across 200+ countries and regions. Domestic SMS uses a dedicated channel for the three major Chinese carriers, integrates with the MIIT mobile number portability (MNP) platform in real time, and delivers carrier-grade O&M, real-time monitoring, and automatic failover at up to 99% delivery rate.
Domestic SMS	An Alibaba Cloud service for sending verification codes, notifications, and promotional messages to domestic mobile phone numbers via the API, SDK, or batch sending feature. Note Basis for product selection: The choice between Domestic SMS and International SMS depends on the home country or region of the mobile phone number, not its current geographical location. Scope: Even if the mobile phone user is abroad (for example, in Japan), you must use the Domestic SMS channel if the mobile phone number is registered in China. Delivery notes: Whether a user who is abroad can receive the message depends on the carrier's service and whether the user has subscribed to an international roaming service. Example: For a China Mobile number, you must use the Domestic SMS channel even if the user is in Japan. Alibaba Cloud sends the task to China Mobile, which then determines whether the message can be delivered based on the user's roaming service status.
International SMS	An Alibaba Cloud service for global enterprise users to send verification codes, notifications, and promotional messages to mobile phone numbers outside the Chinese mainland via the API, SDK, or batch sending feature. Covers Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), Taiwan (China), and other countries and regions. Note Basis for product selection: The choice between International SMS and Domestic SMS depends on the home country or region of the mobile phone number, not its current geographical location. Scope: Even if the mobile phone user is in China, you must use the International SMS channel if the mobile phone number is registered outside China (for example, in the United States). You cannot use the Domestic SMS channel. Example: For a mobile phone number from the United States, you must use the International SMS channel even if the user is in China. You cannot use the Domestic SMS channel to have China Mobile send the message.
Text SMS	An Alibaba Cloud plain text messaging service. Send verification codes, notifications, and promotional messages to mobile phone numbers worldwide via the API, SDK, or batch sending feature.
Verification code	Domestic verification codes are sent through a dedicated channel for the three major Chinese carriers and delivered in seconds. International verification codes support all languages. Typical use cases: app or website registration, secure logon, payment authentication, identity authentication, password retrieval, and account binding.
Notification	Reach domestic and global users with timely notifications. Typical use cases: order, payment, logistics, meeting, government, and lifestyle service notifications, including cross-border scenarios.
Promotional message	A promotional message service for enterprise users worldwide. Domestic promotional messages support replies for bidirectional customer communication. Typical use cases: product announcements, member engagement, promotions, event invitations, and cross-border marketing.
SMS template	The message content to be sent, consisting of template text and variables. SMS templates require approval before use.
SMS signature	A personalized tag appended to your message content. The SMS platform adds the signature based on your settings before delivery.
Batch sending feature	A SaaS tool for sending messages to multiple phone numbers by selecting a signature and template. Supports domestic text messages, digital messages, and International SMS with verification code, notification, and promotional message templates. Ideal for beginners.