Coverage, Feature and Quality

What features (dynamic sender ID, delivery reports, etc.) do your routes support?

Dynamic sender ID, delivery reports, concatenated messages, binary, flash, etc.

I read that you offered high quality and feature rich routes - what about other options?

We also offer routes to some destinations with reduced features. For example, we offer a fixed sender ID / originator service with the absence of delivery reports at much a comparatively much reduced rate, which is ideal for marketing initiatives where the response rate is a higher priority than the delivery rate.

I cannot find the operator(s) I need access to - what should I do?

The operator you require may not be listed for various reasons. For example, it may be listed with a different title (especially, following a merger / acquisition), the operator maybe a new entrant (we may be testing available routes but they are not yet live) or the operator has been grouped under one line such as "United States of America All GSM", which covers over 600 operators. In any case, please contact sales@routomessaging.com with the operator you need to access to.

I am experiencing number portability issues, do you use HLR and how do you resolve this issue?

Yes, we are using HLR services in order to determinate home network.
We are using one carrier to route all traffic for destinations where MNP can cause problems.

How do I test the quality of your routes?

You can register for free test account and get free credits to start testing the quality of our routes over 600 destinations through SMS gateway application via SMPP or HTTP protocol, Desktop sender or Web sender application.

I will be sending international characters - how do I test this?

You can register for free test account and get free credits to start test all international characters through SMS gateway application via SMPP or HTTP protocol, Desktop sender or Web sender application.

How quickly will my messages be delivered?

The average time taken is less than few seconds! However sometimes congestion in networks may cause an unavoidable delay.

I would like a service that allows me to receive messages at premium / non premium rates - do you provide this, short codes?

We offer mobile originated services, both which have a premium and non-premium charge to the mobile user. Please see 2 Way messaging.

I have been blocked to a destination operator by my existing provider - why does this happen and how will you mitigate the possibility of this happening with your service?

Your route could have been blocked for a variety of reasons such as the destination operator receiving spam from your provider (not necessarily originating from you) or the destination operator has requested an interworking agreement where fees are introduced for termination by your provider. RoutoMessaging meticulously manages and monitors its routes for spam (this is filtered out automatically) and volumes to minimize the chance of such issues.

Why is my message rejected?

Many reasons exist for why a message could be rejected, including insufficient credits, incorrect profile settings, invalid numbers, no operator coverage, a required feature not supported and many more possible causes. For detail information you are welcomes to contact us via our technical support team. We will need accurate information, mobile number, date/time the message(s) were sent, the message text.

I'm unable to bind to your server - why?

There are numerous reason why You can't bind to our server. Among the most frequent reasons are insufficient credits and invalid credentials used. In order to diagnose the correct reason why are You unable to connect to our server, please contact our support team.

I'm unable to login to command centre - I did email verification for test account, but I'm still unable to sent messages - why?

Please collect all the details and contact our 24/7 support team.

I have 0.95EU on my account and I'm unable to sent messages - why?

Our system will disable any account whose balance drops below 1 E. If You experience this issue, please contact our support team who will arrange balance update on Your account.

I have status delivered but message hasn't reached the handset - how is that possible?

Yes, it's possible. For example some operators are sending successful delivery reports if they like to block some origins or destinations. However, it is a very rare situation. There is a great possibility that operator itself is blocking traffic and sending back false delivery reports, our kind advice would be to contact our support team for more details and further investigation.

Nobody from sales is answering, I need urgent credits - can you add in advance? (weekend usually)

10% Of the amount paid can be advanced into your RoutoMessaging account once evidence of payment is received via fax or email (accounts@routotelecom.com)

What type of message encodings do you support?

We do support the following encodings with these appropriate values:

GSM 7-bit (DCS=1)
ISO-8859-1 (DCS=0 or 3)
Unicode (UCS2) (DCS=8)

A list of characters supported by both GSM and ISO-8859-1 with appropriate values for each can be found on the following link The 7 bit default alphabet.

What is the validity period of messages sent?

Validity period of message may differ. It depends on the destination path and far-end SMSC that will actually deliver the message. Some of the operators have SMSC with a minimum validity period of 24 hours, while other have a maximum validity period of 72 hours. The minimum of 24 hours should be considered as the default value.

Which special characters are supported?

All characters that are defined in GSM standards.
*Note that the delivery path might support some other characters, especially if they are some very rare ones.

Handset received empty or partial message?

Usually when a customer receives multi-part message, they might experience an issue where the handset is not capable of displaying whole messages in a logical manner, but rather it displays one part at a time, thus it might seems that a customer has received a partial message. Also if a handset is unable to comprehend specialy crafted message, it might not display the message payload, thus it will be shown as an empty message.

How many messages per second can I send?

It all depends on your needs. For example, usually you have the ability to send up to 100 msg/sec if you have a good quality broadband Internet connection.

Do you support Concatenated messages?

Yes, we support Concatenated messages (long messages). Concatenated messages can be composed as one, and are split up into smaller messages to send over the network. Maximum lengths vary, from about 300 characters to over 1,000, depending on the phone. (Nokia SMART phones allow for 1,000 characters)

Please note that concatenated messages are handset dependent.

When do I need to use HTTP to send messages?

Usually if a customer does not have need for large amount of SMS traffic, they would prefer using HTTP protocol over SMPP protocol.

When do I need to use SMPP to send messages?

SMPP is an industry standard designed to receive / transmit huge amounts of sms messages in short period of time. On the other hand, it needs some more technical experience to set up and maintain.

What SMPP commands you do support?

We support the following SMPP v3.4 commands:

- bind_transmitter
- bind_tranciever
- bind_receiver
- submit_sm
- delivery_sm
- unbind

These sets are the basic needs for sending and receiving text message. However, we do have plans to support some additional commands (like submit_multi_sm, etc).

How do I get delivery reports (SMPP & HTTP)?

In order to receiver delivery reports by using SMPP protocol, you must do two things:

- You must send messages with register_delivery flag set to 1
- You must be connected as a receiver or transceiver

In order to receive delivery reports by using HTTP protocol, you must do two things:

- You must send messages with delivery=1 flag set to 1
- You must provide us with the absolute URI of Your CGI script to which our system will send delivery reports once we receive them.

We are not receiving delivery reports?

This could be returned for a number of reasons; the most common causes for non-delivery of an SMS are listed below:

The mobile phone was out of network reach for a prolonged period of time.
The handset message inbox was full and could not receive any new messages.
The mobile phone was switched off and the message has expired.
The number is invalid or is no longer in use.

How do i send 160 characters or unicode SMS?

Text message GSM 7-bit max length per message: 160
Text message ASCII max length per message: 140
Unicode messages max length per message: 70

If you'd like to send message which are longer than these values, you must format them as concatenated, meaning they must be formatted with properly defined UDH header.
Each Unicode message can be 70 characters in length. Should your message exceeds this length it will have to be concatenated into 63 characters per message.

Why some messages are delivered multiple times?

This happens in very rare circumstances. This may occur when the subscriber is in roaming, or in a very low signal belt. If you or you customer continue to face the same problem you can contact our technical support team.

Where do I enter the URL to receive delivery receipts?

URL for delivery reports can be entered in the Command Center >> Account Info >> URL for reports, you can also test if the URL works. Sample scripts for receiving delivery reports, written in PHP and ASP, can be taken from our document "Connecting to RoutoMessaging", available for download at: http://www.routomessaging.com/sms-downloads.pmx.

Why are my messages not being delivered? Do you cover the operator?

Many reasons exist why your message can not be delivered, including insufficient credits, incorrect profile settings, invalid numbers, no operator coverage, a required feature not supported and many more possible causes. If you need more information you are welcomes to contact us via our technical support team. We will need accurate information, for instance the message ID, mobile number, date/time the message(s) was sent, the message text etc.

Why do I receive status delivered even though the message never reached the phone?

There is a great possibility that operator itself is blocking traffic and sending back false delivery reports. Please contact our support team for more details and further investigation.

How fast can you resolve an issue?

Our dedicated, highly skilled Technical Support Team are trained to understand your issues and requirements so we can quickly give you the most effective resolution and get your search solutions back to peak efficiency.

Do you charge messages with 'no status'?

Yes we do. We charge based on submission instead of delivery. This means that for example, if the mobile user to which you are sending has their phone switched off, you will be charged. This is because we would have been charged to terminate the message to the destination operator.

Is it possible to send unicode sender?

It all depends of the delivery path, or route used.

How do i set SMPP parameters for sender, destination and type of message?

You can set SMPP parameters via TON/NPI and DCS/ESM parameters.
Please look table below with all necessary information:

originator	TON	NPI
alphanumeric	5	0
local	2	1
international	1	1
recipient	TON	NPI
international	1	1

Why can't I login to routomessaging.com?

Have you checked your credentials? If you're positive, and still are unable to log in, please contact our support team.

Why are some particular message undeliverable?

This could happen because of several reasons. In order to find out the status of some specific message, please contact our support team.

I will be sending international characters - how can I test this?

You can register for free test account; get free credits to test all international characters through our SMS gateway application via SMPP or HTTP protocol, Desktop sender or Web sender application.

Contacting Routo

How to contact Sales Team?

Various methods:
Live chat on Web site
Email sales@routomessaging.com
Tel +44870 231 7777 (UK office hours)

How to contact Technical Support Team

Because we service clients all around the world, our helpdesk is manned by our own Support team 24 hours a day. You can contact them for a speedy response at anytime via instant messenger, phone, fax or email.
Tel +44 870 231 7777
Fax +44 870 231 7775

support@routotelecom.com

How to contact Accounts

If you have any queries or questions relating to payment, credit and other account relating matter you can contact our account department at accounts@routotelecom.com

Prices

How do I get prices?

Prices and special offers are shown on the Pricing and Coverage page of our Web site.

I can get a lower price than what I see on your Web site else - what can you do about this?

Please contact sales@routomessaging.com indicating the destination operator(s) concerned, the competitor / target price(s) and your volume commitment per destination operator. This information will be sent to the trading floor and we will inform you of any alternative price.

How long are the prices valid for?

We will notify you of any prices changes with 3 banking days notice

How am I notified of price increases?

We will notify you by email.

Why do prices sometimes increase?

Prices increase when our cost price for the current route in use to a destination operator is increased or if an alternative high priced route is used if the former is no longer available.

How much does it cost to have a dedicated number?

There is no cost to set up the service and lease the number. However, a minimum prepayment is required (see Pricing and Coverage) for mobile terminated messages and incoming messages from some certain operations will be charged.

What is HLR Look UP?

The Home Location Register (HLR) is considered the most important database, as it stores permanent data about subscribers, including a subscriber's location information, activity status etc.
HLR Look Up is a service offered by RoutoMessaging which enables customers to look up / query Home Location Register (HLR) databases and get the results via an application interface (API) or Web browser.
HLR databases contain key real-time subscriber information such as the identity of the operator to which the subscriber is subscribed to (denoted by the MCC / MNC field result of the look up), the identity of a SIM card (denoted by the IMEI (link na HLR stranicu) field result), and the location of the subscriber (denoted by the MSC- field result).
This information is vital in helping customers save money and by enabling them to route via the least cost carrier real-time and only to valid numbers (bulk marketing destination number lists).

Which networks can I perform HLR Look Up to?

Coverage for RoutoMessaging’s HLR service extends to over 200 countries including ALL operators in the USA (CDMA, TDMA and GSM). Check out our up to date HLR Look Up coverage.

How much does it cost?

The cost per destination mobile number looked up is 0.006 Euros or 0.6 Euro Cents regardless of the volume of look ups you perform or the method you choose to look up (Web browser (via the customer portal, Command Centre) or API).
You can prepay online via credit / debit card, PayPal, Moneybookers, CashU and this will be applied as credit to your RoutoMessaging account. The credit can also be used to pay for sending messages.

Can you give me a specific example of how I can save money with your HLR Look Up service?

If you are mobile marketing company for example and have an opt-in database of several thousand mobile numbers to which you would like to send bulk marketing messages to Western Europe, you used our HLR Look Up service to save money. The report you receive as a result of carrying out the look ups may indicate that 20% of numbers were either invalid or the subscribers were not available (e.g. prepay SIM card no longer in use). In monetary terms 20% can be a substantial sum depending on the message volumes and price per message for the destination operators in question even minus the cost of the HLR Service at 0.006 Euros per number looked up.

How can I use your HLR Lookup service?

If you are not an existing customer of RoutoMessaging you must firstly register for an account with us. You can test the service prior to making any prepayment with test credit that will automatically added once your account has been successfully registered. To use HLR Look Up using the Web, simply log in to the customer portal, Command Centre and select the appropriate option under HLR Tools. To use HLR Look Up via our SMPP or HTTP APIs, check out our documentation on how to connect, submit look ups and receive results.

What is the difference between Long Numbers and the REPLY service?

Long Numbers, also commonly referred to as a inbound / virtual mobile numbers enable you to receive messages in addition to sending messages through an API connection on our SMS Gateway or into the Desktop Sender application on your PC, Macintosh computer or Linux workstation. Virtual Mobile Numbers are assigned and provisioned by mobile operators to RoutoMessaging specifically for the purpose receiving messages from subscribers both within the same country and internationally (check receiving-coverage with us if the latter is needed). Long Numbers can typically (not always) be more rapidly provisioned that dedicated short codes, cost less and are not governed by code local regulatory bodies.

Whilst Long Numbers are less memorable than short codes, they are perfect for receiving replies to mobile terminated / bulk marketing messages where the Long Number is placed in the dynamically specifiable sender ID / originator field of such messages. The subscriber simply hits reply on their phone (and therefore does not actually need to remember the Long Number) and messages will be sent / forwarded as follows – from the subscriber’s handset to the operator to which they subscribe, then to the operator that has assigned the Long Number, then to RoutoMessaging’s SMS Gateway, and finally to the customer’s application(s) via an API connection or to the Desktop application when the Receive messages button is pressed. As the title of the service suggests, the Reply Service is an enabler for our customers to receive reply messages. Specifically, the Reply Service allows mobile terminated messages sent by end users through our SMS Gateway to be replied to in the following scenarios:

1). Where the subscriber who is receiving a message (sent by you through our SMS Gateway) on a mobile number / phone that is subscribed to a mobile operator that does not have direct agreement / relationship to send messages back (reply) to the operator from which the message originated.

2). Where the end user is using a desktop / Web application with a mobile number assigned to these.

The Reply Service utilizes Long Numbers couple with a unique algorithm-based process that dynamically inserts Long Numbers into the sender ID field of the messages, which is what the recipient of messages will reply back. When our SMS Gateway receives a reply message, it will be sent back to you via the API.

Which Virtual Mobile Number do provide?

Contact Us to find out the latest list of countries where we have local Virtual Mobile Numbers, their fees and where messages can be received from.

Can I be your reseller? Can I white label your services?

We define anybody who wants to buy messages from us and sell them on to their own customers under their own brand as a reseller. You can do this by sending all your customers’ messages to us via our SMS Gateway (API) or we can brand our Desktop Sender application with your logo for your customers to use. We do not offer a parent and child account system.

As an alternative to either of these options, you can become an Affiliate where you can be rewarded for any customers that you assist in bringing on board. Contact us to find out more about the different ways in which you can generate revenue with RoutoMessaging.

What types of traffic are your routes suitable for?

RoutoMessaging focuses on high quality termination – that means that we aim to ensure that throughput, delivery speed, delivery rate* and features is carrier grade. *Delivery rate assumes all numbers are valid and are sent to destinations defined by prefixes that are covered on your account with us.

Do I get charged for undelivered messages?

Yes you do get charged for undelivered messages because this maybe as a result of phones is being switched off, in roaming where SMS cannot be forwarded from the home operator or other reasons that RoutoMessaging and its providers are not able to control.

Payment

With my current provider I spend a number of credits per destination - what is your charging mode

We simply charge a price per message helping you to budget more easily.

How do I make payments to Routo?

RoutoMessaging will offer various options to their customer for making payment. Following is the payment options available to make payment:

• Bank Transfer
• Paypal
• Credit Card
• cashU

(We advise customers to pay transaction fees in addition to invoice amount at the time of making payment)

I have made a payment to buy credit for the very first time but I have not received any credit in my account?

To prevent fraud, we will manually validate the information entered in the payment process. This may take up to 24 hours (excluding UK public holidays) and we will email you as soon as your information has been successfully validated.

What happens if I need credit applied to my RoutoMessaging account but my bank transfer has not cleared?

If you need credit in your account and bank transfer has not cleared you can send us the payment confirmation which you have received at the time of payment which will allow you to have 10% of invoice amount as an advance credit.

I need a post pay arrangements - am I eligible for this?

We do not allow any of our customer to enter directly into a post pay agreement. A customer has to be registered as a prepay customer and after three months of registration we allow a customer to enter into a post pay agreement. To enter into a post pay agreement the customer needs to provide us with a deposit which will be an average billing of the last 3 months.

When will my credit purchases expire?

By default the expiration time is 120 days, but if you feel you need longer, please let us know.

How do I know when my balance is getting low?

You will receive a daily email with the prevailing balance. Also you can check your real time balance available at Command Centre by login to your account.

What is the currency used in my RoutoMessaging account?

Your account with RoutoMessaging will be maintained in Euros. If your are paying in a currency other then Euros all currency will be converted into Euros at the time of applying credit to your account.

Can I pay in my own local currency?

You can pay either in GBP, Euro or US$

Do we need to pay VAT?

• For UK Customers:

If your billing address is within the UK RoutoMessaging will charge VAT at the current UK VAT rate to your account. VAT will appear in your invoice.

• For EU Customers:

*Legal Disclaimer: Routo Telecommunications Ltd is not able to provide you with tax advice. Any tax-related information provided by RoutoMessaging is not intended as and should not be construed as legal, tax or investment advice. You should always consult your tax advisor to help answer specific questions regarding how tax laws apply to you and/or your business. The tax summary we have provided is necessarily incomplete, and the tax laws and regulations are subject to change. Therefore, RoutoMessaging does not guarantee and is not liable for the accuracy or completeness of any tax information provided, or any results or outcome as a result of the use of this information.
Please review these resources for additional information about tax regulations: http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/taxation/vat/how_vat_works/index_en.htm
If your billing address is within EU and you provide RoutoMessaging with a valid EU VAT number, RoutoMessaging will not charge VAT to your account. However, if your billing address is within EU and you do not provide RoutoMessaging with a valid VAT registration number, RoutoMessaging will charge VAT to your account at the current UK VAT rate. VAT charges will appear in your invoice.

• For customer outside the UK and EU:

If your billing address is outside of UK/EU your RoutoMessaging account will not charge any VAT.

What is the refund policy?

If we fail to provide our services or if there is any dispute we will refund full unused credit to our prepay customer. However, if there is any dispute or failing to provide any service to our post pay customer the refund will be given after solving the dispute and reconciling the account records.

Refund Policy

For more information on Routo Telecom refund policy is available in our terms of service.

What exchange rate do you consider when you are not issueing the invoice in GBP?

We are providing a multi currency facility to our customers when they would like to buy the credit from us. Customers can pay in Euros, GBP and also in US$. When the invoice is issued in another currency other than GBP we will use the exchange rate displayed on www.xe.com for date on which the invoice is issued.

Who will pay the transaction charges when customer pays by PAYPAL or WIRE TRANSFER?

If you are making a payment via Pay Pal or Wire Transfer you need to pay the Transaction Charges. We request you to pay transaction charges in addition to the invoice amount.

How much credit can we get in advance?

We allow 10% of invoice amount as an advance credit once we receive payment confirmation of the invoice.

What is the minimum amount to buy credits?

The minimum amount of credits you can purchase is 50 Euros

When do we get our usage report?

We send the usage report to all our customer at the end of each month. If you register with us as a Post pay user you will have your monthly report alongwith your monthly invoice at the end of each month. But if you register with us as a pre pay user you are able to receive your usage report at the end of the each month.

How much traffic do I need to send to get better rates?

You can see this on the Pricing and Coverage section, by increasing your prepayment you message prices will drop.

What will happen if my account is left without credits and the invoice is in the payment process?

If your account is without credits and your invoice is in the payment process, you can send us the payment confirmation which you have received at the time of payment where we will allow you to have 10% of the invoice amount as an advance credit. This will help you to keep you account live.

Is it possible to transfer credit between the accounts?

If you have multiple accounts with Routo, you can transfer your credit between the accounts. To transfer credit, please send us an email on accounts@routotelecom.com and CC it to support-belgrade@routotelecom.com with below information:

- Names of To and From Routo accounts and
- Amount of credit you want to move

I paid for credit using PayPal / Moneybooker’s accounts; the full amount I paid is not credited to my account. Why?

Paypal and Moneybookers are deducting the transaction charges from the payment we received from our customer. We deduct those charges from your payment and apply the credit for the net payment we have received in our Paypal account.

I have paid using my Moneybookes account, but I did not receive my invoice and also my credit was not applied at the same time of payment. Why?

Please note that payment done via Moneybookers is still automated. Therefore we will send you an invoice in email and apply credit in your account as soon as we see your payment on our Moneybookers account.

Can I pay by Maestro or American express card?

If you are paying in Sterling Pound (GBP) and your card is registered with in UK, we manually accept your Maestro / American Express Card payment. To make the payment please call us on +44 (0) 870 231 7777, Monday to Friday 9.00 hrs to 6.00 hrs GMT and provide your card details.