A common question from businesses moving to WhatsApp: do I need DLT registration like I did for SMS? The answer is no, and understanding why clears up a lot of confusion.
If you have ever sent business SMS in India, you know DLT: the Distributed Ledger Technology registration that TRAI requires, where you register your sender ID and message templates on a telecom operator's portal. Businesses new to WhatsApp often assume they need the same thing. They do not, and the reason is worth understanding.
DLT is part of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's framework for commercial SMS and voice. Because SMS rides on the telecom network, TRAI regulates it directly: every sender and every template is registered on the operators' DLT platform to cut down on spam. It is a telecom-channel rule.
WhatsApp is an over-the-top service. It runs over the internet, not the telecom messaging network, so TRAI's DLT system does not govern it. Instead, Meta runs its own approval process. Before you can send a business-initiated message, the template has to be submitted to Meta and approved against its policies. That approval is WhatsApp's equivalent of template control.
For WhatsApp you set up a WhatsApp Business Account through a provider, verify your business with Meta, and get your message templates approved by Meta. There is no TRAI DLT step. The template review serves the same anti-spam purpose, but it is Meta's process, not the telecom operators'.
Businesses that use SMS and WhatsApp together keep DLT for their SMS, and use Meta template approval for WhatsApp. They are two separate systems for two separate channels, and you do not move registrations between them.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and your situation may differ, so check the current text of the law or speak to a qualified adviser before you act.
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