DLT Header Registration

After your entity is approved on a DLT portal, the next step is to register your headers (sender IDs). A header is the sender name or number displayed to the SMS recipient. This guide walks you through the header registration process across major DLT portals.

Prerequisites

Before registering a header, you must have:

• An approved DLT entity registration with a valid Entity ID (PE ID)
• Access to your DLT portal account
• A planned sender ID that follows DLT naming guidelines

Header Types

Type	Format	Characters	Example	Used For
Transactional	Alphabetic	6 uppercase letters	EXOTL	OTPs, alerts, order updates
Promotional	Numeric	6 digits	777888	Marketing, offers, discounts

note

On the recipient's phone, transactional headers appear with an operator prefix (e.g., JD-EXOTL for Jio, AD-EXOTL for Airtel). The two-letter prefix is added by the operator and is not part of your registration.

Header Naming Guidelines

Rules for Transactional Headers

Rule	Details
Length	Exactly 6 characters
Characters	Uppercase English letters only (A-Z)
Brand relevance	Must be related to your brand or company name
Uniqueness	Must not duplicate an existing registered header
No generic terms	Avoid generic words like INFORM, UPDATE, ALERTS
No government names	Cannot use government agency names unless authorized
No trademarks	Cannot use another company's registered trademark

Good Header Examples

Header	Company	Reasoning
EXOTL	Exotel	Clear brand abbreviation
HDFCBK	HDFC Bank	Recognizable brand abbreviation
SWIGGY	Swiggy	Exact brand name (6 characters)
AMAZIN	Amazon India	Brand-related identifier

Bad Header Examples

Header	Issue
INFORM	Too generic; not brand-specific
UPDATE	Too generic; could be any company
GOVTIN	Impersonates a government entity
EX@TEL	Contains special character
exotel	Lowercase not allowed

Registration on Jio TrueConnect

Step 1: Navigate to Header Registration

1. Log in to https://trueconnect.jio.com.
2. Go to Header or Sender ID in the left menu.
3. Click Add New Header.

Step 2: Fill Header Details

Field	Value
Header Type	Select Transactional or Promotional
Header Value	Enter your 6-character sender ID (e.g., EXOTL)
Category	Select the business category that matches your entity

Step 3: Submit

1. Review the header details.
2. Click Submit for approval.
3. Note the header registration reference number.

Approval Timeline

Jio typically approves headers within 1-3 business days. You receive an email notification upon approval.

Registration on Airtel

Step 1: Navigate to Header Section

1. Log in to https://www.airtel.in/business/commercial-communication.
2. Navigate to Headers > Register New Header.

Step 2: Fill Header Details

1. Select the header type (Transactional/Promotional).
2. Enter the header value.
3. Select the associated entity.
4. Provide the category.

Step 3: Submit

Submit the header for review. Airtel processes header registrations within 1-3 business days.

Registration on Vodafone-Idea (ViLPower)

Step 1: Navigate to Header Section

1. Log in to https://www.vilpower.in.
2. Go to Header Management > Add Header.

Step 2: Fill Header Details

1. Choose the header type.
2. Enter the 6-character header value.
3. Select the category.

Step 3: Submit

Submit for approval. ViLPower typically processes headers within 1-2 business days.

Registration on BSNL

Step 1: Navigate to Header Section

1. Log in to https://www.ucc-bsnl.co.in.
2. Go to Header > Register Header.

Step 2: Fill and Submit

1. Fill in the header type and value.
2. Select the category.
3. Submit for review.

BSNL processes headers within 3-5 business days.

Registering Multiple Headers

You can register multiple headers for different purposes:

Header	Type	Purpose
EXOTL	Transactional	General notifications, alerts
EXOOTP	Transactional	OTP and verification messages
EXOMKT	Transactional	Service-related marketing
777888	Promotional	Promotional campaigns

tip

Register all headers you anticipate needing upfront. Adding new headers later requires another 1-3 day approval cycle, which can delay campaigns.

Linking Headers to Templates

After a header is approved, you must link it to your DLT templates:

1. When creating a template on the DLT portal, you select which header(s) the template is associated with.
2. A template can be linked to one or more headers.
3. When sending an SMS, the combination of header + template must be valid.

warning

If you send an SMS with a header that is not linked to the template you are using, the message will fail DLT scrubbing with a FAILED_DLT_TEMPLATE or FAILED_DLT_SCRUBBING error.

Mapping Headers in Exotel

After DLT approval, configure the header in your Exotel account:

1. Log in to the Exotel Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Settings > SMS Settings > Sender IDs.
3. Click Add Sender ID.
4. Enter the DLT-approved header value (e.g., EXOTL).
5. Enter your DLT Entity ID.
6. Save the configuration.

You can then use this header as the From parameter in the Send SMS API.

Header Deactivation and Modification

Deactivating a Header

To stop using a header:

1. Log in to your DLT portal.
2. Navigate to the Headers section.
3. Select the header and click Deactivate.

warning

Deactivating a header makes it permanently unusable. You cannot reactivate a deactivated header. If needed in the future, you must register a new header.

Modifying a Header

DLT portals do not allow editing the header value after registration. To change your sender ID:

1. Register a new header with the desired value.
2. Wait for approval.
3. Update your application and Exotel configuration to use the new header.
4. Deactivate the old header if no longer needed.

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Header rejected	Name conflicts with existing registration	Choose a different header value that is unique
Header pending too long	Portal processing delay	Follow up with portal support after 3 business days
Header not working across operators	Cross-portal sync delay	Allow 5-7 days for the DLT blockchain to sync
FAILED_INVALID_SENDER error	Header not mapped in Exotel	Add the header in Exotel Dashboard > SMS Settings
Template fails with valid header	Template not linked to this header	Re-register the template with the correct header association

Next Steps

• DLT Template Registration -- Register message templates
• DLT Entity Registration -- Entity registration guide
• Sender ID -- Understanding sender IDs
• SMS API Reference -- API documentation