Albania regulatory framework

AKEP in practice: numbering, sender ID and STOP for SMS in Albania

AKEP (Electronic and Postal Communications Authority) supervises Albania's mobile numbering plan and A2P provider duties towards three local carriers: Vodafone Albania, One Albania (former Telekom Albania/AMC) and ALBtelecom Mobile. 4notify delivers SMS to +355 numbers through a tier-1 international A2P gateway, preserving alphanumeric sender ID, automatic NDAL/HELP handling and a full delivery audit trail.

The three Albanian mobile carriers

Vodafone Albania

Prefixes: +355 69

Largest carrier, part of Vodafone group, ~52% market share

Closest AKEP relationship — fastest sender ID approval (2-3 days).

One Albania

Prefixes: +355 68

Created from Telekom AL + AMC merger 2023, ~33% market share

Second-largest, conservative on alphanumeric IDs — requires commercial documentation.

ALBtelecom Mobile

Prefixes: +355 67

Third carrier, focused on rural + business bundles, ~15%

Good mountain-area coverage. Slower DLR (~3-4s P50).

AKEP numbering plan

+355 69 xxxxxxxVodafone Albania — mobile
+355 68 xxxxxxxOne Albania — mobile
+355 67 xxxxxxxALBtelecom Mobile — mobile
+355 4 xxxxxxxTirana — landline
+355 22 xxxxxxxVlorë — landline
+355 33 xxxxxxxSarandë — landline
+355 52 xxxxxxxDurrës — landline

5-step AKEP compliance flow

  1. 01

    Register alphanumeric sender ID

    Sender ID (up to 11 chars) registered once with tier-1 gateway. Commercial documentation required (DPPI Albania or EU TM). Vodafone AL and ALBtelecom whitelist in 2-3 days; One Albania 5-7.

  2. 02

    Enable NDAL/HELP keyword

    Per AKEP guidance, every A2P sender must recognise NDAL (and variants STOP, OPTOUT) and HELP (NDIHME, INFO). 4notify handles automatically with webhook confirmation.

  3. 03

    HLR lookup and per-operator DLR

    Before dispatch, HLR identifies current carrier (~30% portability). Per-operator reason code DLR in dashboard.

  4. 04

    Compliance with Law 9918/2008 + Albanian GDPR

    Law 9918/2008 and Law 9887/2008 require prior opt-in for marketing, with soft opt-in exception for existing customers. 4notify maintains per-subject consent ledger.

  5. 05

    Per-operator latency monitoring

    Dashboard shows live P50/P95/P99 per-carrier. Typical: Vodafone 2.6s, One 2.9s, ALBtelecom 3.2s P50. Retry on push, WhatsApp, voice if threshold exceeded.

FAQ

Which local carriers does 4notify use in Albania?

Not directly. 4notify delivers SMS through a tier-1 international A2P gateway, which interconnects with Vodafone AL, One AL and ALBtelecom. The gateway gives unified billing, alphanumeric sender ID and per-carrier DLR without requiring an Albanian legal presence.

What are AKEP fines for SMS spam?

Law 9918/2008 provides for fines up to 10,000,000 ALL (~€80k) per violation. For repeated infringement amounts escalate. In parallel, the Information Commissioner can impose GDPR fines.

How long does sender ID activation take?

2-7 business days. Vodafone AL and ALBtelecom typically 2-3; One Albania 5-7. Required: trade-mark registration (Albania or EU), sample message, declaration of use.

Does number portability work in Albania?

Yes. Since 2009 under AKEP. Today ~30% have switched carriers. 4notify HLR refresh every 12h.

Is there a do-not-call register in Albania?

Not centralised. Each carrier maintains its own opt-out list. 4notify maintains an internal per-sender STOP database applied across all carriers.

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