Protocol No.
P-AL-004
Sigil
Communications
Issued
2026-05-26
04
Protocol 04 of 08 · Telecoms
ApprovedSMS

AKEP & Albanian numbering: prefixes, sender ID, STOP keyword

AKEP (Electronic and Postal Communications Authority) supervises Albania's numbering plan and A2P provider duties towards three local carriers: Vodafone Albania, One Albania, ALBtelecom. 4notify delivers SMS to +355 numbers through tier-1 international A2P gateway.

Duty

Many platforms route Albanian SMS through tier-2 EU aggregator. Result: alphanumeric sender ID dropped, delivery falls below 88% and STOPs never make it back.

Legal framework
Ligji 9918/2008 — Komunikimet elektronike

Opt-in duty for marketing and STOP keyword honouring.

AKEP — Rregullore për sender ID alphanumeric

Allows up to 11 chars; spoofing sanctioned with suspension.

Steps
01

Register sender ID with tier-1 gateway

Max 11 chars; commercial docs (DPPI Albania or EU TM); 3-7 business days activation.

02

Automated STOP/HELP keyword

4notify manages NDAL, HELP, INFO; number unsubscribed from all future campaigns.

03

HLR lookup + per-operator DLR

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

04

Per-operator latency monitoring

P50: Vodafone AL 2.6s, One 2.9s, ALBtelecom 3.2s. Retry on push/WhatsApp if threshold exceeded.

Code
bash
# Tre prefikset kryesore +355:
#   +355 6X — Vodafone Albania, One Albania
#   +355 68 — One Albania (ish-Telekom AL / AMC)
#   +355 69 — Vodafone Albania
#   +355 67 — ALBtelecom Mobile
#   +355 4X — Linja fikse Tiranë / qytete kryesore
Sample message
SMS

YourBrand: Order 2026-AL-0481 ready for pickup at Bulevardi Bajram Curri 14, Tirana. Open until 20:00. NDAL to unsubscribe.

Verification list
  • Sender ID registered and approved by all 3 carriers
  • NDAL keyword active (not only English STOP)
  • Test on Vodafone / One / ALBtelecom numbers
  • Audit log exportable for AKEP inspection
What 4notify does differently

Premium tier-1 delivery to all 3 Albanian carriers with automatic AKEP compliance — no Albanian legal presence required.

FAQ
Cost of SMS to Albania?

Price varies by carrier. Vodafone AL: cheapest; ALBtelecom Mobile: slightly higher. Detailed prices in dashboard.

Does portability work in Albania?

Yes, since 2009 under AKEP. ~30% of numbers have switched. 4notify HLR refresh every 12h.

Start free

14 days, no card. Support in Albanian and English.

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