SMPP Gateway Overview
What the eSMS Africa SMPP gateway is, when to use it, and how to get access.
The eSMS Africa SMPP gateway (smpp.esmsafrica.io) provides persistent binary-protocol binds to the same direct-operator routes that power the REST API.
Use it when your platform already speaks SMPP, when you need high-throughput steady-state delivery (>100 msg/s), or when you are an aggregator connecting to our network.
SMPP vs REST API
| Scenario | SMPP | REST API |
|---|---|---|
| Platform already speaks SMPP | ✓ | |
| Aggregator / carrier interconnect | ✓ | |
| Sustained throughput > 100 msg/s | ✓ | |
| Simple web app / single server | ✓ | |
| Serverless / ephemeral compute | ✓ | |
| Getting started / low volume | ✓ |
Both options hit the same operator routes and generate the same delivery receipts. The REST API adds HTTP overhead; SMPP uses a persistent TCP+TLS connection with binary framing.
Gateway endpoint
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Host | smpp.esmsafrica.io |
| Port | 2775 |
| Transport | TCP + TLS 1.3 (mandatory) |
| Protocol | SMPP 3.4 (interface_version = 0x34) |
| Bind types | bind_transceiver, bind_transmitter, bind_receiver |
TLS 1.3 is required. Connections without TLS are closed before the SMPP handshake begins. Ensure your client library supports TLS 1.3.
Supported features
- Bind modes - Transceiver (TRX), Transmitter (TX), Receiver (RX)
- Encodings - GSM-7 (
0x00), Latin-1 (0x03), UCS-2 (0x08), Binary (0x04) - Long messages - Concatenation via UDH (
esm_class=0x40) or SAR TLVs - Delivery receipts -
registered_delivery=1on submit_sm; DLR arrives as deliver_sm - Throughput - 100 msg/s default, configurable up to 5,000 msg/s per bind
- Keepalive - enquire_link / enquire_link_resp
- Auto-reconnect - Client is expected to reconnect on bind loss
- Multi-bind - Multiple concurrent binds per system_id supported
Getting credentials
SMPP credentials (system_id + password) are provisioned per customer.
Sandbox - routes to a test SMSC, produces synthetic DLRs, messages never reach real handsets.
Production - routes live traffic through operator agreements.
To request access:
- Web: esmsafrica.io/contact
- Email: noc@esmsafrica.io
We typically provision credentials within one business day and will help you validate the connection against the sandbox SMSC before going live.
Next steps
- SMPP Quickstart - connect and send your first message
- Protocol Reference - PDUs, encodings, TON/NPI, TLVs
- DLR Handling - receive and parse delivery receipts
- Troubleshooting - common bind errors and fixes