In Nigeria, promotional SMS does not reach numbers whose owners have activated the NCC Do-Not-Disturb service, either fully (by texting STOP to 2442) or for the matching category. Transactional messages such as OTPs, debit alerts and delivery notices travel on a separate transactional, or "corporate", route that networks keep open to DND numbers, but only for genuinely transactional content.
Last reviewed: 27 October 2026
This guide explains how the 2442 service works, maps the 11 partial-DND categories to the industries that send most SMS, and shows what a sender can and cannot do. Where a point is network practice rather than published NCC rules, it says so.
How the NCC DND service works
The Nigerian Communications Commission runs the Do-Not-Disturb service on the short code 2442 across all networks: MTN, Airtel, Glo and T2 (the network formerly known as 9mobile, which rebranded as T2 on 8 August 2025). According to the NCC consumer portal, a subscriber can:
- Text STOP to 2442 for full DND, blocking all promotional messages.
- Text HELP to 2442 to see the category menu and choose partial DND, blocking only the categories they pick.
- Text ALLOW to 2442 to remove DND, and STATUS to check their current setting.
The directive took effect in July 2016 and sits on the NCC's "right to choose" principle from its consumer code. The NCC's Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024 updated the wider consumer framework. The DND register is held by the networks, not by senders, so you cannot download it or check it yourself before a campaign. Filtering happens when your message reaches the network.
The 11 partial-DND categories and the industries they cover
Partial DND is where most senders get surprised. A customer who never sent STOP may still have blocked your category. The table maps each NCC category to the senders it most often affects.
| No. | NCC category | Typical senders affected | eSMS industry guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banking, insurance and finance | Banks, MFBs, cooperatives, fintechs, lenders, insurers | Banking, Fintech, Insurance |
| 2 | Real estate | Developers, estate agents, land sellers | Not covered |
| 3 | Education | Schools, tutorial centres, universities, exam prep | Schools |
| 4 | Health | Hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, HMOs | Healthcare |
| 5 | Consumer goods and automobiles | Retailers, online stores, FMCG brands, car dealers | Retail |
| 6 | Communication, entertainment and IT | ISPs, media, streaming, software | Utilities and ISPs |
| 7 | Tourism and leisure | Hotels, shortlets, travel agents, event venues | Hospitality |
| 8 | Sports | Clubs, sports media, fitness | Not covered |
| 9 | Religion | Churches, mosques, faith-based events | Churches and events |
| 10 | New products and promotions | Product launches, general offers | Any industry |
| 11 | News | News alerts and content services | Not covered |
Two practical notes. First, there is no agriculture, logistics or government category, so networks classify those promotions under the closest one, often consumer goods or new products. Second, a school that advertises an open day is sending category 3 traffic, but the same school sending a fee reminder to an enrolled parent is sending a transactional message.
Transactional route versus promotional route
Nigerian networks separate A2P traffic into two classes. This is operator practice, applied through sender ID approval and route configuration, rather than a rule you will find in one NCC document.
Promotional route
- Carries marketing: offers, launches, event invitations, newsletters, religious programme announcements.
- Filtered against DND, so subscribers on full DND or the matching category do not receive it.
- Networks typically apply sending windows. Many vendors describe an 8am to 8pm window "per NCC", but we have not found that in published NCC rules, so treat it as network-enforced practice and schedule promotions in daytime.
Transactional (corporate) route
- Carries messages a person expects because of something they did or a relationship they have: OTPs, debit and credit alerts, order and delivery updates, appointment reminders, fee reminders, tokens.
- Reaches DND numbers.
- Networks monitor content. A transactional sender ID caught sending offers can be suspended or moved to the promotional class, so keep the two strictly apart.
Most networks want separate sender IDs for the two traffic types. eSMS Africa registers your IDs with each network and tells you which class each one is approved for; see the Nigeria sender ID guide.
What reaches a DND subscriber and what is blocked
| Message | Class | Reaches full DND? |
|---|---|---|
| Login OTP from your app | Transactional | Yes |
| Debit alert after a card payment | Transactional | Yes |
| Debit alert with "get a loan today" appended | Mixed, treated as promotional | Likely blocked, and risks the sender ID |
| Delivery code for a parcel | Transactional | Yes |
| Christmas sale announcement | Promotional (category 5) | No |
| Vigil invitation to church members | Promotional (category 9) | No |
| School fees reminder to an enrolled parent | Transactional | Yes |
One caveat: a Dubawa fact-check noted that subscribers sometimes report missing bank alerts after sending STOP. If a customer says alerts stopped, check your delivery report for that number before assuming DND is the cause.
The data protection layer: NDPA section 36
DND is not the only rule. Under section 36 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, a person can object to processing of their data for direct marketing, and the controller must stop. The General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025 replaced the old NDPR 2019 as the detailed implementing guidance. As Templars note, an opt-out link alone does not make unsolicited marketing lawful. In practice:
- Collect marketing consent separately from the service relationship, and record when and how you got it.
- Give every promotional message a working opt-out. A one-way alphanumeric sender cannot receive replies, so use a two-way short code ("Opt out: SMS STOP to ...") or a short link.
- Suppress objectors across every sender ID and list. In the eSMS dashboard, numbers on your opt-out list are blocked from later sends automatically.
Cost: why DND filtering matters for your budget
Pricing on eSMS Africa is pay as you go, from NGN 9.1 per SMS ($0.0068) on the basic tier, with lower rates on business and enterprise tiers on the pricing page. Blocked promotional messages show as failed in your delivery report, and lists full of DND numbers waste budget and skew your campaign results. Clean lists after each campaign: numbers that fail on every promotional send but receive transactional messages are very likely on DND.
Checklist before your next Nigerian campaign
- Decide whether the message is transactional or promotional, and send it from the sender ID approved for that class.
- Identify the DND category your promotion falls into, and expect subscribers who blocked it not to receive it.
- Remove offers, links to sales pages and "limited time" wording from any message going on the transactional route.
- Check that every promotional message has an opt-out that works on your sender type.
- Suppress anyone who has objected under the NDPA, across all your lists.
- Schedule promotions for daytime, and review failed numbers in the delivery report afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to send bulk SMS to DND numbers?
Not for promotions. Offers that claim to "deliver to DND" usually mean sending marketing on a transactional sender ID, which breaks network rules and gets IDs suspended. Only transactional content should go on the transactional route.
Can I check whether a number is on DND before sending?
Not directly. The register is held by the networks and not shared with senders. Your delivery reports are the practical signal over time.
Does partial DND block my OTPs?
No. Category blocking applies to promotional traffic. OTPs on an approved transactional sender ID still deliver. If they do not, see our OTP debugging checklist.
Is the corporate route the same as a transactional route?
Yes. Nigerian senders and vendors use "corporate route", "DND route" and "transactional route" for the same idea: a traffic class the networks keep open to DND numbers for non-promotional messages.
Sources
- NCC - Do-Not-Disturb (DND) service in Nigeria
- NCC - Rules on unsolicited calls and SMS
- NCC - Highlights of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024
- Dubawa - Sending STOP to 2442 can end unsolicited messages
- Templars - Unsolicited messaging and the limits of opt-out provisions (PDF)
- LawPavilion - NDP Act 2023 and GAID 2025 guide
- The Guardian Nigeria - New name, new vibe as 9mobile rebrands to T2
Sending alerts, OTPs or campaigns in Nigeria? See how your industry should split traffic in our Nigeria use-case guides and on the bulk SMS Nigeria page, then create a free eSMS Africa account and test on the default sender while your own IDs are approved.
