Utilities, ISPs & solar · Zambia

SMS for utilities, ISPs and solar companies in Zambia

When the power goes off in Lusaka or the internet drops in Kitwe, customers want to know why and for how long. Utilities, ISPs and solar companies use SMS to answer before the call centre is flooded. This page covers outage notices, prepaid token receipts, bill reminders and installation messages for providers serving homes and businesses.

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MTN, Airtel, Zamtel Delivery reports From ZMW 0.2101 per SMS

LusaNetTransactional

LusaNet: Planned maintenance in Woodlands and Kabulonga on Sun 15/02, 01:00-04:00. Internet may drop briefly. Sorry for the inconvenience.

138 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Zambia context

What makes utilities, isps & solar messaging different in Zambia

Electricity load management has been a recurring part of life in Zambia when hydropower generation falls, and customers plan their day around published schedules. Clear SMS notices of changes reduce calls and complaints.
Prepaid electricity is common. Vendors and resellers that sell tokens through mobile money confirm the token and units by SMS, which customers keep in case the meter rejects a code.
Water utilities regulated by NWASCO, such as the commercial utilities serving Lusaka and the Copperbelt, announce interruptions and repairs that can affect whole neighbourhoods.
Solar pay-as-you-go firms rely on reminders before a unit locks, and ISPs need to tell customers about installation slots, payment due dates and planned maintenance.

What to send

Messages utilities, isps & solar teams in Zambia send

Outage and restoration notices

Warn affected customers of planned interruptions by area, with the start and end time, and send a short restoration message when service is back so they stop calling.

Token and payment receipts

Confirm each prepaid purchase with the token, units and the meter number's last digits. Customers can re-enter the token from the message if the first attempt fails.

Bill and renewal reminders

Remind postpaid and subscription customers a few days before the due date, with the amount and how to pay by mobile money, and confirm once payment is received.

Installation and technician visits

Confirm installation slots with the technician's name and phone number, and send a reminder on the day, cutting the number of wasted trips to locked houses.

Solar PAYG lock warnings

Warn customers when their solar credit is about to run out and how many days remain, with the wallet reference to top up before the system switches off.

Sample messages

Copy-ready templates for Zambia

Character counts and segments are calculated with the same GSM-7 and Unicode rules used for billing. Replace the example brand and values with your own.

Planned outage Transactional

LusaNet: Planned maintenance in Woodlands and Kabulonga on Sun 15/02, 01:00-04:00. Internet may drop briefly. Sorry for the inconvenience.

138 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Token receipt Transactional

PowerTokens: Meter ***6634. Token 4821 0937 5512 8846 3301. 125.4 kWh. Paid ZMW {amount} via Airtel Money. Keep this SMS.

123 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Solar credit warning Transactional

SunZed Solar: Hi {name}, your system has 2 days of credit left. Top up via MTN MoMo or Airtel Money, ref {account}, to stay lit.

132 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Installation visit Transactional

LusaNet: Technician Mutale (0966 000 000) will install your fibre on Thu 12/02, 10:00-12:00. Please ensure someone is home.

123 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rules that apply

Compliance for utilities, isps & solar SMS in Zambia

A practical summary with sources, not legal advice. Check the regulator's current text for edge cases.

Electricity providers are regulated by the Energy Regulation Board, water utilities by NWASCO and ISPs are licensed by ZICTA. Outage and service notices should match what you report to your regulator.
Outage, token, bill and installation messages are transactional and can be sent when needed, including outside daytime hours for emergencies. Upgrade offers and promotions need consent, an opt-out and daytime timing.
Meter numbers, account numbers and location data are personal data. Mask meter and account numbers in SMS and register with the Data Protection Commissioner.
Never ask customers to reply with passwords or full payment details. Tell customers how to spot fake token sellers and outage messages that ask for money.

Across Zambia

Telecom regulator: Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)
Data protection: Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
Languages: English, Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi
Payments: Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Kwacha

ZICTA directed the networks in 2011 to stop promotional SMS between 20:00 and 07:00 and to include an opt-in or opt-out in promotional messages. Treat those limits as the safe default.
The Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 is now enforced by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which became operational in 2025; controllers and processors must register.
There is no national do-not-disturb register, so keep your own opt-out list and honour it promptly.
Numeric sender IDs are not supported on MTN, Airtel or Zamtel; use a registered alphanumeric sender ID.

Sender ID registration in Zambia

Send it

From your system to MTN and Airtel in one call

1Create an account and copy a test key (esms_test_...) to try the integration without spending credit.
2Request your sender ID for Zambia. Until it is approved you can send from the eSMS default sender.
3Call the send endpoint from your app, or upload a CSV in the dashboard with merge fields like {{name}}. Delivery reports arrive by webhook.

Need one-time codes? eSMS Verify generates, sends and checks them in two calls. Full reference in the API docs.

curl -X POST https://sms.esmsafrica.io/api/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ESMS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+260971234567",
    "text": "LusaNet: Planned maintenance in Woodlands on Sun 15/02, 01:00-04:00. Internet may drop briefly.",
    "sender_id": "LusaNet"
  }'

Live pricing

SMS pricing in Zambia

Per-SMS rates for one segment, updated live. Pay as you go with no monthly minimum; volume rates apply automatically by monthly spend.

Basic

ZMW0.2101

per SMS· USD 0.0104

Monthly spend USD 1 - USD 1,000

Business

ZMW0.1939

per SMS· USD 0.0096

Monthly spend USD 1,001 - USD 4,999

Enterprise

ZMW0.1798

per SMS· USD 0.0089

Monthly spend USD 5,000+

Estimate a campaign with the SMS cost calculator or compare all countries in the Africa SMS pricing index.

FAQ

Utilities, ISPs & solar SMS in Zambia: common questions

Can we send outage notices at night?

Yes. A notice about an outage or emergency that affects the customer's service is transactional and can be sent at any time. For planned work, the best practice is to notify a day ahead in daytime hours and then send a short restoration message, even at night, once service returns.

How do we target only customers in an affected area?

Keep an area, feeder or tower field in your customer list and import it as a column. In the dashboard or through the API you can then send only to customers in Woodlands, Chilenje or any other area, instead of alarming the whole customer base.

Are 20-digit tokens safe to send by SMS?

Prepaid tokens are designed to be shared this way and only work on the meter they were generated for. Mask the meter number to its last digits, show the units and the amount, and keep a copy in your system so support can resend it if a customer deletes the message.