What you pay the operator, what's free, what renews, and the avoidable costs that catch most businesses out the first time.
"How much is DLT?" is one of the first questions every new SMS client asks us. The honest answer is that the fee itself is the small part.
The expensive mistakes are elsewhere: paying on two portals for the same company, paying a consultant a "DLT fee" that was really a service charge, or losing a week of campaigns to rejected templates. This page breaks down every cost so you can budget properly and avoid those traps.
New to DLT? Start with what DLT registration is, then come back here.
| Item | Who charges it | Typical cost | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Entity (PE) registration | The operator DLT portal you choose | Commonly ₹5,900 incl. GST where charged; some portals have offered it free | One-time or per validity period, depending on the portal |
| Sender ID (header) registration | Operator DLT portal | No separate fee on most portals | Per header |
| Content template registration | Operator DLT portal | No separate fee on most portals | Per template |
| Consent template registration | Operator DLT portal | No separate fee on most portals | Per template |
| PE-TM chain binding | Done on the portal | No fee | Once per telemarketer |
| Filing help and template review | SMS provider or consultant | ₹0 with MetaReach; others may charge | As agreed |
You only need to register on one of these. The DLT system shares your entity record across networks, so a registration on Jio's portal is recognised by Airtel, Vi and BSNL too.
| Operator | Portal | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Jio | Jio TrueConnect | Entity fee and any validity period on the payment step |
| Airtel | Airtel DLT | Entity fee and renewal terms |
| Vodafone Idea (Vi) | VILPower | Entity fee and renewal terms |
| BSNL | BSNL UCC portal | Entity fee and government-entity options |
Which portal should you pick? Choose the one whose interface and support you find easiest. Fees are similar where charged, and the network your customers use doesn't matter for registration. If you've already paid on one portal, don't register the same entity again elsewhere.
Here's what a small business, such as a clinic, coaching centre or local retailer, typically spends to send its first DLT-compliant SMS through MetaReach, assuming the chosen portal charges the entity fee:
| Item | Cost (GST included) |
|---|---|
| DLT entity registration (operator) | ₹5,900 |
| 2 sender IDs and 6 templates | ₹0 on most portals |
| MetaReach DLT filing help | ₹0 |
| First SMS pack: 5,000 SMS at ₹0.12 | ₹708 |
| Total to go live | ₹6,608 |
If your portal doesn't charge the entity fee, the starting cost drops to the SMS pack alone. Every pack size is listed on our pricing page, and the bulk SMS price guide compares market rates. Once you're registered, the same entity covers promotional SMS, transactional alerts and OTP SMS, so there's no extra DLT fee per message type.
| Factor | On your own | With MetaReach |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fee | Same | Same, paid by you to the operator |
| Service fee | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Document review before upload | You | Our team checks names and formats |
| Template wording | Trial and error | Reviewed against what operators approve |
| PE-TM chain binding | You find the right telemarketer IDs | We give you the exact details |
| Timeline | Depends on portal review and your rework | Depends on portal review, with less rework |
Since our help is free and the operator fee is the same either way, the only real difference is how many times you redo the work. See what's included on our DLT registration support page, or read about the five most common DLT mistakes.
The legal basis for all of this is TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, available on the TRAI website.
The main cost is the principal entity registration fee charged by the operator DLT portal you register on. Where a fee applies, the figure most commonly charged is ₹5,900, which is ₹5,000 plus 18% GST. Fees are set by each portal and some have offered entity registration without charge, so confirm the amount on the portal's payment screen before you pay.
No. You register your entity on one operator's DLT portal and the registration is shared across the DLT ecosystem, so Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL all recognise it. Paying on a second portal for the same entity is a common and avoidable expense.
On most portals, registering sender IDs (headers) and content templates carries no separate fee once your entity is approved. Portal policies can change, so check the fee schedule on your chosen portal. The bigger hidden cost is time lost to rejected templates.
It depends on the portal. Some treat the entity fee as one-time and others charge it for a fixed validity period, typically a year, with renewal after that. Check the validity shown on your registration receipt and set a reminder, because an expired registration stops your messages from being delivered.
No. MetaReach helps you prepare documents, word templates and complete the PE-TM chain binding at no extra charge. Any fee charged by the operator portal is paid by you directly to the operator.
Some portals have a separate category for government departments and public bodies, and the fee treatment for that category can differ from the standard entity fee. It usually needs an authorisation letter from the competent authority. Check the government category on your chosen portal before paying.
For a typical small business: the operator's entity fee where charged (commonly ₹5,900 including GST), no separate fee for headers and templates on most portals, and SMS credits. With MetaReach, credits cost ₹0.12 per SMS including GST, with the smallest pack of 5,000 SMS at ₹708. That puts the first-time cost at roughly ₹6,600 including GST if your portal charges the entity fee.
We'll check your documents and templates before you submit, and give you the exact PE-TM details, at no charge.
From startups to enterprises — brands that grow with MetaReach
