Do telecommunications carriers / CSPs need to comply with the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code?
A computed answer from the Rules Mate applicability engine, with the exact condition, the outcome for every structure and size, and the primary source.
Short answer: Yes
Yes. This obligation applies to telecommunications carriers / CSPs whatever their structure or size. The deciding fact: Industry: Telecommunications carriers / CSPs.
The obligation in brief
Comply with the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code. Two layers of anti-scam rules bind Australian telcos. The Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs code (C661:2022), on the ACMA's register of telco industry codes, places obligations on carriers and carriage service providers to monitor, trace and block scam calls and text messages.
Trigger: Supplying voice or SMS services; sending, transiting or terminating text messages that carry an alphanumeric sender ID from 1 July 2026.
Why telecommunications carriers / csps get a different answer
Rules Mate runs its applicability engine across 9 business structures and 6 size bands for each of the 35 industries it maps. For 34 of those industries the answer for "Comply with the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code" is no. Telecommunications carriers / CSPs is one of the 1 where the answer is different: yes.
The deciding fact for telecommunications carriers / CSPs: Industry: Telecommunications carriers / CSPs.
About the industry: Carriers and carriage service providers under the Telecommunications Act.
Compare a professional services (general) business with 6–19 employees structured as a Pty Ltd company: the obligation does not apply (Requires industry: Telecommunications carriers / CSPs).
Answer by business structure and size
Each cell is the engine's outcome for a business in telecommunications carriers / csps with that structure and size, assuming it sells to consumers and small businesses and holds customer contact details. "Check" means the obligation turns on a fact the industry does not settle.
| Structure | No employees | 1–5 employees | 6–19 employees | 20–99 employees | 100–499 employees | 500+ employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Partnership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trust | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pty Ltd company | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public company | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Not-for-profit (unregistered) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Registered charity | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Super fund | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign company | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What the obligation requires
- When due
- Continuous. Participation in the SMS Sender ID Register was required to keep carrying sender ID messages from 1 July 2026, and 'Unverified' over-stamping applies to messages sent or terminated from that date.
- Evidence to keep
- Scam call and SMS monitoring, tracing and blocking procedures; ACMA approval to participate in the SMS Sender ID Register; customer information published on the website; sender ID registrations lodged for customers and the verification of each customer's entitlement; over-stamping configuration and testing records.
- Maximum penalty
- A telco that is not approved to participate in the register may not send, transit or terminate SMS or MMS with sender IDs, and messages from non-participating telcos are blocked. The ACMA is the regulator for both the scam calls and SMS code and the industry standard
- Regulator
- ACMA
- Jurisdiction
- Commonwealth (national)
Other obligations where telecommunications carriers / csps differ from the norm
Questions
- Do telecommunications carriers / CSPs need to comply with the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code?
- Yes. This obligation applies to telecommunications carriers / CSPs whatever their structure or size. The deciding fact: Industry: Telecommunications carriers / CSPs.
- Is the answer the same for every industry?
- No. For 34 of the 35 industries Rules Mate maps, the answer is no. Telecommunications carriers / CSPs is one of 1 industries with a different answer.
Related
Sources
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.