You sent a bulk SMS campaign, but some customers say they never got it. Before blaming the network or your provider, check the delivery report: it tells you, number by number, exactly what happened to each message. This guide explains bulk SMS delivery reports in Kenya: what each status means, the most common reasons messages fail, and how to fix them so more of your campaign reaches people.
Short answer: every message moves through Queued → Sent → Delivered to network → Delivered to handset, or ends as Failed with a reason. "Delivered to network" means the network accepted it but the phone hasn't received it yet, usually because it's off or out of coverage. Most failures come from wrong or inactive numbers, numbers on another network than you registered your Sender ID on, and customers who blocked promotional messages.
What a delivery report is
When you send a bulk SMS, the network reports back on each message: whether it reached the network, whether it reached the phone, or why it failed. That report is the delivery report (also called a DLR). In the Brilio portal, each campaign shows a delivery status for every recipient, the network they're on, a failure description when something went wrong, and the exact text that person received, including any personalised fields like their name or balance.
Delivery statuses explained
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Queued | Accepted by us, waiting to go out | Nothing; it moves on within moments |
| Sent | Handed to the network | Wait for the network's report |
| Delivered to network | The network accepted it; the phone hasn't received it yet | Usually the phone is off or out of coverage. Networks keep retrying for a while |
| Delivered to handset | It reached the phone | Success |
| Failed | It couldn't be delivered | Read the failure description and fix the cause |
Delivered to handset is the number that matters. A message that only reaches the network was paid for but not yet read.
7 reasons bulk SMS fails in Kenya (and how to fix them)
1. Wrong or badly formatted numbers
Typos, missing digits, or numbers mangled by Excel (a leading 0 dropped, or 7.12E+08).
Fix: use 0712345678 or 254712345678, format phone columns in Excel as Text, and remove duplicates before sending.
2. Inactive or recycled numbers
People change lines, and inactive Safaricom and Airtel numbers are eventually recycled.
Fix: remove numbers that fail repeatedly across campaigns. Old lists cost money on every send.
3. Phone off or out of coverage
The message stays at Delivered to network until the phone comes back on, if it does so before the network stops retrying.
Fix: nothing on your side. For time-sensitive messages, send early, not late at night.
4. Sender ID not registered on that network
A Sender ID is registered separately on each network. If yours is approved on Safaricom only, Airtel and Telkom customers can't receive messages from it.
Fix: register on every network your customers use. See Sender ID registration in Kenya.
5. The customer blocked promotional messages
Customers can opt out of promotional SMS through their network. Promotional messages to them won't arrive, by design.
Fix: respect it. Send transactional messages (receipts, reminders) as transactional, not promotional; see transactional vs promotional SMS.
6. Content the network filters
Messages that look like spam or scams (suspicious links, "you have WON", requests for PINs) can be blocked.
Fix: write plainly, identify your business, avoid link shorteners, and never ask for PINs.
7. Message too long or full of emoji
It usually still arrives, but in several parts, each billed as one SMS. Emoji cut the limit per SMS from 160 to about 70 characters.
Fix: keep messages under 160 plain characters.
How to improve your delivery rate
- Clean your list before every big campaign: fix formats, remove duplicates and repeat failures.
- Register your Sender ID on Safaricom and Airtel at least.
- Use the right message type: transactional for receipts and reminders, promotional for offers.
- Send at sensible times, during the day when phones are on.
- Read the failure descriptions. They tell you which of the reasons above applies.
- Track delivered-to-handset, not just sent. That's your real reach.
Delivery reports in the API
If you send through the bulk SMS API, each send returns a batch_id you can find in your portal's campaign history, where the per-number delivery status appears as the networks report back. For OTPs, delivery matters most; see OTP SMS in Kenya for what to do when a code doesn't arrive.
Related guides: Bulk SMS in Kenya · Sender ID rejected? 9 fixes · How to choose a bulk SMS provider
Frequently asked questions
What is a bulk SMS delivery report?
A delivery report shows, for every recipient, whether your message reached the network, reached the phone, or failed and why. In the Brilio portal it appears per campaign, with the network and the exact text each person received.
What does "delivered to network" mean?
The mobile network accepted the message but the phone hasn't received it yet, usually because it's switched off or out of coverage. The network keeps retrying for a while, and the status updates if it's delivered.
Why was my bulk SMS not delivered?
The most common reasons are a wrong or inactive number, a Sender ID not registered on the recipient's network, a customer who blocked promotional messages, or content the network filtered. The failure description in your delivery report shows which.
Do I pay for SMS that fail?
At Brilio, messages the network rejects when you send are refunded to your wallet automatically. Messages the network accepts but can't deliver later, for example to an inactive number, are charged, so cleaning your list before sending is the best way to avoid paying for numbers that can't receive SMS.
How can I improve my SMS delivery rate in Kenya?
Clean your contact list, register your Sender ID on every network your customers use, send transactional messages as transactional, avoid spam-like content, and send during the day.
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