What SMS is in Voiplix

Voiplix does not send text messages over the phone network the way it routes calls through Asterisk. It hands each message to an SMS gateway you configure, and prices it with the same tariff engine used for calls.

A message goes out through a gateway, not a trunk

A call leaves through a SIP trunk to a voice provider. An SMS instead goes out through an SMS provider — a gateway Voiplix talks to directly, not a carrier registered on Asterisk. Four gateway types exist: Clickatell and a generic HTTP-API (both send a real HTTP request to the gateway you configure), an e-mail gateway, and SMPP. Set one up on SMS providers.

SMS providers list showing one demo provider, Demo SMS Gateway, type clickatell, with its login masked, and the SMS group open in the sidebar (SMS users, SMS providers, SMS LCR, Prefix finder). — SMS providers, with the SMS group open in the sidebar.

Priced with the same tariff engine as calls

An SMS tariff is not a separate pricing system — it is an ordinary Tariff, the same object used for voice, just holding a flat price per message instead of a per-second rate. A Provider tariff holds what the gateway costs you; a Wholesale tariff holds what you charge the customer. Both live on the same Tariffs page as your voice tariffs — an SMS tariff just sits in its own "Wholesale tariffs" group there:

Tariffs page with three groups: Provider tariffs, Wholesale tariffs (containing Demo SMS Tariff), and User tariffs — the SMS tariff sits next to the voice tariffs, same table, same actions. — "Demo SMS Tariff" sits in Wholesale tariffs, next to the voice tariffs — same screen, same engine.

Because it is a normal rate lookup by prefix, an SMS is priced by the destination's country code the same way a call is: see SMS tariffs and rates for how those prices are entered and shown to a customer.

What has to exist before anyone can send

An SMS provider — the gateway (SMS providers).
An SMS LCR pointing at that provider — which gateway to use, and in what order if there is more than one (SMS providers and routing).
An SMS tariff with rates — what a message costs per destination (SMS tariffs and rates).
A customer subscribed to the service with that LCR and tariff assigned, on SMS users (Sending an SMS).

Who sees what

Menu item	Who sees it
`Send SMS`, `SMS`, `SMS tariffs`	End customers only — their own sending, list and prices.
`SMS users`	Admin, accountant, reseller — who is subscribed, and assigning their LCR/tariff.
`Prefix finder`	Admin, accountant, reseller — a quick lookup tool, see SMS tariffs and rates.
`SMS providers`, `SMS LCR`	Administrator only — these hold the gateway's login and password.

Note

Rating and balance-checking for SMS use the same rate lookup and the same prepaid/postpaid rules as calls. Which gateway types actually deliver depends on what you configure under SMS providers.

Check

Open the sidebar and confirm an SMS group appears at all — if it is missing entirely, your account's role does not include any SMS capability and there is nothing to configure yet.