How Do I Setup Hosted Messaging and Text Enable External Phone Numbers?

This article references the ‘New’ interface in the Bandwidth Dashboard. Looking for the ‘Classic’ experience? Click here!

Hosted Messaging is a service that allows Bandwidth customers to enable non-Bandwidth owned/operated phone numbers for messaging. This product is designed to allow customers to send and receive SMS/MMS messages using the Bandwidth platform while leaving the voice service in place with the current carrier/service provider. More information can be found here. 

After working with your sales representative to add Hosted Messaging to your account, a Bandwidth Implementation Specialist will enable your account during onboarding.

To use the service, you'll need to first enable at least one location for messaging.

• Please see the messaging setup guides for instructions if you have not already done so:
  

  • HTTP SMS instructions

  • SMPP SMS instructions

In order to add phone numbers for Hosted Messaging, perform the following steps:

1. On the top navigation menu of the Bandwidth Dashboard, click 'Numbers' and then 'External Numbers'
2. From this page, users may copy/paste a list of phone numbers in the box below or use the provided template CSV for upload (up to 5,000 numbers at a time)
3. Assign the phone numbers to a Sub-Account and Location
4. Provide an optional customer order ID
5. Set the LOA type: Carrier or Subscriber
6. Click 'Add External Numbers' to complete

In order to remove phone numbers:

1. On the top navigation menu of the Bandwidth Dashboard, click 'Numbers' and then 'External Numbers'
2. From the 'External Numbers' page, select 'Remove' and perform the aforementioned steps