SMS API for Tuvalu: bulk SMS to +688 numbers

Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation in the Pacific Ocean, with its capital in Funafuti and an economy centered on fishing and remittances. Local businesses, government agencies, and international organizations use SMS to communicate with residents across the islands. Messages are triggered by events like ferry schedule updates, fishing license renewals, or weather alerts. SMS is the preferred channel because it works on basic phones, reaches remote areas, and is reliable even with limited internet access.

Tuvalu

Calling code +688

Per SMS segment
$0.13637
Messages for $100
733
Local language
English
Encoding
GSM-7

What a bulk SMS send to Tuvalu costs

Every message is priced at $0.13637 per segment to Tuvalu. Texts over 160 GSM-7 or 70 Unicode characters are split into segments, so a two-segment text costs twice as much.
Messages1 segment2 segments
1$0.13637$0.27274
1,000$136.37$272.74
10,000$1,363.70$2,727.40
100,000$13,637.00$27,274.00

Number format in Tuvalu

Mobile numbers in Tuvalu have 6 digits after +688 and no trunk prefix, so the local form 90 1234 becomes +688 90 1234 in the to field.

Alphabet and segments

English text stays inside the GSM-7 alphabet, so one segment to Tuvalu holds 160 characters and each part of a longer text 153. Watch for curly quotes and emoji copied from other tools: one of them moves the whole text to Unicode at 70 characters per segment, and POST /v1/estimates shows the encoding before you send.

Time zone and timing

Tuvalu keeps UTC+12 all year with no clock change, so 09:00 in Funafuti is always 21:00 UTC. send_at takes UTC or any ISO 8601 offset, and the console scheduler converts from your own time zone.

Send to Tuvalu with one request

The answer comes back at once with the message id, the country the number was matched to (TV) and the price. A delivered or failed event follows on your webhook, and a failed message is refunded.

For a list, send the same text to up to 10,000 numbers with POST /v1/batches, or a personal text per number in messages.

curl https://bulksmsapi.cc/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BULKSMSAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"to": "+688901234", "text": "Your Northwind code is 482913. It expires in 10 minutes."}'

What developers send to Tuvalu

Common integrations that call the SMS API for recipients in Tuvalu.

License renewals

Fishermen receive SMS reminders to renew their licenses before the expiration date to avoid penalties.

Weather alerts

Residents on outer islands get SMS notifications about cyclones or severe weather warnings from local authorities.

Remittance confirmations

Families receive SMS notifications when remittances from abroad are successfully deposited into their accounts.

SMS to Tuvalu: questions

More answers on accounts, payments and the API are in the FAQ.

How much does it cost to send bulk SMS to Tuvalu?

Each message segment to Tuvalu costs $0.13637. A plain text of up to 160 characters is one segment, so 1,000 one-segment messages cost $136.37 and 10,000 cost $1,363.70. Failed messages are refunded to the balance.

How many SMS to Tuvalu does a $100 top-up send?

$100 covers about 733 one-segment messages to Tuvalu at $0.13637 each. The first top-up adds a bonus on top, which raises that number. The balance is shared by every country, so the same top-up also pays for messages anywhere else on the list.

How do I write Tuvalu numbers for the API?

Send them in international format with the plus sign: +688 90 1234 becomes "+688901234" in the to field. The API also accepts spaces, dashes and a 00 prefix and cleans them, and numbers that cannot be read are listed in set_aside instead of being charged.

What language should SMS messages be in for Tuvalu?

English is widely understood and used in official communications, making it the best choice for SMS. Tuvaluan can also be used for messages targeting local residents.

How can SMS reach Tuvalu's outer islands?

SMS is reliable across all islands, including remote ones, as it works on basic phones without requiring internet access. It is the most effective way to communicate with residents in these areas.

Start sending to Tuvalu

Create an account, top up from $40 and send to Tuvalu at $0.13637 per segment, from the console or with one API call.

SMS API Tuvalu: Bulk SMS to +688 From $0.13637 | BulkSMSAPI