Routing
The path from send to handset.
Reach customers through one sending API while Bird handles carrier connectivity. Choose supported destinations and the appropriate sender, then follow the reported delivery outcome. Inspect failures by country or carrier when a route, recipient or registration needs attention.
The route behind your message
Sending workflow
Your application
Choose the recipient, sender, category and message.
Destination and sender checks
Use an enabled market and the required registration.
Carrier handoff
Bird submits the message through its carrier connections.
A reported outcome
Follow the receipt in message records, webhooks and analytics.
A conceptual flow. Acceptance, carrier handoff and a delivery receipt describe different stages of the message lifecycle.
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Read more customer storiesThe layer your send rides on.
Routing sits beneath the Bird SMS API. Bird checks the destination and sender before acceptance, then submits the prepared message to its carrier transport. Inspect the reported carrier and outcome when deciding whether to investigate a sender, destination or recipient issue.
Understand the decisions before carrier handoff.
Eligibility, message preparation and carrier submission have distinct roles.
- 01
Carrier connectivity.
Bird manages the carrier connections behind your send. Use the destination catalogue to check supported sender types and registration requirements for the markets you serve.
- 02
A prepared sender and destination.
Sender type, destination rules and registration determine which originator can be used. A valid setup is established before the message is queued for transport.
- 03
Operator information when available.
Processing can resolve the recipient's operator for pricing. A missing or failed lookup falls back to country pricing. Carrier information in a receipt may also be absent; avoid inferring a network from the phone prefix alone.
- 04
Delivery receipts as carrier evidence.
A carrier receipt can report delivery or a terminal non-delivery outcome. Some messages remain awaiting a receipt, and missing carrier fields are unknown. Read the event timeline alongside the current status.
- 05
Discuss route requirements for a rollout.
The public SMS request does not offer a least-cost versus highest-quality route selector. Discuss destination mix, sender requirements and throughput with an SMS specialist when planning larger traffic.
A delivery outcome you can investigate.
A successful SMS journey depends on the destination, sender registration, message content and carrier path. Bird brings those decisions into one sending workflow. Start with the destination's requirements, then use message records and carrier outcomes to identify what needs to change.
The delivery receipt, straight from the carrier.
A successful request returns 202 before carrier delivery. Subsequent events can include the reported carrier and MCC/MNC. Treat absent fields as unknown and inspect the message timeline for the available evidence.
{
"type": "sms.delivered",
"timestamp": "2026-05-19T15:42:01.221Z",
"data": {
"sms_id": "sms_4kT01Lq2m",
"workspace_id": "ws_8KQ2",
"to": "+15005550006",
"from": "+12025550188",
"tags": null,
"metadata": null,
"carrier": "Verizon",
"mcc_mnc": "311480",
"cost": {
"amount": "0.0079",
"currency_code": "USD",
"transaction_amount": "0.0079",
"passthrough_amount": null
}
}
}
Carrier and MCC/MNC fields are reported where available. A difference from prefix-based expectations is a reason to investigate; it does not by itself prove number portability.
sms.deliveredCarrier confirmed the handset received the message (DLR).sms.failedCarrier rejected or could not deliver, with the reason attached.
Routing leans on number intelligence.
Use Lookup when your application needs supported phone-number intelligence. Subscribe to webhooks for SMS outcomes and use the error reference and deliverability guide to interpret reported failures. A lookup result does not establish sender eligibility or guarantee delivery.
Put it into practice.
Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic. Resources are in English.
Questions before you build
How do I check destination coverage?
What does a carrier receipt establish?
How should I investigate a failed route?
Can I inspect a phone number separately?
The rest of the SMS platform
One API, one set of keys. Explore the other capabilities.
Make routing outcomes easier to investigate.
Prepare destinations and senders through Bird, then investigate message outcomes with the available carrier evidence. Use the destination guide when planning a new market.