# GSM-7 vs Unicode SMS | VeloBotix

> English SMS uses GSM-7 (more characters per credit). Sinhala, Tamil and emoji use Unicode (fewer characters). Plan copy accordingly.

Source: https://www.velobotix.app/resources/guides/gsm7-vs-unicode-sms

2026-08-17

# GSM-7 vs Unicode SMS in Sri Lanka

## Why it matters

GSM-7 (basic English, some symbols) packs more characters into one SMS credit. Sinhala, Tamil, and emoji switch the message to Unicode, which splits earlier and costs more credits.

## What to do

Keep OTP codes in English digits. For marketing, write two templates or accept Unicode cost. Test a single message in the portal before a 50,000-row campaign.

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