First steps for the CNMC Sender ID Registry

Spain’s communications regulator, the CNMC, has concluded its preliminary public consultation on the design and operation of the Sender ID (Alias) Registry. This initiative, the first of its kind in Spain, will be implemented under Order TDF/149/2025, of 12 February, establishing measures to tackle scam through telephone calls and messages and to ensure the identification of the numbering used for the provision of customer services and marketing calls. The consultation, open until 30 September 2025, sought industry input on operational, technical, and governance aspects to ensure a framework that is both regulatorily robust and operationally effective.

Key topics addressed included the procedure for requesting an alias, the Registry’s interaction with other systems, database design, and the treatment of foreign aliases in international roaming scenarios. In shaping this framework, the CNMC is expected to leverage international experience —particularly the Irish model— while avoiding excessive divergence that could complicate compliance for global providers.

The Registry will become fully operational in June 2026. From that date, compliance will be mandatory, requiring providers to register all sender IDs and block those that are not on the Registry or that have been delivered by unregistered provider.

Ahead of that deadline, the CNMC is expected to publish a draft regulatory framework for further consultation and to establish a dedicated working group with providers. A transitional testing period may also be introduced, allowing providers to adapt their systems and processes before full enforcement.

Providers are encouraged to closely monitor the development of the Registry and to prepare their systems to ensure their messaging practices comply with the forthcoming requirements, as this initiative represents a significant evolution in Spain’s regulatory approach to messaging services.