Buy a new number

This Doc is under construction

Keep in mind that the information contained here might be incomplete.

Buy a hosted number through a provider like Twilio

We recommend using a hosted phone number because:

You can’t “lose” the number like you can with a sim card (if you forget to do the minimum top up for your carrier it es extremely hard or impossible to get that number back).
If at some point in the future you want to scalably accept calls on the same number (with an IVR & such) the only way to do this is with a hosted number.

tip

To buy a hosted number through Twilio, skip to the following section

2) Connect any number (buy a sim card or use any existing number)

If you are unable to get a hosted number or don’t want to, you can use any SIM card with a phone that can receive an SMS.

This number cannot be previously connected to any WhatsApp Service. If you already have a connected WhatsApp account, you can follow these steps to delete your account. Be aware that you will lose all your messages and everything related to that account if you chose this option!

3) Move a number that you already have registered with a BSP to 360 Dialog.

If you already have a number on the API with a provider that is not 360 Dialog, please reach out to us and we can help you migrate the number.

Buying a Phone Number

To buy a phone number with Twilio that you can use with Hilos and 360 Dialog as your WhatsApp API provider, follow the next steps.

You will need:

Proof of address (Phone or electricity bill, Bank statement, Business licenses and permits from any level of government, Certificate of formation or incorporation, Business Tax or VAT registration certificate)
Proof of incorporation of your business (Business licenses and permits from any level of government, Certificate of formation or incorporation, Business Tax or VAT registration certificate)
A credit card

Getting the Regulatory Bundle approved

1. Sign up and create an account at twilio.com

2. Click on Phone Numbers > Regulatory Compliance > Bundles

3. Create a new Regulatory Bundle following the instructions given in Twilio.

4. For Type of Phone Number select: "Local" (if available)

5. For End-User select: "Business"

6. Complete sections 3 + 4 with your business name, address, proof of address and proof of incorporation.

For proof of address, any of the following will work:

A bill - like a phone or electricity bill
Bank statement
Business licenses and permits from any level of government
Certificate of formation or incorporation
Business Tax or VAT registration certificate

For proof of incorporation:

Business licenses and permits from any level of government
Certificate of formation or incorporation
Business Tax or VAT registration certificate

(Can be the same document)

7. If you leave your email in Step 6, you will be notified of the result. Twilio may require you to upload different documents.

Buying the Number

8. Once the Regulatory bundle has been approved, Click on Phone Numbers > Manage > "Buy a number"

9. In the Filters make sure SMS is selected and click "Search" to update the filter.

10. Select a number you like, make sure it is able to receive SMS messages and click on Buy

tip

💡 In case you can’t find a phone number with SMS capabilities, you can also use a Voice-enabled number. Follow this guide to set up everything so you can route calls to this number to your mobile or some other phone you can answer. This will be required for verifying your Twilio number with Facebook.

11. For End-User select "business"