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SMS Marketing

# SMS Segment

SMS Segment

A unit of SMS billing. Standard SMS messages are limited to 160 characters; longer messages are split into multiple segments.

## What is SMS Segment?

SMS segments are the billing units for text messages. Longer messages are split into multiple segments, each billed separately. **Segment limits:** - Standard (GSM-7): 160 characters - Unicode (emojis, special chars): 70 characters - Concatenated GSM-7: 153 chars/segment - Concatenated Unicode: 67 chars/segment **Cost implications:** - 161-306 characters = 2 segments - Emojis reduce character limit significantly - MMS has different pricing **Best practices:** - Keep messages under 160 characters when possible - Use link shorteners - Be mindful of emoji impact - Track segment usage in analytics

### Why SMS Segment Matters

Understanding segments helps optimize SMS costs—a 161-character message costs 2x a 160-character message.

### Related Terms

[

A2P

SMS Marketing



](https://chargezen.com/glossary/a2p-application-to-person)[

MMS

SMS Marketing



](https://chargezen.com/glossary/mms-multimedia-messaging)

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### More SMS Marketing Terms

[View all SMS Marketing definitions](https://chargezen.com/glossary?category=SMS%20Marketing)

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