Since 1 September 2024, SMS containing hyperlinks is blocked at network level for Malaysian destinations.
Effective 1 September 2024, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directed all operators to block SMS containing prohibited content. This is enforced at the network layer, and applies to both Person-to-Person and Application-to-Person (enterprise) traffic, local and international.
Prohibited content: hyperlinks of any kind, requests for personal information, and telephone numbers for callback. Previously whitelisted exemptions for essential services were revoked. Shortened links are still links — a bit.ly or tinyurl address is blocked exactly like a full URL.
If your SMS contains a URL and the destination is a Malaysian number, the message is blocked before it reaches the recipient. There is no exemption to apply for, no whitelist to join, and no provider — including iSMS — that can route around a network-level block.
Blocked messages are not delivered. The practical effect is a campaign that appears to send but reaches nobody.
The straightforward replacement is WhatsApp Business API. Links are fully supported, along with buttons, catalogues and file attachments — and unlike SMS in Malaysia, WABA reports genuine handset-level delivery and read status.
Most messages still work once the link is removed — the call to action simply changes:
Separately, Google retired goo.gl — no new links could be created after March 2019, and existing short links stopped resolving in 2025. Any campaign still referencing a goo.gl address is broken regardless of the MCMC directive.
The MCMC directive covers SMS to Malaysian numbers. Rules differ by country, and several other markets have introduced similar restrictions. If you send links to recipients outside Malaysia, check with us for the destination before building the campaign around them.