> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # LATAM channels onboarding: WhatsApp, SMS, and voice > Step-by-step onboarding playbook for Latin America — pick the right channel per country, ready WhatsApp and SMS senders, send template and template-free messages, handle the carrier errors you will actually see, and meet LATAM compliance expectations. # LATAM channels onboarding: WhatsApp, SMS, and voice This guide walks you end to end through the Latin America region — Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and the rest — from first sender ready through send, inbound webhook, and the carrier errors you will actually see. It is the LATAM counterpart to the [APAC channels onboarding guide](/guides/asia-channels-onboarding), which covers LINE, WeChat, KakaoTalk, and Zalo. The guide complements the per-channel references ([WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp), [SMS](/channels/sms), [RCS](/channels/rcs), [Voice](/channels/voice)) — those document the API shapes; this guide is the ordered playbook you follow the first time. ## Pick the right channel per country Do not activate every channel at once. Pick one default per country, then add a fallback: | Country | Primary channel | Fallback | Notes | | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Brazil | **WhatsApp** | SMS / RCS | WhatsApp is the default messaging app. RCS agent support is growing on Brazilian carriers. | | Mexico | **WhatsApp** | SMS / voice | WhatsApp has dominant share; SMS carriers enforce sender-id rules. | | Argentina | **WhatsApp** | SMS | Mixed carrier behaviour; test per carrier before bulk. | | Colombia | **WhatsApp** | SMS | WhatsApp share is high; A2P SMS requires a registered sender on most routes. | | Chile, Peru, rest of LATAM | **SMS** | WhatsApp for inbound-engaged contacts | SMS is still the reliable default where A2P messaging registration exists. | | Any country where A2P SMS is blocked or unregistered | **Voice** (operational notifications) | — | Use voice notifications where your SMS sender cannot be registered. | If you are unsure, start with **WhatsApp** in Brazil and Mexico, **SMS** elsewhere. The [WhatsApp quickstart](/guides/whatsapp/getting-started), [SMS channel page](/channels/sms), and [RCS channel page](/channels/rcs) cover per-channel setup; this guide covers the ordering and the regional behaviour you need to know. ## 1. Sender readiness — WhatsApp WABA For Brazil and Mexico, WhatsApp is the right default — which means you must register a **WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)** first. Sender identity on WhatsApp is bound to the connected WABA; you never pass it per send. 1. Complete the [WABA setup guide](/guides/whatsapp/waba-setup). Your WABA number must be a number you control (not a shared pool number) and your business must be verified in Meta Business Suite. 2. For Brazil: verify display name quality. WhatsApp rate-limits sends when display-name quality is low. Keep display names in the local language and avoid superlative-heavy names that trip Meta's moderation. 3. For Mexico: the same WABA setup applies. Mexican inbound WhatsApp numbers route to the same tenant webhook URL. 4. RCS in Brazil: confirm your [RCS agent](/guides/rcs-onboarding) is verified before you lean on it as fallback. RCS agent verification is per-country. The [country-capabilities page](/numbers/country-capabilities) lists which sender types are available in each LATAM market; the [toll-free verification guide](/guides/toll-free-verification) covers the case where you choose a toll-free number for a given market (not all LATAM markets support toll-free SMS, but some do toll-free voice). ## 2. Sender readiness — SMS sender id and short code SMS sender identity differs per country: * **Brazil** — short codes dominate A2P SMS. Short-code registration leads time is 4–8 weeks on the three dominant carriers (Claro, Vivo, TIM). Long numbers and unmanaged sender ids are heavily filtered. Budget lead time accordingly. * **Mexico** — most carriers accept alphanumeric sender ids, but they must be pre-registered with the operator. Unregistered alphanumeric senders are stripped to a gateway-long-number at the carrier edge. * **Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru** — alphanumeric sender ids burn through on some carriers and get stripped on others. Test with a single low-volume send first, then verify final sender delivery via the delivery-status webhook before bulk. The [number lifecycle](/numbers/lifecycle) page covers the numbers purchase flow per country; [country capabilities](/numbers/country-capabilities) states which sender types are offered where. The rule of thumb: **never assume a sender id carries over between countries**. ## 3. Sample send flows per channel ### WhatsApp template send (Brazil and Mexico default) WhatsApp requires an approved template for business-initiated sends. Template name and language code must match the approval exactly. For Brazil and Mexico, submit your templates in `pt_BR` and `es_MX` respectively — Meta does not fall back across language codes. ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages/whatsapp \ -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_..." \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "to": "+5511987654321", "type": "template", "template": { "name": "order_shipped", "language": { "code": "pt_BR" }, "components": [ { "type": "body", "parameters": [ { "type": "text", "text": "PED-10293" } ] } ] } }' ``` ```typescript Node.js theme={null} import { Devotel } from '@devotel-orbit/node'; const orbit = new Devotel({ apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY }); const message = await orbit.messages.send({ channel: 'whatsapp', to: '+5511987654321', type: 'template', template: { name: 'order_shipped', language: { code: 'pt_BR' }, components: [ { type: 'body', parameters: [{ type: 'text', text: 'PED-10293' }] }, ], }, }); console.log(message.data.id); // msg_a1b2… console.log(message.data.status); // 'queued' ``` `202 Accepted` means queued; the terminal `delivered` / `failed` arrives on the delivery-status webhook. When the recipient replies, the 24-hour session window opens and you may send free-form text directly — see [Send a Session Message](/channels/whatsapp#send-a-session-message). ### SMS send (no template) SMS on Orbit is template-free — you send a plain `body` and the sender id goes in `from` (or you use the tenant default). ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages/sms \ -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_..." \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "to": "+5491122345678", "from": "ACME", "body": "Tu pedido ya salio. Seguilo en acme.example/p/PED-10293" }' ``` ```typescript Node.js theme={null} import { Devotel } from '@devotel-orbit/node'; const orbit = new Devotel({ apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY }); const message = await orbit.messages.send({ channel: 'sms', to: '+5491122345678', from: 'ACME', body: 'Tu pedido ya salio.', }); ``` For bulk sends, submit a [campaign](/api-reference/endpoints/campaigns) with `channel: "sms"` rather than looping the single-send endpoint. Watch the carrier rules below before you start high-volume. ### RCS in Brazil (optional channel) RCS is useful in Brazil where Samsung Messages and Google Messages have good penetration. Template-first — you register messages with your RCS agent before sending. The send shape matches the [RCS channel page](/channels/rcs); the [RCS onboarding guide](/guides/rcs-onboarding) walks agent verification. ## 4. Carrier errors you will actually see Carrier error codes differ per per-country carrier, but the shapes below cover what you will actually see in live traffic: | Code | HTTP | Cause | Fix | | ---------------------------------- | ---- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `TEMPLATE_REJECTED` | 422 | WhatsApp template not approved, or approved in a different language than the request. | Use the exact approved name and language code; resubmit via [templates-create-approve](/guides/whatsapp/templates-create-approve). | | `CARRIER_UNREACHABLE` | 502 | The carrier endpoint is unreachable or actively rejecting traffic. | Check the delivery-status webhook for the carrier's error. For SMS, retry with a different sender id or drop to RCS/voice fallback. | | `SENDER_ID_REJECTED` | 422 | The `from` value is not registered for this country (LA-specific: alphanumeric sender not pre-registered with the operator). | Register the sender id in [numbers](/numbers/lifecycle); fall back to the tenant default sender until approved. | | `WINDOW_EXPIRED` | 422 | WhatsApp free-form send attempted outside the 24-hour window. | Send with `type: "template"` or wait for an inbound reply to open the window. | | `DLT_REQUIRED` (template registry) | 422 | A country-specific sender registry (the LATAM analog of India's DLT) has not recognised this sender. | Confirm the sender registration in the country-capabilities table; file the operator registration before sending. | | `RATE_LIMITED` | 429 | Per-tenant send rate exceeded. | Honour `Retry-After`; stage bulk sends through [campaigns](/api-reference/endpoints/campaigns). | These per-carrier shapes are documented carrier-by-carrier on the per-channel references — the table above is the shape you will see on the error webhook, not the carrier's internal code. ## 5. Compliance posture per country Compliance in LATAM is **tenant-owned**. Orbit ships the controls; you configure them per country. The platform's one platform-global hard guard is the **US TCPA federal voice dialing window** — it is not LATAM-relevant, and it does not apply there. There is no per-LATAM platform-imposed regulatory gate. What you own per country: * **Brazil (LGPD)** — data-protection law. Suppression lists, the right to be forgotten, and consent records fall to you. Orbit supplies the controls; see [consent management](/compliance/consent-management) and [suppression list export](/compliance/consent-suppression-export). * **Mexico (LFPDPPP)** — opt-out must be honoured on every sender. Configure your opt-out handling in [opt-out lists](/guides/opt-out-lists) before any bulk send. * **Argentina, Colombia (Ley 1581), Chile** — general data-protection laws apply. Map which lawful basis (consent, legitimate interest, contract) applies per use case before you enable the channel. * **Country requirements reference** — the [country-requirements page](/compliance/country-requirements) is the per-country map of what Orbit knows you need to configure; check it per market. * **Quiet hours / campaign limits** — see [quiet-hours configuration](/guides/quiet-hours-configuration) and [campaign limits and quiet hours](/guides/campaign-limits-quiet-hours) for the tenant-configurable throttles Orbit ships. For a thorough regional posture, skim the [CASL Canada anti-spam page](/compliance/casl-canada-anti-spam) as a model — the same consent-first framing applies to LATAM markets, with the specifics (regulator names, penalty sizes) covered per country in [country requirements](/compliance/country-requirements). ## 6. Time-to-live expectations per channel What "delivered" timing means per channel — so you can set SLA, retry, and fallback rules: | Channel | Typical delivery latency | Typical TTL for a `delivered` event | Notes | | ------------------- | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | WhatsApp (template) | Sub-second to a few seconds | Meta-dispatch terminal or retry DLR arrives within minutes; session-reply window is 24 hours | Watch the 24-hour window; template re-sends expire. | | SMS | A few seconds to a few minutes | Most LATAM carriers report terminal DLR within minutes; some report delayed up to a few hours | `delivered` confirms handset; `sent` confirms network handoff. | | RCS | Comparable to SMS | Terminal DLR typically within minutes | RCS requires the recipient's client support the channel; SMS fallback usually ships. | | Voice | Immediate | Call flow reports `answered` / `busy` / `no-answer` in real time | For operational notifications where SMS is blocked; voice calls are terminal. | These are expectations you set, not guarantees Orbit makes. Measure on your traffic before you set an SLA; the [delivery log guide](/guides/delivery-log) walks you through reading terminal statuses and delivery latency per channel + country. ## Where to go next * [Connect your first channel](/guides/connect-first-channel) — the cross-channel connect flow. * [Send and receive messages](/guides/send-receive-messages) — the cross-channel send pattern. * [Fallback chains](/guides/fallback-chains) — WhatsApp → SMS → voice failover. * [APAC channels onboarding](/guides/asia-channels-onboarding) — the parallel guide for LINE/WeChat/Kakao/Zalo. * [Best practices](/guides/best-practices) — platform-wide sending hygiene. * [WhatsApp channel page](/channels/whatsapp) · [SMS channel page](/channels/sms) · [RCS channel page](/channels/rcs) — per-channel API references.