Appendix - GSM Error Codes

If a message send attempt fails, Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway creates a log entry, containing one of the following error codes:

What is SMS error code

SMS error codes are numbers sent when there's an issue with sending messages.

What is GSM error code

GSM error codes are a set of numeric codes that are used to indicate the cause of an error when sending or receiving an SMS message. The codes are used by GSM devices (IoT device that use a GSM modem), such as mobile phones and SMS gateways, to communicate with each other and to provide troubleshooting information to users.

GSM error codes are divided into two categories:

  • CMS error codes are used to indicate network-related errors. These errors can occur for a variety of reasons, such as the destination phone being turned off, the network being congested, or the message being too long.
  • CME error codes are used to indicate device-related errors. These errors can occur if the device is not properly configured, if the SIM card is not inserted correctly, or if there is a hardware problem with the device.

GSM error codes are typically displayed as a text message that begins with the word "ERROR" followed by the error code. For example, an error code of "300" would indicate a "ME failure" error, which means that the device was unable to process the message.

GSM error codes can be helpful in troubleshooting problems with SMS messaging. If you receive an error code, you can consult a GSM error code chart to determine the cause of the error and take steps to correct it.

Here are the main GSM error codes:

CMS Error Codes

  • 200: Message sent successfully
  • 300: ME failure
  • 400: Network failure
  • 500: Unspecified error

CME Error Codes

  • 200: Command executed successfully
  • 300: Command not supported
  • 400: Invalid parameter
  • 500: Operation not allowed

You can find a complete list of GSM error codes in the following table:

1Unassigned (unallocated) number
8 Operator determined barring
10 Call barred
21 Short message transfer rejected
27 Destination out of service
28 Unidentified subscriber
29 Facility rejected
30 Unknown subscriber
38 Network out of order
41 Temporary failure
42 Congestion
47 Resources unavailable, unspecified
50 Requested facility not subscribed
69 Requested facility not implemented
81 Invalid short message transfer reference value
95 Invalid message, unspecified
96 Invalid mandatory information
97 Message type non-existent or not implemented
98 Message not compatible with short message protocol state
99 Information element non-existent or not implemented
111 Protocol error, unspecified
127 Interworking, unspecified
128 Telematic interworking not supported
129 Short message Type 0 not supported
130 Cannot replace short message
143 Unspecified TP-PID error
144 Data coding scheme (alphabet) not supported
145 Message class not supported
159 Unspecified TP-DCS error
160 Command cannot be actioned
161 Command unsupported
175 Unspecified TP-Command error
176 TPDU not supported
192 SC busy
193 No SC subscription
194 SC system failure
195 Invalid SME address
196 Destination SME barred
197 SM Rejected-Duplicate SM
198 TP-VPF not supported
199 TP-VP not supported
208 D0 SIM SMS storage full
209 No SMS storage capability in SIM
210 Error in MS
211 Memory Capacity Exceeded
212 SIM Application Toolkit Busy
213 SIM data download error
255 Unspecified error cause
300 ME failure
301 SMS service of ME reserved
302 Operation not allowed
303 Operation not supported
304 Invalid PDU mode parameter
305 Invalid text mode parameter
310 SIM not inserted
311 SIM PIN required
312 PH-SIM PIN required
313 SIM failure
314 SIM busy
315 SIM wrong
316 SIM PUK required
317SIM PIN2 required
318 SIM PUK2 required
320 Memory failure
321 Invalid memory index
322 Memory full
330 SMSC address unknown
331 no network service
332 Network timeout
340 NO +CNMA ACK EXPECTED
500 Unknown error
512User abort

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