Yes, you will need to buy a number through the Upwire platform to send and receive SMS (i.e. two-way communications).
For one-way SMS notifications with no replies, it may be possible to use an alphanumeric Caller ID, however this is not supported by carriers in all regions. To check if your region supports alphanumeric Caller IDs see Which countries support alphanumeric Caller ID?
To buy a new number:
- click on the drop down menu next to your name on the top right of the home screen
- select My Account
- select Numbers on the left side of the window
- select Buy Number
- choose your country
- choose what type of number you would like
- click Buy under the number you want and its yours
Note: you can search for a specific area code by typing the area code into the search bar. If you cannot find number you want, please contact support@upwire.com.
See How do I create a Caller ID? to see how to use an alphanumeric callerID for one-way SMS.