# Prepare Phone Numbers for SMS

## **Sign Up for an Opentact Mission Control Portal Account:** 

Head to [https://portal.opentact.org](https://portal.opentact.org/) to sign up for your free Opentact account. This grants access to our Opentact Portal, enabling you to buy numbers, set up messaging profiles, and more.

### **Buy an SMS-Capable Phone Number with Opentact:**

To utilize the Messaging API, acquire an SMS-capable phone number from Opentact, either through purchase or porting. Follow these steps:

* Navigate to the Numbers section in the Opentact Portal.
* Click on the Search & Buy Numbers tab, specifying your city, country, or rate center.
* Select desired features (Voice, Fax, SMS, MMS) and click Search.
* Add selected numbers to your Cart and proceed to Place Order.

*Note: Ensure sufficient credit for the purchase. Click the + button to add credit.*

* Alternatively, explore programmatically adding/buying numbers via our RESTful API.

### **Create a Messaging Profile:** 

Simplify your inbound and outbound messaging settings by creating a Messaging Profile. Follow these steps:

* Navigate to the Messaging section in the Opentact Portal.
* Click Add new profile, enter a name, and configure settings, including webhook URLs.
* Ensure the profile is using API V2 and click Save.

*Note: Programmatically create a Messaging Profile using our RESTful API.*

### **Assign Your Phone Number to Your Messaging Profile:** 

After creating a messaging profile, add your number to it with these steps:

* Navigate to My Numbers in the Opentact Portal.
* In the My Numbers tab, locate your number.
* Click on the "Select profile to send messages" box in the "Messaging Profile" column.
* Choose your messaging profile from the dropdown menu under "SMS Messaging" and click Save Changes.

{% hint style="info" %}
*Programmatically assign a number to a Messaging Profile via our RESTful API.*
{% endhint %}

With these straightforward steps, your phone numbers are primed for efficient SMS sending and receiving using Opentact. Explore further programmability through our comprehensive RESTful API documentation.