# Absent subscriber

> Absent subscriber is the carrier reason for a message that could not be delivered because the phone was switched off or out of coverage at every retry; the number is valid and usually delivers later.

The network knows the number but cannot reach the device. The SMSC retries during the validity period; if the phone never comes back, the message expires. It is nobody's fault and the number should stay on the list, unless it is absent send after send, which suggests a SIM that is no longer in use.

A high absent share on a first campaign to a region with poor coverage is normal; the same share on a list of active customers is a sign the list is old.

At SMSMeteor: absent subscribers are reported with their own reason so they are not confused with unknown numbers, and a longer validity on non-urgent content lets more of them deliver.

Related terms: [Unknown subscriber](https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/unknown-subscriber), [Validity period](https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/validity-period), [Expired message](https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/expired-message)

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Source: https://smsmeteor.com/glossary/absent-subscriber (HTML). Generated by SMSMeteor from the same data as the page. Summary of the whole site: https://smsmeteor.com/llms.txt