diff --git a/.env.local.example b/.env.local.example
index a57ede91..910f564e 100644
--- a/.env.local.example
+++ b/.env.local.example
@@ -360,3 +360,5 @@ TWILIO_MESSAGING_SERVICE_SID=
 TWILIO_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=
 # Example only; replace with the externally reachable canonical HTTPS origin.
 # TWILIO_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=https://api.example.com
+# Country assumed for phone numbers entered without a country code (ISO 3166 alpha-2).
+NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION=US
diff --git a/backend/internal/cmd/serve/serve.go b/backend/internal/cmd/serve/serve.go
index db84428f..bf581280 100644
--- a/backend/internal/cmd/serve/serve.go
+++ b/backend/internal/cmd/serve/serve.go
@@ -40,7 +40,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/logger"
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/mustering"
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification"
+	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification/outbox"
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification/resend"
+	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification/routing"
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification/twilio"
 	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/readercontrol"
 	authservice "github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/services/auth"
@@ -124,6 +126,45 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, info buildinfo.Info, frontendFS fs.FS) error {
 	}
 	log.Info().Bool("enabled", emailConfig.Enabled).Msg("Notification email integration configured")
 
+	// The delivery planner turns a detected alarm or move into queued
+	// deliveries. Built at boot so a bad phone region or a broken template
+	// refuses to start; detection wires it in later, and the queue runtime
+	// that would run its trigger jobs is not started yet.
+	routingConfig, err := routing.ConfigFromEnv()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	templates, err := routing.NewTemplateRenderer()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	jobInserter, err := outbox.NewInserter(store.Pool().(*pgxpool.Pool))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	planningMetrics, err := routing.NewMetrics(prometheus.DefaultRegisterer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	outboxMetrics, err := outbox.NewMetrics(prometheus.DefaultRegisterer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	deliveryPlanner, err := routing.NewDeliveryPlanner(routing.Deps{
+		Store:         store,
+		Jobs:          jobInserter,
+		Renderer:      templates,
+		Metrics:       planningMetrics,
+		OutboxMetrics: outboxMetrics,
+		PhoneRegion:   routingConfig.PhoneRegion,
+		Log:           *log,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	_ = deliveryPlanner
+	log.Info().Str("phone_region", routingConfig.PhoneRegion).Msg("notification delivery planner constructed")
+
 	// Say it at boot as well as on /health (TRA-1190). The endpoint is what a
 	// test suite can check; this line is what a developer actually sees, and
 	// `just dev` completing against a schema two migrations behind is the root
diff --git a/backend/internal/notification/routing/config.go b/backend/internal/notification/routing/config.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e989c15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/notification/routing/config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package routing
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/trakrf/platform/backend/internal/notification/phone"
+)
+
+// DefaultPhoneRegion is the country assumed for phone numbers entered without
+// a country code, when NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION is not set.
+const DefaultPhoneRegion = "US"
+
+// Config holds the delivery planner's environment settings.
+type Config struct {
+	PhoneRegion string
+}
+
+// ConfigFromEnv reads the planner settings and rejects an unknown phone region.
+func ConfigFromEnv() (Config, error) {
+	region := strings.ToUpper(strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION")))
+	if region == "" {
+		region = DefaultPhoneRegion
+	}
+	if err := phone.ValidateRegion(region); err != nil {
+		return Config{}, fmt.Errorf("NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION %q: %w", region, err)
+	}
+	return Config{PhoneRegion: region}, nil
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/notification/routing/config_test.go b/backend/internal/notification/routing/config_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6d329a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/notification/routing/config_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package routing
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestConfigFromEnv(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("unset defaults to US", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv("NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION", "")
+		cfg, err := ConfigFromEnv()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, "US", cfg.PhoneRegion)
+	})
+	t.Run("lower case is upper-cased", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv("NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION", "ug")
+		cfg, err := ConfigFromEnv()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, "UG", cfg.PhoneRegion)
+	})
+	t.Run("unknown region is an error naming the variable", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv("NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION", "ZZ")
+		_, err := ConfigFromEnv()
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "NOTIFICATION_DEFAULT_PHONE_REGION")
+	})
+}