Blog
Mass Messaging
What is A2P? What is 10DLC? Guide to A2P 10DLC Registration
What is A2P? What is 10DLC? Guide to A2P 10DLC Registration

Guide to A2P 10DLC Regulations, Compliance & Registration with The Campaign Registry

The world of text messaging and telecommunications is complex. It couldn’t get any harder to navigate, right?

Wrong. New regulations have changed how businesses and organizations text. Carriers have since begun cracking down on spam text messages and increasing their messaging fees.

So, does your business or organization need to reach people with text messages?

Then you’ll need to know:

  1. What A2P 10DLC is
  2. 6 reasons why you need A2P 10DLC
  3. How to register for high-volume A2P 10DLC text messaging

By the end, you’ll have everything you need to maintain A2P 10DLC compliance and send texts in bulk. I’ve even included a list of frequently asked A2P 10DLC questions at the end.

Read on for more!

Add SMS Superpowers to Any Business Phone
No number porting. No switching carriers. Just add texting.
inbox team conversation

P2P SMS vs. A2P SMS

Everyone is familiar with 1-on-1 and group text messages sent from smartphones. But these kinds of texts are different from mass texts.

The big difference between A2P and P2P messaging comes down to who’s sending texts and how they’re sending them.

People send P2P text messages manually, one by one. The best peer-to-peer texting platforms are iPhone and Android. But there are also other P2P texting platforms and group text apps, like WhatsApp, Signal, and others.

These P2P apps are different from business text messaging software like MessageDesk. They can’t send A2P text messages automatically in bulk.

The bottom line: you need carrier-approve A2P texting to send text blasts. Peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging is only meant for low-volume personal use.

P2P SMS A2P SMS
Who/what sends the message Person (Personal Phone) Software (Business Text Messaging Service)
Messages allowed per second 1 10+
Approved for bulk business texting? 🚫

6 Reasons Why Businesses and Organizations Need Carrier-Approved A2P 10DLC Text Messaging

1. A2P 10DLC allows you to send more texts faster (higher text message throughput)

Short codes used to be the only way for businesses and organizations to send bulk text messages.

But A2P 10DLC and business texting software changed that.

Once you get approval for A2P 10DLC you can send text messages from various business texting services (including MessageDesk) at much higher rates and in higher volumes.

Carriers and messaging providers call this “throughput”. Throughput refers to how fast you can send text messages from an application to a person using business texting software.

How many text messages and how fast you can send them depends on the type of campaign you’re approved for. I list all the details further down in this article.

2. A2P 10DLC works with toll-free and local phone numbers

It’s now much easier to get a text number for business. Organizations have more SMS phone number options for high-volume, A2P, and mass texting. These include:

  • Local area codes with 10-digit phone numbers
  • Toll-free numbers
  • Existing business landlines
  • VoIP phone lines

If your organization has an existing phone number you can also transfer, host, or port the phone number to a new text messaging provider.

3. A2P 10DLC gets you optimal text message delivery rates

Ever wonder why your text messages aren’t getting delivered? Most likely it’s because the carriers are blocking your messages.

A2P 10DLC text messaging fixes that.

Once you’re approved for high-volume sending, you’ll get the best text message delivery rates possible. This is how you optimize engagement, response, and open rates to get the most out of your text message campaigns.

4. A2P 10DLC helps you maintain trust and credibility as a brand

Trust and credibility are important for any brand. And carriers often scrutinize businesses and organizations that send promotional and transactional messages.

So A2P 10DLC lets AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile know that your text messages aren’t spam.

Once you register your phone number and brand for A2P texting you’ll get a Trust Score. These scores let carriers know what kind of messages you’re sending and how fast you can send them.

Check out the CTIA Guidelines, FCC guidelines, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) compliance guide for more specifics on regulations.

I also provide a detailed breakdown of A2P 10DLC Trust Scores further down in this article.

5. A2P 10DLC supports two-way, conversational, text messaging

People often prefer two-way texting to one-way texting. This is because two-way texting is conversational and feels more friendly.

So when you want to send out a text blast to mobile users, A2P 10DLC makes sending and receiving messages feel like any other normal, two-way texting experience. You can’t do this with short code text messaging.

This kind of conversational technology allows you to send more personalized messages at scale.

6. A2P 10DLC gets you lower bulk text messaging costs compared to short codes

Compared to short code texting, A2P fees with a 10DLC or toll-free SMS number are lower. I’m talking a few hundred dollars per month lower.

Compare that to a few thousand dollars per month for a dedicated SMS short code.

You can check out the detailed A2P 10DLC pricing below.

{{sms_phone="/media"}}

How to Register for High-Volume A2P 10DLC Text Messaging

I’ve covered why A2P 10DLC is important. Now it's time to address how A2P 10DLC registration works.

1. Choose an A2P 10DLC business texting service

The first step to getting approved for A2P 10DLC is choosing a business SMS provider.

There are several great business texting services approved for A2P 10DLC, including MessageDesk. These platforms often support high-volume texting on both local 10-digit phone numbers and toll-free numbers.

If you’re looking to get your whole team texting, then you’ll want a service with a shared team SMS inbox.

Doing large-scale SMS marketing campaigns? You’ll want an SMS marketing service or mass text app that supports text message broadcasts.

MessageDesk offers features that suit both these business texting needs.

{{inbox_annotated="/media"}}

2. Create a free account

Your next step is to create a free account. You can do this with MessageDesk by starting a free trial.

You’re also free to meet with one of our messaging experts to learn more about A2P 10DLC Registration.

{{inbox_login="/media"}}

3. Select a new phone number or text-enable your existing number

Next, you’ll need to select a number or use your existing business phone line. MessageDesk gives you a range of options including both local 10DLC SMS numbers and toll-free SMS numbers.

To text from your existing business number or landline, you’ll need to submit a number porting request.

{{sms_phone_number="/media"}}

Note: It will likely take from 1-7 days to successfully text-enable your business number once you submit your request. Sometimes, this process is referred to as number hosting (not to be confused with number porting).

4. Register your phone number, brand, and campaign with The Campaign Registry

A2P 10DLC messaging works by registering a phone number and “brand” (your organization) to send campaigns (types of messages) across carrier networks. This registration takes place through The Campaign Registry. Registration through The Campaign Registry for A2P 10DLC has three parts:

  1. Your Number: the local 10DLC or toll-free number you’re using to text
  2. Brand Registration: who your business or organization is (tax information)
  3. Campaign Registration: the type of messages you’ll be sending

The Campaign Registry (TCR) is a third-party hub for vetting application-to-person (A2P) 10-digit long code (10DLC) messaging campaigns. The TCR works with North American mobile operators and companies to register application-to-person (A2P) text messaging campaigns.

Most A2P business texting services (like MessageDesk) are considered campaign service providers (CSPs). This means they have special carrier relationships through platforms like Bandwidth, Twilio, and Vonage.

This also makes SMS A2P approval through The Campaign Registry much easier for your business or organization.

All it takes to get A2P approval on your existing phone number with MessageDesk is one form submission.

To start registering your organization for A2P 10DLC you'll need to provide:

  1. Your organization’s legal name
  2. Your organization’s country of registration
  3. The type of your organization (private, publicly traded, nonprofit)
  4. EIN number (or other tax ID)
  5. Your organization’s website
  6. Organization address
  7. Phone number
  8. Business or organization email
  9. Campaign name
  10. Campaign description
  11. Campaign use case
  12. Campaign sample messages
Add SMS Superpowers to Any Business Phone
No number porting. No switching carriers. Just add texting.
inbox team conversation

A2P 10DLC Campaign Registry Campaign Types, Uses, and Monthly Fees

You’ve selected an A2P 10DLC texting service and started the registration process. Your next step is to understand the different A2P 10DLC campaign types.

Below is a table describing standard and special A2P campaign types, their uses, and monthly fees charged to your text messaging service by The Campaign Registry.

Standard A2P 10DLC campaign types

Campaign Type Use Campaign Registry Monthly Fee
2FA Any authentication, verification, or one-time passcode $10
Account Notification Standard notifications for account holders, relating to and being about an account $10
Customer Care All customer interaction, including customer care and customer support including appointment reminders $10
Delivery Notification Information about the status of the delivery of a product or service $10
Fraud Alert Messaging Messaging regarding potential fraudulent activity related to an account $10
Higher Education Campaigns created on behalf of Colleges and Universities. It also includes School Districts and educational institutions that fall outside of the “free to the consumer” messaging model $10
Low-Volume Mixed Small throughput, any combination of uses $2
Machine to Machine Non-human, wireless communication between two or more physical assets $10
Marketing Any campaign with marketing and/or promotional content $10
Mixed Any undeclared combination of uses $10
Polling and Voting Requests for surveys and voting for non-political purposes $10
Public Service Announcement Any informational message meant to raise an audience’s awareness around an important issue $10
Security Alert A notification that the security of a system, either hardware or software, has been compromised and action needs to be taken $10

Special A2P 10DLC campaign types

Campaign Type Use Campaign Registry Monthly Fee
Agents and Franchises Brands that have multiple agents, franchises, or offices but require individual local phone numbers for each $30
Carrier Exemptions Exempt campaigns designated by carriers $10
Charity Messages from a registered charity including 5013C charities, but excluding religious organizations $3
Emergency Messages promoting public safety and health following a natural disaster, conflict, or any other emergency situation $5
K-12 Education Messaging for K-12 educational institutions and distance learning centers, but not post-secondary school $10
Political Campaigns Any messaging intended to influence the decision-making of a specific group, but for pre-vetted Federal campaigns and select organizations only. $10
Proxy Peer-to-peer, app-based messaging with proxy/pooled numbers $10
Social Messaging within or between closed communities like influencers’ alerts $10
Sole Proprietor Sole Proprietors are individuals with a billing address, but without an EIN / Tax ID $.75
Sweepstake Messaging for or around sweepstakes and contests $10
Platform Free Trial Free trial messaging $0
UCaaS High-Volume Unified communications as a service $10
UCaaS Low-Volume Unified communications as a service $2

US A2P 10DLC Pricing and Additional US A2P 10DLC Costs

US A2P Standard Brand registration fee: $4 one-time registration fee.

Note: Starting October 1, 2021, T-Mobile will begin charging a one-time $50 campaign activation fee for each newly registered campaign (not including Starter campaigns).

AT&T carrier fees

Since May 1, 2021, Twilio has been passing on AT&T's carrier fees to our customers. AT&T set these fees to a discounted rate of $0.002 per outbound SMS segment and $0.0035 per outbound MMS.

As of March 1, 2022, AT&T has increased the cost of unregistered traffic.

AT&T ultimately plans to implement a detailed fee table with fees varying by Campaign type, however, the launch date for AT&T's full fee table (shown below) is still TBD.

Fees effective for all long code messages to AT&T as of March 1st, 2022:

  • $0.002 per registered outbound SMS message segment to AT&T
  • $0.0035 per registered outbound MMS message to AT&T
  • $0.004 per unregistered outbound SMS message segment to AT&T
  • $0.005 per unregistered outbound MMS message to AT&T

Fees effective for long code messages to AT&T after the transition period ends (date TBD):

Campaign use case type AT&T long code outbound SMS carrier fee (per segment) AT&T long code outbound MMS carrier fee
Single-use, non-marketing use case $0.002 $0.0035
Mixed or Marketing Use Case $0.003 $0.0035
Special use cases Varies Varies
Basic / Unregistered $0.004 $0.005

T-Mobile carrier fees (including Sprint)

As of March 1, 2022, T-Mobile has increased per-message fees for unregistered long code messaging to T-Mobile (including. Sprint) users.

Fees effective for all long code messages to T-Mobile as of March 1, 2022:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
  • $0.01 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message
  • $0.004 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment
  • $0.013 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message

Verizon Wireless carrier fees

Verizon introduced the following A2P 10DLC fees in January 2019. They haven’t announced any plans to change their fee structure since these fees were introduced.

Fees for all long code messages to Verizon Wireless, since January 2019:

  • $0.0025 per outbound SMS message segment
  • $0.005 per outbound MMS message

US A2P 10DLC Compliance and Regulations

What is an A2P 10DLC Trust Score

When you complete your US A2P Brand registration, your Brand will receive a Trust Score from 0 to 100. This rating influences the maximum message throughput that will be allocated to each of your Campaign use cases.

When you complete the registration of your Brand and Campaign(s) for A2P Messaging through the Salesmsg, that information is sent from Salesmsg to The Campaign Registry (TCR), a third party at the center of this new registration system.

A2P 10DLC Trust Scores and messaging throughput

Trust Score Total Messages Per Day Total Messages Per Second (MPS) AT&T Messages Per Second (MPS) T-Mobile Messages Per Second (MPS) Verizon Messages Per Second (MPS)
86 – 100 10000+ 180 60 60 60
66 – 85 5000+ 30 10 10 10
26 – 65 3000+ 3 1 1 1
15 – 25
(Low Volume Mixed Campaign)
1000+ 2.2 0.2 (12 segments per minute)** 1 1

How carriers determine your Trust Score

Carriers are afraid of spam. They don’t want their customers to receive unwanted, dangerous, or malicious text messages.

So carriers ask for detailed information about your organization and its SMS uses before approving your brand for high-volume text messaging.

After you submit your brand information, an independent agency assigns you a trust score based on the kinds of messages you’ll be sending. Messages are marked as low or high risk.

A “low-risk” messaging campaign may be something like two-factor authentication. A high-risk use case may be sending messages about debt relief.

How Trust Scores influence text message delivery and throughput

Trust Scores are grouped into four levels, from lowest to highest. Your Trust Score level, combined with your Campaign Type, will determine the message throughput that’s allocated to your campaign use case.

A2P 10DLC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below is a list of frequently asked questions related to A2P 10DLC and The Campaign Registry.

Do I need to buy a new phone number to use A2P 10DLC?

There’s no need to buy a new 10-digit long code phone number. In most cases, you can enable an existing business phone number for use with A2P 10DLC.

Can I use an existing SMS phone number for local A2P 10DLC messaging?

Yes, you can set up a new 10DLC phone number or text-enable, port, or host any existing phone number for use with an A2P 10DLC campaign.

What happens if you don't register for A2P 10DLC?

Unregistered A2P messaging may result in carrier bans and severe fines of up to $10 per text message. Decreased message delivery rates and fees will apply to organizations that send texts without A2P 10DLC registration.

At a future date, unregistered text messaging in the US via 10-digit long code numbers may not be supported.

Does A2P 10DLC affect messaging in Canada or any other countries?

No A2P 10DLC doesn’t affect Canadian messaging. Canadian mobile carriers may introduce A2P 10DLC registration solutions in the future. At this time carriers haven’t announced any plans to do so.

How long does it take to register a phone number and brand with an A2P 10DLC campaign?

You can complete A2P 10DLC registration in a few minutes if you've collected all of the required information.

What information do you need to register for A2P 10DLC?

To register a US-based business or organization for A2P 10DLC you’ll need:

  1. Your organization’s legal name
  2. Your organization’s country of registration
  3. The type of your organization (private, publicly traded, nonprofit)
  4. EIN number (or other tax ID)
  5. Your organization’s website
  6. Organization address
  7. Phone number
  8. Business or organization email
  9. Campaign name
  10. Campaign description
  11. Campaign use case
  12. Campaign sample messages
Note: If your Tax ID (EIN) does not exactly match your business name listed on your registration, may not be approved. It should appear exactly as it does on your taxes which could include an LLC or Inc. at the end of your legal business name. If there’s a discrepancy in the information you provide, a manual review may be required for Secondary Vetting. This can take up to 7 days.

Does A2P 10DLC affect MMS messaging?

MMS text messaging is subject to carrier fees as part of A2P 10DLC. Long code photo texting also remains subject to throughput limits, due to limited carrier capacity. A short code is still the best option for ultra-high-volume MMS in the United States.

What messaging throughput can I expect?

Messaging throughput (MPS) depends on the type of Campaign you get approval for through The Campaign Registry. For many, A2P 10DLC offers much higher throughput than the traditional 1 message per-second for long code text messaging.

Does A2P 10DLC registration affect toll-free numbers?

A2P 10DLC doesn’t affect US toll-free phone numbers. Toll-Free SMS is still a great way to send A2P SMS in the United States as well as Canada.

Does A2P 10DLC registration affect shared short codes?

Shared short code phone numbers will be banned as brands transition to A2P 10DLC. The exception to this policy is a shared short code used to send 2-factor authentication (2FA) messages or OTP codes. “Shared short codes” refers to short code numbers that are shared between multiple brands.

Add SMS Superpowers to Any Business Phone
No number porting. No switching carriers. Just add texting.
inbox team conversation

Ready to start sending carrier-verified text messages?

MessageDesk offers smarter, simpler ways to send bulk text messages using carrier-vetted A2P SMS channels.

We’re here to get your business or organization set up with a 10DLC or toll-free SMS number to start more conversations.

You can always put us on your calendar and meet with a messaging expert for answers to questions.

MessageDesk Newsletter
Join the 20,000+ people who get business communications tips in their inbox every two weeks.