A2P 10DLC guide: US compliance and regulations explained
Here is everything you need to know about using A2P 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) to communicate with customers in the US.
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC refers to using a 10-digit long code (10DLC), a phone number specially designed for business messaging (Application-to-Person, or A2P) in the United States. It lets you send SMS and MMS messages to customers and make voice calls. It’s far quicker, easier, and cheaper to set up than a short code (which used to be the go-to option for business texting). However, a 10DLC also requires a special registration process and must comply with US messaging guidelines.
Examples of messages sent from a 10DLC, short code, and a toll-free number. Note: short codes can have 5 or 6 digits.
Benefits of 10DLC
- Fast and straightforward: 10DLCs are easier and quicker to set up than short codes.
- Flexible: 10DLCs support a growing number of business messaging use cases.
- Reliable: 10DLCs are approved by all major US carriers. Working with a Tier-1 10DLC provider like Infobip ensures the stability of the connection, and there’s no risk of being shut down because of bad traffic sent by another business sharing the same short code.
- Lower costs: 10DLCs have lower setup and monthly costs than short codes.
Features of 10DLC
- Two-way communication: You can message customers and receive their replies.
- Voice, text and images: You can make voice calls, send texts with SMS and images with MMS using a single number.
- Localization: You can boost your local outreach by choosing a 10DLC with a local area code, making your business more recognizable and trustworthy to local customers.
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Use cases for 10DLC
With speeds up to 75 messages per second, equaling over a million messages daily, 10 DLCs support most use cases for business messaging. These include:
- Marketing campaigns: Promoting new products, announcing sales, and sending targeted offers.
- Appointment reminders: Sending automated reminders for appointments, bookings, and reservations.
- Review invites and feedback reminders: Asking satisfied customers to leave feedback and encourage positive reviews.
- Order updates and shipping notifications: Keeping customers informed about their orders and deliveries (i.e., rideshare and airline-related updates).
- Customer support and FAQs: Providing help and answering common questions through text chat.
- Events, promotions, and sales: Engaging attendees, promoting upcoming events, and driving sales through targeted messages.
- Two-factor authentication: Authenticating account registration and logins by sending SMS messages with OTP codes.
- Political messaging: For example, government and political organizations can encourage voter turnout.
- Donations & charity: For example, non-profit organizations can send out messages inviting donors to contribute.
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What is A2P 10DLC compliance?
A2P 10DLC compliance refers to the rules you must adhere to for obtaining and using a 10DLC number to message customers. If you don’t, mobile carriers might block your SMS messages, charge higher fees, or even suspend your service.
Here is a short checklist with the main elements of 10DLC compliance:
- Provide required company information: When registering for 10DLC, provide accurate details (company name, tax ID, address) to avoid delays or rejections during campaign approval.
- Be clear on campaign goals: Articulate your campaign purpose clearly to remove ambiguity and set expectations. For instance, specify if your campaign relates to customer feedback.
- Format campaigns according to guidelines: Create descriptive campaign names that reflect the campaign’s intent and content, making it easier for recipients to recognize and trust your messages. Include your brand name and “HELP” and “STOP” instructions in every message. This satisfies regulatory requirements and builds trust with your audience.
- Avoid public URL shorteners: U.S. carriers often block shortened links like bit.ly or tiny.url due to fraud concerns. Use branded short links for message integrity.
- Control messaging volumes: Manage your messaging throughput to maintain quality and prevent carrier penalties.
Why is brand registration important for 10DLC compliance?
In the US all messaging programs must be registered, meaning that you also need to register for a 10DLC. An easy and straightforward way would be through a trusted messaging provider like Infobip, in which case the overall process would include the following steps:
- Buy a dedicated 10DLC number.
- Register your brand (provide legal information about your company).
- Register a campaign connected to your number (e.g., provide a summary of your campaign, explain use cases, provide examples of messages, etc.)
- Undergo the review process and wait for approval.
- Go live.
Important A2P regulations in the US
Here is a summary of the most important elements of A2P messaging compliance in the United States.
- Registration required: In the US all messaging programs must be registered. Unregistered traffic is not allowed.
- Content restrictions: Certain types of content, such as gambling, drugs, alcohol, firearms, and adult content, are prohibited from being promoted. Promotion of some financial products, such as certain loans, debt relief, and credit repair, is also prohibited. Lead-generation campaigns that involve sharing collected information with third parties are also disallowed.
- Opt-in requirement: Both marketing and transactional messaging are allowed, but only to subscribers who have opted to receive them.
- Two-way messaging: All commercial text messages must be two-way, which enables customers to opt out of receiving further messages and obtain support by texting “HELP”.
- Multiple sender types: In the US businesses can use short codes or 10-digit long codes (10 DLCs).
- Legislation: The key legislation covering SMS messaging in the US is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), a trade group representing wireless carriers and others in the telecom industry, lays out additional guidelines for SMS marketing in its Short Code Monitoring Handbook. Also, each individual carrier network is privately owned and operated, and as such, they reserve the right to approve, reject, question, or disable any campaign on their network. Some carriers have their own individual Code of Conduct.
It’s crucial to understand the distinction between legal requirements and carrier guidelines in the United States.
- The TCPA sets the legal framework, prohibiting the sending of unsolicited text messages (SMS) to consumers without their consent. Non-compliance can lead to hefty class-action lawsuits and fines of up to $1500 per text.
- CTIA guidelines are carrier-specific rules that further protect consumers. Adhering to them is essential to avoid fines, maintain a positive reputation and ensure uninterrupted sending capabilities.
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Other common questions about A2P 10DLC
10DLCs were introduced as a substitute for businesses using P2P numbers and unsanctioned shared short codes. They help protect customers from spammers and bad actors who use SMS for fraud, while ensuring optimal performance for registered SMS campaigns.
Following the launch of A2P 10DLC, carriers began requiring that shared short codes be migrated to dedicated 10DLCs or short codes. This was because shared short codes were viewed as a high security and spam risk. The fact that many businesses share the same short code made them difficult to monitor.
This has been a positive step for businesses – especially as privacy and anti-spam legislation has been tightened. With shared short codes, the businesses that used them would also have to share the keywords for opting in and out.
This meant that if another company abused the shared short code by sending inappropriate or excess messages, any recipient using the STOP, QUIT or CANCEL would automatically be unavailable to all the brands using the short code. Even worse, legitimate businesses could have all their traffic suspended by carriers due to misuse of the shared code by another brand.
Use 10DLCs if you want to:
- Send messages (SMS and MMS) to customers and make voice calls
- Focus on local customers (e.g., one state)
- Start faster, at less cost
Use dedicated short codes if you want to:
- Send large volumes of messages (SMS and MMS) nationwide, at high speeds (time-critical)
- Have a short, recognizable number for your brand
- Track delivery receipts (DLRs)
We recommend you consult with your messaging provider for further guidance. You can learn more about the differences between 10DLC and other number types here:
To comply with US regulations, all businesses who want to message customers need to register for a number. However, it isn’t mandatory to use a 10DLC number (although it’s generally the fastest and easiest to set up). Depending on your use case, you can consider a short code or a toll-free number. You can learn more about the differences between 10DLC, short codes, and toll-free numbers here.
Yes, but consider factors like brand recognition, message volume, and potential cost changes before switching.
The short answer is yes. If you are not registered, carriers might block your SMS messages, charge higher fees, or even suspend your service.
An easy and quick way to register for 10DLC is through a provider like Infobip. You can complete the whole registration process through our platform. Read more about 10DLC registration here.
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