Exploring 10DLC: A Comprehensive Insight Into Its Significance In Application-to-Person Texting

A2P, or application-to-person texting, involves using an SMS service provider to send and receive messages. This used to be limited to automated messaging but has now expanded to resemble more personal conversations as more customers respond to business texts through 10DLC. This progression has led carriers like AT&T and T-mobile to step in to regulate these use cases.

The Need for 10DLC Regulations

The primary reason carriers are implementing 10DLC regulations is to prevent spammers from exploiting this medium. By requiring you to specify the A2P use cases for which you’re using texting, carriers aim to maintain text messaging as a quality channel for both customers and businesses. Complying with these regulations involves registering your organization and the texting use cases. Failure to do so may result in your messages being filtered and not delivered to customers.

The Effects of 10DLC Brand Registration

Registering your brand under 10DLC will improve the throughput of your messages, leading to faster delivery. This initiative by carriers is designed to ensure that SMS remains a reliable communication channel as more businesses start texting customers. The registration process helps to reduce spam and improve deliverability, thus enhancing the credibility of your messages with customers.

Registration Requirements

The 10DLC registration process requires you to provide the following details:

• Your company’s legal name
• Your company’s country of registration
• The type of your organization (private, publicly traded, nonprofit)
• Your company’s tax number/ID/EIN
• Your business’s website
• Descriptions of each campaign you text for
• Sample messages for each campaign you text for

While this may seem extensive, the information will be gathered via a form and submitted to The Campaign Registry, ensuring minimal work for you and contributing to your texting success.

Understanding the Campaign Registry

The Campaign Registry is a central platform for registering A2P 10DLC messaging campaigns. They help verify your business to prevent your messages from being filtered by carriers. They act as a liaison between your business and mobile carriers, and we work closely with them to represent your business and ensure your texts are delivered.

Preventing Your Texts from Being Marked as Spam

We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to help you craft professional text messages that don’t get flagged as spam. Here are a few key tips:

• Avoid sending mass messages with shortened URLs
• Do not end a message with a link
• Refrain from sending naked links (include the “https://”)
• Avoid using ALL CAPS in your message
• Limit the use of special characters (especially $ signs or emojis)
• Don’t repetitively send the same exact message to large groups
• Avoid sending texts the length of emails
• Ensure your messages are well-written, free of spelling or grammatical errors and sound human

You can sell your SMS service as wholesale just like you can with SIP trunking. However, you should be aware of a few key considerations:

1. Industry Standards: As with SIP trunking, when you’re selling SMS services, you should aim to work with a reliable and reputable provider. The provider should offer services that meet industry standards and have a proven track record of reliability and quality.
2. Carrier Regulations: One of the main differences when selling SMS services wholesale, particularly in the context of Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging, is the need to comply with carrier regulations. For example, in the United States, carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile have implemented regulations around the use of 10-digit long codes (10DLC) for A2P messaging. These regulations aim to prevent spam and maintain the quality of text messaging as a communication channel. As a wholesaler, you’ll need to register your organization and the use cases (campaigns) you text for, otherwise, your messages may begin to be filtered, and thus not delivered to customers. This registration process involves providing information about your organization, such as its legal name, country of registration, type of organization (private, publicly traded, nonprofit), tax number/ID/EIN, business’s website, and descriptions and sample messages for each campaign you text for.
3. The Campaign Registry: A2P 10DLC messaging campaigns are registered through The Campaign Registry, a central hub that verifies your business to ensure your messages don’t get filtered by carriers. They serve as a conduit between your business and mobile carriers.
4. Avoiding Spam: To avoid having your messages marked as spam, you should follow best practices when sending text messages. These include avoiding the use of shortened URLs, not ending a message with a link, avoiding sending the same message to large groups over and over again, avoiding sending texts the size of emails, and ensuring your messages sound like an actual human wrote them and are free of spelling or grammatical errors.
5. Fees and Costs: With the implementation of new 10DLC regulations, mobile carriers have also introduced new fees. These registration fees are often pass-through costs, and service providers may incorporate them into the cost of their service plans.

If you are a voice or communication service provider using Sangoma’s wholesale carrier services (formerly known as VI Communication Services), we’ve integrated the registration process directly into our BackOffice portal. This allows you to quickly collect information from your customers and get their numbers registered on their behalf. If you’d like more information on 10DLC and how Sangoma can help you and your customers, feel free to reach out to us!