Guides

US A2P 10DLC

A2P (Application to Person) 10DLC (10 digit long code) is the standard that United States carriers have put in place to ensure that SMS traffic to US end-users through 10-digit long codes is verified and consensual.

What is A2P?

Application to Person (A2P) messaging is any SMS traffic in which a person is receiving messages from an application rather than another individual. US carriers consider any messages sent from a Notificare number (or any other messaging provider) to be application to person. Traffic sent from an individual person to another person is called Person to Person (P2P) traffic.

What is 10DLC?

10DLC stands for 10-digit long code. A 10DLC phone number contains 10 digits, and is also called a local phone number. When you are buying a US phone number from Notificare, you will most likely see them labeled as Local. Additionally, you can also use Toll-Free numbers and Short Codes to send messages from Notificare to people in the United States.

Why A2P 10DLC was created?

10-digit long codes in the US were originally designed for person to person (P2P) communication. These routes were unregulated, and in recent years have started seeing abuse. Due to the increase in SPAM, many consumers have lost trust in SMS as a form of communication. US A2P 10DLC is the standard that carriers have implemented in the US to regulate this communication pathway. A2P 10DLC improves the end-user experience by making sure that people can opt in and out of messaging and also know who is sending them messages. It also benefits businesses, offering them higher messaging throughput, brand awareness, and accountability.

Who needs to register for US A2P 10DLC?

Anyone sending text messages with a 10DLC number from an application to the US must register for A2P 10DLC. Carriers consider all SMS traffic from Notificare to be sent from an application, so anyone using a 10DLC number with Notificare to send SMS messages to the US will need to register.

Toll-Free and Short Code numbers are not part of the A2P 10DLC system and can also be used for messaging in the United States. To register for one of these, please contact our support team.

Currently, you can only register for US A2P 10DLC by requesting it from our support team.

Requirements for US A2P 10DLC

US A2P 10DLC has been put in place to ensure that all A2P 10DLC traffic to US phone numbers is verified and consensual. Notificare offers different A2P 10DLC Brand types, depending on the type of customer you are and the messaging volume and throughput you need.

Sole Proprietor BrandLow Volume BrandStandard Brand
Customer TypeStudent, hobbyist, or any one without a Tax IDRegistered companies with a Tax IDRegistered companies with a Tax ID
Campaigns per Brand1up to 5up to 5
Daily Message Volume1000 SMS segments per day to T-Mobile (approximately 3000 SMS segments per day across US carriers)Up to 2000 SMS segments per day to T-Mobile (approximately 6000 SMS segments per day across US carriers), with the exception of companies in the Russell 3000 Index, who will be able to send 200000 SMS segments per day to T-MobileFrom 2000 and up to unlimited SMS segments per day to T-Mobile, depending on your Trust Score (assigned with the Secondary Vetting)
Registration Fee (one time)€6€6€60 (includes Secondary Vetting)
Recurrent Cost€3/month€3/month€15/month

To start this process, you will be requested the following information:

Business Information

  • Business Name
  • Physical Address (Street, City, State/Province/Region, Postal Code, Country)
  • Business Type (Corporation/Co-Operative/LLC/Non-Profit)
  • Company Status (Private/Public) (Stock Ticker & Exchange if Public)
  • Business Registration Number & Type (EIN for US-based companies)
  • Industry
  • Website
  • Regions of Operations

Point of Contact

  • Name
  • Email
  • Title
  • Phone Number
  • Job Position (Director/VP/GM/General Counsel/CEO/CFO)

Campaign Information

  • Description
  • Sending messages with embedded links? (Yes/No)
  • Sending messages with embedded phone numbers? (Yes/No)
  • Sending messages with age-gated content? (Yes/No)
  • Sending messages with content related to direct lending or other loan arrangement? (Yes/No)
  • At least 3 Message Samples

Campaign Guidelines

The following information outlines best practices when submitting a campaign registration. To prevent potential campaign registration rejections, please make sure that you meet these requirements.

Message Flow

The primary purpose of the Message Flow (or Call to Action) and required disclosures is to ensure the end user consents to receive text messages and understands the nature of the program. The Message Flow must be accessible by a 3rd party reviewer so it can be verified.

Requirements
Program or product description
Telephone number(s) from which messaging will originate
Identity of the organization or individual being represented in the initial message
Clear and conspicuous language about opt-in and any associated fees or charges
Compliant privacy policy
Other applicable terms and conditions (e.g., how to opt-out, customer care contact information)

If the Call to Action is behind a login, not yet published publicly, is verbal, on in paper, provide a screenshot of the Call to Action. Please indicate if disclosures are provided to end user in any language other than English and provide a translated copy for verification.

Campaign Description

Provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the campaign's objectives and interactions the end-user would experience after opting in.

Requirements
If the Campaign pertains to Loan Arrangement or Direct Lending, specify such so that Notificare Support can adjust your campaign to reflect that.

Terms and Conditions

Provide publicly accessible terms of service. Boilerplate terms of service that cover minimum requirements from the carriers as described below:

{Program name}

  1. {Insert program description here; this is simply a brief description of the kinds of messages users can expect to receive when they opt in.}
  2. You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the short code. After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
  3. If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at {support email address or toll-free number}.
  4. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages
  5. As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. You will receive {message frequency}. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.
  6. If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy: {link to privacy policy}

Opt-in

Campaigns require a proper opt-in method which ensures that end-users provide consent to receive text messages. This can take many forms, and you are required to provide information about all the opt-in methods you offer.

Verbal

Verbal opt-in is the most difficult method to verify, however it is an acceptable method as long enough details are provided that a 3rd party reviewer can verify. An example of a verbal opt-in would be something along these lines:

  • Brand: "As part of our service we can send you automated monthly text alerts regarding account payment activity. We will send two messages per month. Message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile phone service plan. At any time you can get more help by replying HELP to these texts, or you can opt out completely by replying STOP. Mobile Terms of Service are available at {URL} and our Privacy Statement can be found at {URL}. Please reply with 'yes' or 'no' to indicate if you would like this service".
  • Customer: "Yes please."
  • Brand: "Great! We will send you a text message to confirm your enrollment here shortly."

Web/App Form

An embedded form on the brand's website/app that prompts end-users to enter their phone number and opt into the texting campaign. Please note checkbox should be selectable by customer and should not be selected by default.

web form example

Via Text

Customers can also opt-in via a text message to a brand's 10DLC. This could be a banner in a website, a billboard, newspaper publication, etc. In those cases, you should also provide an example of that campaign.

keyword leaflet example

If any of these examples are not available publicly (in verbal or paper form, behind a login or not yet published), please send screenshots to our support team.

Opt-in Message Confirmation

With Notificare you can configure how this confirmation looks like. Please ensure that is meets the requirements listed below.

Requirements
Program name (eg. Thank you for subscribing to Notificare promotional messages)
Customer support contact information (eg. Reply HELP for more information or contact +123456789)
Opt-out instructions (eg. Reply STOP to opt-out)
Recurring messages program disclosure (eg. Message frequency varies)
Associated fees or charges disclosure (eg. Message and data rates may apply)

Sample Messages

Provide message examples highlighting use case of your campaign.

Requirements
Identify message sender (brand)
Indicate templated fields with brackets
Include opt-out language to at least 1 sample message

Most Common Rejections

Make sure you submit a campaign registration with accurate and consistent data. Failing to do so will result in campaign registration rejections.

Best PracticeRejected Example
Consistency in brand to be registered, website and sample messagesIf your brand name is Acme Inc., your website is acme.com, but your sample messages is Here’s your one-time passcode for logging into www.xpto.com.
Consistency in sample messages and use casesIf you register a marketing campaign, but sample messages say Here’s your one-time passcode: 123456.
Consistency in email domain and company nameIf you register a brand as Apple, but you provide an email address with the Gmail domain name. Note that this check only applies to large, well-known corporations that should have dedicated email domains.
Make sure you submit real, working websitesIf you indicate that your customers opt-in via a website, but provide a website that does not function nor complies to guidelines.
Make sure to indicate the templated fields in sample messages with bracketsDental check due for Alice, Visit website.com to schedule an appointment or call 123-456-7890 instead of Dental check due for [Alice], Visit [website.com] to schedule an appointment or call [123-456-7890].