10DLC and Toll-Free A2P Texting: What Your Business Needs to Know
If your business texts customers from a local phone number, there is a good chance you have heard the acronyms 10DLC and A2P. If you haven't, you will, usually right around the time a text message mysteriously fails to deliver. Here is a plain-English guide to what these terms mean, why the rules exist, and what they mean for your business phone system.
Why the Rules Exist
Unwanted text messages are a real problem for consumers. The wireless industry trade group CTIA, working with the major carriers, set messaging standards to cut down on robo-texts and spam, especially from high-volume senders.
A key part of those standards is a distinction between two kinds of traffic:
P2P (Person to Person): a real person texting another real person, like a text between friends.
A2P (Application to Person): texting from a business, organization, or software platform to consumers.
Here is the part that surprises many business owners: a business line with a local area code is treated as A2P. Even if an employee types each message by hand, texts from your business number to your customers count as A2P traffic.
What Is 10DLC?
10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code. It is simply a standard local phone number, the kind with an area code, that is approved to send A2P text messages.
Starting in 2020, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other major carriers launched programs to manage business texting over these local numbers. Unlike many messaging rules, 10DLC is not run by the FCC. It is set up and enforced by the carriers themselves, who appointed a central registry, The Campaign Registry (TCR), to handle registrations. Enforcement, including per-violation penalty fines for non-compliant traffic, began November 1, 2021.
The bottom line: any business that wants to send texts from a local number must register.
The Vocabulary, Decoded
Brand: your company, the entity sending the messages.
Campaign: the reason you are texting. The word sounds like marketing, but it just describes your use case, such as account notifications, customer care, or two-factor authentication codes. If you never send a promotion, you still register a campaign.
TCR (The Campaign Registry): the central hub where brands and campaigns are registered.
DCA (Direct Connect Aggregator): a company with a direct connection to a carrier's messaging gateway that sends messages on behalf of its customers.
Common Questions
Does 10DLC apply to every phone number? It applies to every local number you want to use for outbound text or picture messages. Toll-free numbers are the exception, and they have their own process (more below).
Why do I need a privacy policy? Campaign guidelines require an easily accessible privacy policy. It must make clear that you do not share, sell, or rent the data you collect through texting to third parties. Make sure yours is published on your website before you register.
What if I have more than 49 text-enabled numbers? There is a cap on how many numbers can sit under a single campaign. If you legitimately need more, you can create separate campaigns by department, location, or use case, with each description spelling out the address or purpose. It is also worth reviewing whether you truly need that many text-enabled numbers.
Why does approval sometimes take so long? Registration has several steps, and it includes a manual review. A surge in registrations, along with slow compliance from some providers, has stretched approval times. Accurate, complete information on the first submission is the best way to avoid delays.
What About Toll-Free Numbers?
Toll-free numbers (800, 888, 877, and so on) are not part of 10DLC, but they are not a loophole either. They go through a separate toll-free verification process, where you tell the carriers who you are and how you intend to use texting. As with 10DLC, a clear use case, accurate business details, and a compliant opt-in process make approval smoother.
What This Means for Office Communications Customers
How your number is classified makes a big difference, and it depends on the kind of service you have.
Verizon One Talk numbers are ready out of the box. One Talk numbers are classified as wireless, so they are ready for texting without a separate 10DLC registration.
Office Communications VoIP numbers need registration. Our VoIP numbers are not wireless numbers, so to send outgoing, two-way text messages, the number needs to be covered by the brand and campaign registration described above. We can help you through that process.
Not sure which kind of number you have? Ask us. We can tell you which category your lines fall into and what, if anything, needs to happen before you start texting your customers.
Quick Checklist Before You Start Texting
Confirm whether your number is a wireless (One Talk), VoIP local, or toll-free number.
For VoIP local numbers, register your brand and campaign.
For toll-free numbers, complete toll-free verification.
Publish a privacy policy that meets carrier requirements.
Describe your real use case honestly and specifically.
Only text people who have agreed to hear from you.
Need Help?
If you have questions about texting on your Office Communications lines, or want help getting registered, reach out to our team. We would be glad to walk you through it.
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