What is 10DLC?
10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) is the sanctioned standard for A2P text messaging utilizing a traditional 10-digit phone number. This program was created using the following guidelines found in Messaging Principles and Best Practices provided by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), to stop unwanted messages from reaching consumer devices.
What is TCR?
The Campaign Registry (TCR) is the information hub that allows the registration of 10DLC messaging campaigns. The MNOs have appointed TCR to oversee the 10DLC registration initiative.
What is a DCA?
Direct Connect Aggregators (DCAs) provide direct connectivity to mobile carrier gateways to deliver SMS messages.
What are MNOs?
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are telecommunication companies that provide wireless voice and data services to mobile phone subscribers.
What is a Brand?
The company or entity the end customer believes to be sending the message. Your company or organization's legal name, TAX ID/EIN, type (public, private, or charity), website, address, and contact information must be provided for verification. You are unable to submit any campaigns if your brand has not been verified.
What is a Campaign?
A campaign describes the intended goal or use case of the messages (e.g.: account notification, customer care, or 2FA) and how businesses and organizations communicate with their audience through text messaging in a controlled and regulated manner.
How do I register if I only use messaging services to send personal text messages or if I don't have an EIN?
Personal text messaging (P2P: person-to-person) isn't currently supported via Flowroute. Only A2P (application-to-person) is presently available. That means A2P 10DLC principals apply to all messages sent via A2P channels regardless of the content.
I received an email notification stating that unregistered 10DLC traffic will be blocked, but I don't (or I'm unsure if I) use messaging services. What should I do?
If you received an email notification that means you have at least one 10DLC DID number on your account that is opted-in for messaging services. To see the status of the 10DLC registration on your DID numbers along with the associated Brand ID and Campaign ID (for registered numbers), please navigate to the Manage Portal's DIDs section. If you are not using messaging services you may "opt-out" from messaging on the same DID Manage page.
How do I check the status of 10DLC registration on my DID numbers?
Log into your Flowroute account and go to the DID Manage page. The "Messaging Status" column reflects the registration status (Registered/Unregistered) for every "opted-in" (aka provisioned for messaging) DID number on your account.
Does 10DLC apply to all phone numbers?
Yes, it applies to all DIDs intending to send outbound SMS/MMS to off-net numbers.
Can I register one Brand and one Campaign for all my customers?
10DLC registration requires specifying the TAX ID/EIN for each Brand and it is impossible to register all DIDs from various customers/companies on a single campaign. Each customer or company should have their own brand and campaign. Registering one brand and one campaign across several customers/companies will put the Brand at risk. The downside risk of using one Brand and one Campaign across multiple customers/companies is that one bad actor can cause a whole campaign to be blocked, thereby causing a service interruption across all users.
BCM One does not accept new setups of the campaign Use Case "Sole Proprietor." Why is this and what do I tell my partner/customer if they truly have no EIN and are technically considered a “Sole Proprietor”?
- BCM One doesn't support this use case because T-Mobile has not yet fully conveyed the requirements for how to get a Sole proprietor's Campaign approved. However, this issue can be circumvented.
- If the customer does not have an EIN they can register for one. This is not tax advice, but this is the only way we can serve your SMS service. Once an EIN is acquired, you can register your brand as “Private“ and use the “Low Volume Mixed” use case, which allows more numbers to be registered per campaign and costs less per month than any other use cases.
NOTE: Getting a new EIN implies the business will not be immediately available in the IRS online database, and therefore registration will have to be done manually. This will require a $40 external vetting fee to be paid.
Why does it take so long to get a campaign set up sometimes?
Setting up a campaign involves multiple steps such as submitting documentation, going through external vetting, and carrier approval. These steps take time to complete and can cause delays in setting up a campaign.
- There are several steps to setting up a 10DLC campaign, and several entities verifying it before it can be used. Depending on the entity’s response time, it may take a while to get your campaign vetted. These entities include:
- The Campaign Registry (TCR) for brand and campaign verification
- The Direct Connect Aggregator (DCA) for extra campaign vetting
- Depending on the carrier, they may also do independent vetting
What can a partner/customer do to ensure a campaign goes through quickly?
Make sure the 10DLC Brand/ Campaign registration request has been completed appropriately. If the request isn’t in order then there’s a high probability that it will be rejected, and that will only increase the time it takes to get set up and piling up of DCA campaign vetting fees. Also, see below for a list of things to double-check before submitting your Brand/Campaign request.
Which authority is overseeing 10DLC Registration, imposing and applying penalties?
Mobile Network Carriers (MNOs) fine the messaging aggregators, who in its turn fine service providers like Flowroute, and finally, Flowroute passes those charges through its customers.
Can we receive help with 10DLC registration over the phone instead of email?
Given the complexity and specificity of the data needed for 10DLC registration, it is only available via our online form as the first step.
How come texting works differently for toll-free and local numbers?
Toll-free numbers are often recognized by the prefixes like 800, 888, 877, etc., and are free for callers and texters. Messaging via toll-free numbers requires a process known as "Toll-Free Verification" which is similar but not identical to 10DLC Registration.
When can we start using API to register for 10DLC?
There is a plan to improve the current automation integration for 10DLC registration for all BCM One brands, although there is no timeline yet.
How long does it take to process registrations?
Our team is diligently processing all submitted registrations. Due to the high volume of submissions, we cannot provide an estimated completion time frame.
Is 10DLC registration required for Canadian DIDs that are only sending messages to other Canadian DIDs?
Yes, it is required, please refer to page 2 of the Registration Guide for more details.
Inbound SMS only. Is it possible to receive SMS to DID numbers that don’t have 10DLC registration?
Yes, it is possible. Missing 10DLC registration affects outbound messaging (MT) only.
How do I make changes to an existing 10DLC registration?
You can add new numbers, remove certain numbers, or cancel an existing registration by submitting your request to Flowroute Support or by sending an email to support@flowroute.com. We’ll handle it from there.
What to check before submitting a Brand/Campaign request:
- Legal Company Name
- Must match the company name found in the IRS letter (please replace with the official name of that document)
- EIN
- Website
- Campaign Description
- Explain the campaign's objectives and intended use. The campaign description must be able to tell the intended purpose of the overall message.
- Call to Action/Message Flow
- This is an invitation for a consumer to opt-in to a messaging campaign. You are required to provide a clear, concise, and conspicuous description of how an end-user subscribes to receive messages. Provide detailed information on how mobile subscribers opt in.
- Sample Messages
- Opt-in, Opt-out, and Help Messages
What can be done for a business that legitimately uses more than 49 SMS-enabled numbers?
- If the brand has multiple numbers in different locations, separate campaigns per location can be created. Make sure to indicate the address in the campaign description.
- They can create separate campaigns with different/dedicated use cases (e.g., Customer Care, 2FA, or Account notification).
- Assess the numbers and SMS usage if they need to have more than 49 numbers.
- Request for Number pooling.
Webinar to help with 10DLC registration
To help you successfully register your 10DLC numbers Flowroute hosted the "10DLC Registration Training" webinar.
Topics covered in the webinar:
- What is 10DLC and 10DLC Registration?
- What is the difference between P2P and A2P messages and why does Flowroute only support A2P?
- How to avoid mistakes and delays in the registration process
David Anandraj, our Product Manager at Flowroute, and the Communication Service Provider team guided messaging users through the steps and answered customer questions.