Mandatory U.S. A2P 10DLC Messaging Registration

Here are the step-by-step instructions regarding the upcoming changes to SMS and MMS messaging with 10DLC phone numbers:

What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person 10-digit long code. It is a new standard in the United States that allows businesses to send SMS and MMS messages to consumers through standard 10-digit phone numbers.

The goal of A2P 10DLC is to improve the delivery and reliability of business messaging, while also reducing the amount of spam and unwanted messages that consumers receive.

To comply with A2P 10DLC, businesses must register their messaging campaigns with the carriers and obtain a unique identifier for each campaign. They must also obtain consent from recipients before sending them messages. Businesses that do not comply with A2P 10DLC may have their messages blocked by carriers.

What You Need To Know?

1. Starting from July 5, 2023, all SMS and MMS messages sent to U.S. phone numbers using 10DLC phone numbers must be part of a registered A2P campaign.
2. Setting up new phone numbers or messaging campaigns will require additional time for data collection, submission, processing, and third-party approval.
3. If you continue to send messages using unregistered phone numbers, phone providers will gradually increase message blocking, beginning on July 5, 2023. This will ultimately result in a complete block after August 31, 2023.
4. Blocked messages will receive an error code 30034, indicating that they are unregistered 10DLC messages.
5. Even for blocked messages, unregistered messaging rates will still apply.
   To check the registration status of your phone numbers for A2P 10DLC, you can refer to this article

Why These Changes Are Happening?

1. The gradual increase in message blocking, starting July 5, 2023, allows customers to transition to registered A2P campaigns before phone providers fully block unregistered messages on August 31, 2023.
2. Major U.S. telecommunications carriers require U.S. A2P 10DLC registration to establish a fully-verified messaging ecosystem.

What You Need To Do?

1. If you already use registered A2P campaigns for all your U.S. messaging, no further action is needed.
2. If you rely on provisioning new 10DLC phone numbers to send messages to U.S. recipients, you need to associate those numbers with an approved A2P campaign or initiate a new A2P campaign registration.
3. Keep in mind that A2P campaign registration takes time and requires cooperation with third parties for carrier approval. Stay updated on the processing time by referring to our A2P 10DLC Campaign Vetting Changes guide. Also, check out the A2P 10DLC Campaign Approval Best Practices for helpful tips.

By following these steps, you can ensure compliance with the upcoming changes and continue sending messages effectively to U.S. recipients.