Overview

Lately, there has been a significant rise in spam and fraudulent messages, creating frustration for consumers and a challenge for mobile carriers to regain consumer confidence in their services.

To solve this problem, U.S. mobile carriers are mandating that businesses register for A2P 10DLC to continue sending SMS on their network. This increases transparency and trust for businesses while making it more difficult for bad actors to send fraudulent messaging traffic.

This is a industry-wide change required by all major U.S. Mobile carriers and affects all services like Revenue.io. Read more on SMS Compliance and A2P 10DLC here.

Beginning August 31st, 2023, all SMS messages sent to U.S. numbers using 10DLC numbers (eg. (123) 456-7890) must be sent via a registered application-to-person (A2P) campaign.

If you do not have a registered A2P campaign and attempt to send messages to U.S. numbers after August 31st, 2023, they will be blocked.

Registering for A2P 10DLC

Before you get started:

1. Your organization must be a registered business to provide an active Tax ID/EIN number.
2. You must provide the contact information of an authorized representative of the organization and their information needs to be publicly verifiable (Company social media, website, published article, etc.)
3. Your organization must have a valid opt-in consent process which allows SMS recipients to register or revoke their consent prior to receiving messages.

Application Form

To start your application, please complete the form linked here. Carrier approval will take approximately 3-4 weeks from submission.

Register for A2P

Required Information

Business Information

• Full Legal Business Name (Must match Tax ID/EIN)
• Business Address (Must match Tax ID/EIN)
• Company Type (Private/Public/Non-Profit)
• Stock Ticker (If Public)
• Tax ID / EIN Number
• Industry
• Website
• Regions of Operation
• Authorized Representative
  • Full Name
  • Title
  • Email
  • Phone Number

Campaign Information

• Campaign Description
  Provide a detailed explanation of your SMS use case for the carrier. It must include details on where and how the consumer provides opt-in consent. If this is unclear, the campaign will be rejected.
  

  Example
  Acceptable: This campaign sends messages to customers who have signed up to our website [link to website] requesting to receive additional information about our services. We use these messages to help provide them more relevant information about our services using the information they provided. When appropriate, SMS is then used to schedule further calls with the customer.
  Not Acceptable: This campaign sends messages to customers to get their availability to discuss our products.

• Two (2) Sample Messages
  Sample messages should represent actual messages to be sent during the campaign.
  When composing your sample messages:
  
  • Do not use placeholder text for your sample messages.
  • Use brackets to indicate templated fields in the sample message.
  • Be consistent in sample message, use case, and campaign description.
  • Provide Opt-out when applicable.
    
    
• Describe how end-users consent to receive messages
  The call-to-action must be explicitly clear and inform the consumer how their information will be used to contact them. If multiple opt-in methods are being used, list them all.
  When composing your response:
  • Provide a link to the website or form where opt-in occurs.
  • List all opt-in methods if multiple are used.
  • Make sure that any website provided is publicly accessible so the carrier can validate.
    
    

    Example
    Acceptable: Customers provide opt-in consent when enrolling on our website and requesting a demo. Both are a self-service process and occurs at website.com/demo. By checking a "text me" checkbox, customers authorize [company] to send text messages with additional information. Below the form is a call-to-action which clarifies the nature of the communication, how often they can expect to receive text messages, a reminder that message/data rates apply. Consent is not a condition of purchase. [Link to terms and conditions]
    Not Acceptable: Customers sign up on the website and check a box. We also ask if we can text them on the phone.

SMS Opt-in Guidance

An example of an opt-in system could be a website where prospective customers sign up to receive messages. A comprehensive opt-in solution should contain the following:

• Program name and/or a description of the messages that will be sent
• Organization or individual being represented in the initial message
• Fee disclosure (e.g. "Message and data rates may apply")
• Service delivery frequency or recurring messages disclosure (e.g. "Message frequency varies" or "You will receive no more than 2 messages within a 30 day period")
• Customer care information contact information.
• Opt-out instructions (typically "Text STOP to cancel")
• Link to Privacy Policy describing how end-user opt-in information will be used
• Link to Terms and Conditions describing terms of service
• A checkbox option that end-users must select in order to receive SMS messaging. The checkbox can not be pre-selected. The checkbox provides the end-user the ability to agree, or not agree, to receive SMS messaging.

Please refer to the CTIA guidelines for detailed instructions and best practices on handling consumer consent. Please consult with your legal advisors as required on fulfilling the requirements as they apply to your use case and organization.

Additional guidance and best practices can be found in Twilio's A2P Campaign Approval Best Practices.

Q&A

Does A2P 10DLC impact messaging to Canadian numbers, or other international numbers?

No, A2P only applies to messaging customers in the US at this time.

Am I required to register if I'm already registered for A2P through another provider?

Yes, A unique campaign registration is required for each of your business use cases. A2P Campaign registration from another service provider cannot be transferred.

Am I required to obtain consent (opt-in) from the recipient before sending text messages?

It's recommended to not only obtain consent, but also have a system in place to record and audit user consent for compliance. Opt-in consent must be demonstrated for an A2P campaign to be approved.