A 10DLC allows companies to send Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS messages using a standard 10-digit phone number (10DLC), while improving deliverability, reducing spam, and ensuring compliance with carrier regulations.
If your business relies on SMS to communicate with leads or customers, A2P 10DLC is essential to ensure your messages are delivered reliably and not blocked by carriers.
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC is a U.S. system that enables businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) messages using standard 10-digit phone numbers.
Initially, long code messaging was designed for person-to-person (P2P) communication between individuals, like family and friends.
With A2P 10DLC, businesses can now use standard 10-digit numbers to send higher volumes of messages to customers in a more reliable and secure way, while helping reduce spam and protect consumers.
How Does A2P 10 DLC Registration Work?
To start sending A2P messages, you need to complete two key steps:
- Brand Registration
You must register your business and verify your identity with carriers.
This includes submitting:
- Business name and address
- Business type and details
- Company identity information, including EIN.
- Campaign Registration
After your brand is approved, you need to register your messaging campaign.
This includes:
- Defining your use case (e.g., promotions, alerts, 2FA)
- Receiving a trust score from The Campaign Registry (TCR)
- Determining your messaging throughput based on your score and campaign type
Although this process may seem difficult, it’s not. Smarter Contact is happy to guide our customers and help when needed.
Watch this video to learn how to apply for 10DLC registration.
FAQ
What is 10DLC?
10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code, which is a standard 10-digit phone number (e.g., 555-555-5555) sanctioned for business-to-consumer messaging in the U.S.
Who needs to register?
Any business or organization that sends text messages to U.S. recipients from a 10-digit long code must register. Carriers consider all business-originated traffic as A2P, even if it is a single customer support response.
What information is required?
You will need your legal business name, physical address, business type (LLC, Non-profit, etc.), EIN/Tax ID, a working website, and sample messages.
How long does it take to approve your 10DLC submission?
Smarter Contact can expedite your 10 DLC approval so you can start texting and calling within 2 business days. Industry average approval of the entire end-to-end process, from initial submission to final approval, typically takes between 2 to 3 weeks. In some cases, with manual reviews or carrier backlogs, it could take up to 4 weeks or more.
What are the benefits of A2P 10DLC?
Higher messaging throughput
A2P 10DLC allows businesses to send messages at a much higher rate compared to unregistered long codes.
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- Fewer carrier restrictions and filtering
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- More reliable delivery for high-volume campaigns
Dedicated business number
Each business uses its own registered number, improving trust and control.
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- No shared numbers (unlike shared short codes)
- Your deliverability isn’t affected by other senders
- Supports marketing, alerts, and transactional messages from one number
Voice and SMS in one number
10DLC numbers support both texting and calling.
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- Send SMS and make calls from the same number
- Simplifies communication with leads and customers