Starting August 31, 2023, all A2P messages sent from unregistered ten-digit long code numbers (Local and National numbers) to US numbers will be blocked.
Carriers are becoming increasingly sensitive to spam and AUP enforcement when it comes to SMS and Calls. To keep spamming in check and to protect the end customer (leads/contacts) they have created various regulations & compliance frameworks.
This article will help explain which compliance you or your client may need and how to get them.Best Practice for Brand Registration –
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Trust Center Onboarding Overview
- Business Profile, A2P Brand, and Campaign Registration Status
- Pricing for A2P Brand and Campaign
- Create a Messaging Service and link the Phone Numbers to it
- FAQ
- at is the pre-requisite for A2P Standard registration?
- Are there any charges associated with the Low Standard brand registration?
- I am still unsure of what all this means. What do I do?
- What information would be required from the sub-account to move with the registration?
- Is messaging to Canada or any other countries also affected by these changes?
- I have been sending SMS forever, what has changed?
- Does this apply to only marketing campaigns or does it apply to all SMS?
- How long do I have to complete the registration for myself and my clients?
- How can I become compliant?
- What happens if I or my clients can’t perform the registration in time?
- Is there a cost associated with the A2P 10DLC registration?
- I don’t want to deal with all of this. Is there any alternative for me and my clients?
Trust Center Onboarding Overview
Trust Center provides products that can improve customer engagement by increasing throughput and brand recognition. To access the available Trust Center products, please follow the steps below:
Click on Start Registration in A2P Brand and Campaign Registration (SMS) section, Ignore the Business Profile section
Determine A2P Brand needs
Does the business you’re registering have a Tax ID (E.g. EIN, CCN etc.)?*
- Yes, the business I’m registering has a Tax ID (E.g. EIN, CCN etc.).
- No, the business I’m registering does not have a Tax ID (E.g. EIN, CCN etc.).
- Only Business with valid US and Canada address are allowed to register A2P brand without a tax ID.
- check out A2P Sole Proprietor Brands Registration is Now Live!
You can find your US EIN on your IRS or previous tax return documents(W2, W9 or CP 575).
Brand and Campaign Details
Select the Campaign Use Case and enter a description for the same
Provide Production Sample Messages and select if the hyperlink and phone number will be shown in the SMS.
Provide details around end-user consents and opt-ins.
Click on Submit!
Business Profile, A2P Brand, and Campaign Registration Status
Once all the steps in the first 3 points are completed, the status for all the 3 registries will be fetched and shown below:
- In this case, the Business Profile is approved and the Brand is submitted with a Pending Approval status.
- In this case, the Business Profile, A2P Brand, and Campaign all three are registered and Approved status.
Pricing for A2P Brand and Campaign
- Agency markup will not be applied to these charges and these will be pass-through charges that would directly be sent to the carriers.
- The sub-accounts (in case of rebilling) will be charged a one-time registration fee of $4.41 whereas the agencies will be charged $4.20.
- The one-time camping fees of $16.5 and monthly campaign fees will be around $1.5 to $11.5 based on the campaign use case.
Sub-account level transactions charges:
Agency-level transaction charges
Please Note: At times both the charges (one-time and monthly) will be grouped and you can see a charge as high as $15.5 USD.
Create a Messaging Service and link the Phone Numbers to it
We will automatically create the messaging service and link it to all the phone numbers available in the sub-account once the campaign is approved.
FAQ
What is the pre-requisite for A2P Standard registration?
The prerequisite to A2P registration is to create a business profile providing the EIN and additional business registration information.
Are there any charges associated with the Low Standard brand registration?
Yes, there is a one-time $4.41 USD and a monthly Campaign Fee ($1.5 USD to $11.5 USD). For most cases, we have seen this to be $2/month.
I am still unsure of what all this means. What do I do?
For now, if you are unsure about how A2P 10DLC compliance works, it will be the best strategy to stop using local & mobile numbers and start using Toll-Free numbers altogether as explained here.
What information would be required from the sub-account to move with the registration?
The sub-account will need a business registration EIN and some additional info like address, website and etc.
Is messaging to Canada or any other countries also affected by these changes?
No. Canadian mobile carriers may introduce registered A2P 10DLC solutions in the future, but at this time carriers have not announced any plans to do so.
For information about message sending in countries other than the US, we recommend checking out our country-specific SMS Guidelines pages to learn about any unique rules or restrictions in that country.
I have been sending SMS forever, what has changed?
A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) is a messaging framework introduced by the wireless industry in the United States to regulate and improve the delivery of Application-to-Person text messages. It aims to address issues related to spam and unwanted messages on long codes while ensuring legitimate businesses can continue using text messaging for communication with their customers.
Does this apply to only marketing campaigns or does it apply to all SMS?
A2P 10DLC is applicable for all Application-to-Person texting like marketing SMS, reactivation campaigns, appointment reminders, prospecting, billing alerts, 2FA login codes, etc.
How long do I have to complete the registration for myself and my clients?
The deadline to complete your (and your client’s) A2P 10DLC registration and get compliant is August 31, 2023.
How can I become compliant?
Please refer to the following help articles:
- LC Phone System Trust Center
- A2P 10DLC Brand Approval Best Practices
- A2P 10DLC Campaign Approval Best Practices
What happens if I or my clients can’t perform the registration in time?
Unfortunately, your SMS traffic will cease to deliver to AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, ClearSky, etc. if you do not perform the registration. Please note this is not specific to VenderFlow Phone or enforced by us. This is done by the carriers and The Campaign Registry.
Is there a cost associated with the A2P 10DLC registration?
Yes, since January 2023 there is a fee charged by carriers and The Campaign Registry for vetting your brand & campaign applications. You can find the details of the fees associated with A2P 10DLC here.
I don’t want to deal with all of this. Is there any alternative for me and my clients?
Yes, while we advise you to become compliant if you wish to continue sending SMS from local & mobile numbers in the USA, you could avoid A2P 10DLC altogether by switching to using Toll-free numbers.
Toll-free numbers also require registration but it is free and less complicated than A2P 10DLC.
Please refer to Toll-Free Number Registration for LC – Phone (US/Canada) to learn how you can switch to toll-free numbers and perform toll-free number registration. This is free and by using this you can avoid dealing with A2P 10DLC registrations and associated costs altogether.