Guide to 10DLC SMS brand and use-case registration
Learn how to register your phone numbers to meet SMS compliance standards and improve the deliverability of your SMS messages to your clients.
What Is 10DLC and Why Is It Important?
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and other mobile carriers in the United States are requiring that all businesses sending text messages register their phone numbers with The Campaign Registry (TCR). These regulations are intended to prevent spam and ensure the delivery of your legitimate messages to your customers.
In order to continue sending text messages, you must register your phone numbers. Unregistered phone numbers will not be able to send text messages to US phone numbers with any of these carriers.
Telzio’s Role in the New 10DLC Regulations
It's important to understand who's doing what when it comes to 10DLC.
As mobile carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile introduce new regulations known as 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code), we want to clarify Telzio’s position and how these changes affect you.
Telzio Isn’t Introducing These Regulations
The new 10DLC requirements are created and enforced by the mobile carriers—not by Telzio. These regulations aim to improve messaging deliverability and reduce spam by requiring businesses to register their messaging campaigns and adhere to specific guidelines.
Why Compliance Is Necessary
If we don’t comply with these carrier-mandated requirements, the mobile carriers will block all messages sent from Telzio customers to their networks. To prevent this and ensure your messages continue to reach your recipients, we must enforce these regulations and require registration of your messaging use cases.
Message Blocking from Unregistered Numbers
Because the carriers will block messages from unregistered numbers, we are required to prevent outbound messages from unregistered numbers on our platform. This step is essential to maintain the reliability of your messaging services and to comply with the carriers’ policies.
Our Commitment to You
We understand that these changes may be inconvenient, and we’re here to support you through this transition. Our team is dedicated to making the registration process as smooth as possible, providing guidance, and answering any questions you may have.
What You'll Need to Get Registered
Here is some of the information you'll need to complete the registration process of your phone numbers:
- Company Type: Is your company a government entity, non-profit organization, private for-profit, public for-profit, or a sole proprietorship? Also, specify your industry.
- Company Address: The primary address for your company headquarters where your numbers will be registered.
- Company Phone Number: The best number to reach your company for any communications related to your registration.
- Company Taxpayer Identification Number: Government, non-profit, and for-profit companies need to provide an EIN, VAT, or Tax ID.
- Company Website: The web URL/link to your online presence.
- Description of the Messages You Send: A truthful explanation showcasing the exact scope and purpose of your messages with examples.
- Description of Opt-In Procedures: How does your customer provide their consent to receive messages from your company?
How to Register
Follow these steps to complete your registration:
- Go to the Account Settings page on the Telzio dashboard and find the Regulatory Compliance section.
- Follow the prompts to register and verify your brand. In most cases, the verification process is automated and only takes a couple of minutes, so stay on the page to continue to the next step right after this is done.
- When your brand is verified and approved, continue by creating your use case on the same page. Be truthful and make sure to properly fill out all fields. Many applications are rejected due to lack of information or incorrectly completed forms. It can take several days for a use case to be reviewed. Each submission costs $15 regardless of it being approved or rejected, and there's a limit to how many times you can resubmit the application if it's rejected.
- Submit the application and wait. It can take several days—sometimes over a week—to get an application reviewed by the mobile carriers, so be patient. We'll send you an email as soon as we have the results.
- Once your use case is approved, you can assign your phone numbers to it. This is done from the same page, and you can update the assignments at any time. Most types of use cases are limited to having 50 phone numbers assigned. If you need more than that, please contact our support team.
Registration Fees
All fees are passed through directly to you from The Campaign Registry and are charged from your Telzio account balance.
- For brand registration and vetting, the fee is $4 per attempt regardless of the outcome.
- For use cases, the fees vary based on the type of use case and message volume. For most Telzio customers, the fee is only $1.50 per month, with a minimum commitment of 3 months. Additionally, there's a $15 vetting fee applied when submitting a use case application, regardless of the outcome.
FAQs About the 10DLC Registration Process
Q: What is 10DLC?
A: 10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code, which is a standard for business text messaging using local phone numbers. It was introduced to enhance the reliability, security, and trustworthiness of SMS communications by reducing spam and ensuring legitimate messages reach their recipients efficiently.
Q: What is The Campaign Registry?
A: The Campaign Registry (TCR) is an independent reputation authority that US mobile carriers selected to manage the registration of business messaging use cases. TCR's role is to help carriers monitor and verify SMS use cases, ensuring compliance with regulations to reduce spam and improve message deliverability for legitimate business communications.
Q: How long does it take to register a phone number?
A: It takes on average 3–5 business days for TCR to review each application.
Q: Do I need to register each phone number separately?
A: Each use case needs to be registered separately and can contain multiple numbers per use case.
Q: Do I need to support opt-in, opt-out, and help keywords?
A: Yes, most use cases require responses to keywords such as START, STOP, and HELP. The STOP keyword needs to be included in your opt-in message. Telzio will not handle this automatically. However, Telzio will automatically process any STOP requests on your behalf by blocking your number from being able to text that client number again.
Q: What happens after my application is approved?
A: Once The Campaign Registry (TCR) approves your application, you will automatically be able to send text messages from your registered Telzio numbers.
Q: What happens if my application is rejected?
A: You'll receive a rejection response by email with the reason for the rejection, and you can resubmit your application.
Q: Do I need to re-register my numbers if I've already registered them with another provider?
A: No. If you've registered your numbers with your previous provider, you can port the numbers to Telzio and maintain your registration status to continue sending texts. Provide our team with the information below to ensure a smooth transition. Telzio Account Owners will be sent an email containing a verification link accessible for 24 hours to approve the transfer.
- Company Name of your Telzio Account
- Telzio Account ID or 5-Digit Account Number
- Brand ID with your previous provider
- Campaign ID with your previous provider