What is 10DLC?

10DLC stands for “10-digit long code,” the typical phone number format you would see when messaging your friends and family. For US numbers, the pattern is AAA-BBB-CCCC: 10 digits in total starting with a three-digit area code followed by a seven-digit number. These phone numbers differ from others in terms of registration and compliance, specifically toll-free numbers and short code numbers.

However, not all 10DLC numbers themselves are the same. When sending SMS messages from Quiq, service providers utilize an application that interfaces with mobile networks to send messages to your customers. This application-to-person (A2P) messaging must be deemed trustworthy by the mobile carriers (AT&T, Veizon, T-Mobile, etc.) to ensure that consumers know who you are, know that their information is protected, and are informed of the nature of your messaging.

Where do the requirements for 10DLC originate?

The requirements and guidelines for 10DLC originate from The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 and subsequent FCC regulations, which are in turn enforced by all mobile carriers (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) and service providers. The goal of these policies is to protect consumer privacy via informed consent, which is why there are strict requirements for sharing information, clearly stating opt-in for a specific messaging use case, and providing consumers with information on the implications of messaging and opt-out.

This trust for 10DLC numbers is established and enforced by an organization known as The Campaign Registry (TCR). The mobile carriers mentioned above rely on vetting from TCR to ensure that compliance and transparency are maintained in messaging to their customers. The process of obtaining 10DLC approval is simply providing information to TCR that serves to verify your use of a 10DLC phone number via A2P messaging.

Why does my company need to register?

Registering for 10DLC benefits both your company as a sender and your customers as recipients. Consumer protection comes in as the top and most important benefit. All U.S. mobile carriers require 10DLC registration to ensure SMS messaging is used responsibly and in accordance with the law. Registration gives mobile carriers more insight into who is sending A2P messages and what type of messaging is being delivered to their mobile users.

For you, 10DLC registration is helpful in a number of ways. Reliable, high-throughput messaging is granted once numbers are registered. This provides more message throughput for any given 10DLC phone number and decreases the likelihood of your messages being accidentally flagged as spam; less spam means more response rates. Moreover, if there was ever an issue with message delivery from your phone number, proper 10DLC registration greatly helps our service providers resolve the issue.

Is 10DLC needed for non-US numbers?

The short answer here is no, 10DLC currently applies only to US messaging. However, if you’re sending messages to a US number, registration is required, even if the sending number is outside the US. For example, messaging within Canada from a Canadian number doesn’t need registration, but messaging sent from a Canadian number to US numbers does.

Do newly ported or hosted SMS numbers need to register?

Yes, all ported or newly hosted SMS numbers under Quiq’s service provider need to be associated with a compliant 10DLC registration. This is true even if the number was previously associated with an approved Campaign under your ownership. If you plan to port or host your number with our service provider and there is no existing approved 10DLC registration with Quiq, we will work with you to submit a 10DLC registration prior to the port or hosting. This will ensure that SMS traffic on the number will be compliant once it moves to us.

What information do I need to provide?

To register your 10DLC SMS phone number, you will need to provide information about your company - specifically your Brand information - along with the details about the specific messaging Campaign associated with the SMS number. The Brand details who you are, and the Campaign describes the types of messages you will send and how your customers agree to receive these messages.

Brands can be thought of as the “parent” entities for Campaigns. Your company can go through the registration process for more than one Brand, and more than one Campaign can be registered under each Brand, as well.

Can Quiq help with this process?

Absolutely. The information collected as part of a 10DLC registration is extensive, detailed, and can be overwhelming to consider, especially if your company is new to SMS messaging. Our team is more than willing to review with you any of the requirements, as well as address any questions you may have. This can be particularly helpful if you are not exactly sure how your company will be using SMS or into what category your messaging fits. We are always here to help.

Prior to even submitting your 10DLC registration to TCR, we will review the information internally to determine if everything looks to be in order. If there is additional information, screenshots, or documentation needed, modifications to your proposed messaging, or any clarification we feel would be beneficial to the submission, we’ll let you know right away to ensure that your 10DLC registration looks strong.