Frequently asked questions about 10DLC

10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) Introduction & Contents

10DLC helps protect customers from unwanted spam while allowing businesses to better connect with their customers. Introduced in 2021, 10DLC has become virtually mandatory for businesses sending local text messaging traffic via US (+1) long code numbers in the United States.

What is 10 DLC?

10DLC allows businesses to send application-to-person text messages (A2P) using long local codes in the United States.

Why was 10DLC introduced?

Carriers introduced 10DLC to provide a sanctioned platform for businesses to send SMS and MMS messages using long codes. Their objective is to protect consumers from unwanted spam while still allowing businesses to better connect with their customers. This change will also improve deliverability because 10DLC allows for higher messaging throughput than P2P long code traffic.

Does 10DLC allow handset receipts?

No. We recommend exploring short code or toll-free messaging if handset receipts are required.

Does 10DLC allow Free To End User programs?

No, this program is not currently available, and there are no known plans to change this.

Who 10DLC Applies To?

How do I know if 10DLC applies to me?

Generally, all traffic sent by - or on behalf of - businesses from +1 long code numbers (not Toll Free or Short Code) is governed under 10DLC. Specifically, 10DLC applies to the below types of businesses:

What do I need to do to comply with 10DLC?

You must:

Failure to do the above can result in throttled traffic, higher fees, and even fines.

Does 10DLC affect (person-to-person) P2P traffic?

According to guidelines as of 2023, virtually all SMS and MMS sent by a business—even if manually triggered by a human—is considered A2P. Therefore, while 10DLC isn’t strictly required for P2P traffic, Vox Tandem has observed that most “P2P” Use Cases are often, in fact, A2P and should be registered.

You may qualify for P2P registration ONLY if the following conditions are true:

If you believe your business meets all the above conditions and qualifies for P2P Carrier Approval, please contact support to request a Carrier P2P Use Case Questionnaire.

Will toll-free numbers (TFNs) be affected by 10DLC?

No. Toll-free numbers require registration but are not explicitly covered under 10DLC guidelines. We recommend referring to our Toll-Free Messaging FAQs for more details.

How to register for 10DLC

What are the basic requirements for 10DLC registration?

10DLC requires businesses to register a Brand (business) and Campaigns (Use Cases) to increase transparency regarding who is sending what. You can submit requests to register your Brand(s) and Campaign(s) by email to support@voxtandem.com

Can I create more than one brand?

You can only create one Brand per EIN (Employer Identification Number or Federal Tax Identification Number). Additional Brands require their own unique EIN.

Can non-US brands be added while using the portal?

Yes. Please note all 10DLC rules (and possible penalties) still apply to non-US entities.

What happens after I submit my Brand and Campaign for approval?

Brand and Campaign information submitted via Vox Tandem is passed on for manual review by The Campaign Registry (TCR), the third party that administers carriers' 10DLC registration system.

In addition, Campaigns (but not Brands) are manually reviewed by Carriers. This review is an industry-wide mandatory step for all A2P 10DLC registrations.

Are any Campaigns treated differently?

Yes, the following Campaign Use Cases are treated differently:

These types of campaigns often require pre-approval, post-approval, and/or vetting. In some cases, they require a different vetting agent (such as Aegis or Campaign Registry for political campaigns).

This information will be displayed when transitioning from the “Use Case Selection” page.

If my campaign falls under a political Use Case, how can I be vetted for it?

Federal political campaigns can be verified via Campaign Verify or Aegis. If you did not register via Telnyx, you can also import the verification token they provided you with after completing their verification process.

What is the purpose of a Mixed Campaign Use Case?

A phone number can be assigned to one Campaign at most. However, a Campaign can have many assigned phone numbers.

Many businesses that want to use just one phone number register with a Mixed Use Case, which allows up to five Sub-Use Cases. A common example might be registering for a Marketing and Notifications Mixed Use Case.

How do I minimise downtime if I want to port numbers to Telnyx and use 10DLC?

Before you port your numbers to Telnyx, you'll want to make sure to create the 10DLC campaigns in your Telnyx Portal account and wait until they are in an approved state. After this, you can start the porting process but before the numbers fully port, please ensure you work with your old carrier to have the 10DLC campaigns removed from their system. Otherwise, you will not be able to assign the newly ported numbers to your 10DLC campaigns as they will still be tied with the losing carrier.

Relationship between Brands, Numbers, and Campaigns

How many Brands per organization?

An EIN (Employer Identification Number) can only have one Brand assigned to it.

How many Campaigns per Brand?

A Brand can have multiple Campaigns, with a maximum of five Campaigns per Brand.

How many Numbers per Campaign?

A Campaign can have multiple Numbers. As of September 2023, the T-Mobile Limit is 49 numbers.

I have less than 49 numbers on my Campaign but was unable to add more. Why?

You may have encountered the industry’s daily number-adding limit. 10DLC intermediaries cap the amount of numbers that can be added to a given Campaign due to downstream processing constraints. We advise you to try again in one business day.

How many Campaigns or Brands per Number?

A Number can only be used in one Campaign and its parent Brand.

Brand Score, Brand Tier, and Vetting Score

What is the difference between a Brand Score and a Brand Tier?

As of mid-2023, Brand Score has been deprecated in favor of Brand Tier, which is determined by Vetting Score.

Brand Tier is used by Carriers - especially T-Mobile & AT&T to help calculate your throughput.

What is Throughput and how is it calculated?

Refer to the below section.

What is a Vetting Score, and why is it strongly recommended?

As of mid-2023, a Brand without a Vetting Score will tend to lead to low throughput for complex Campaign Use Cases like Marketing. Therefore, Telnyx highly recommends Vetting Scores for any Campaigns with material traffic or similarly complex compliance requirements.

How do I get a Vetting Score?

You can order Brand Vetting by:

Throughput - What it is and How Carriers Determine It

What is messaging throughput?

Throughput is the maximum number of messages you can send in a given period - either segments per second (MPS), per minute (MPM) or per day.

T-Mobile determines throughput as a daily messaging limit at the Brand level, meaning that all your Campaigns combined must share the daily limit.

A message segment consists of up to 160 standard characters. An SMS with more characters and/or nonstandard characters (such as emojis) can count as multiple message segments. We support up to 10 segments before messages will be rejected for being too long.

So, in a multi-part message, each segment can only contain 153 characters due to the space required for the UDH. This is why, in practice, when you send a long SMS that needs to be segmented, each segment has a slightly reduced character limit.

How is my MPS (message segments per second) determined?

Each of your registered Campaigns will be assigned a maximum MPS based on your Brand Tier (derived from your Vetting Score) and the type of Campaign. This MPS limit is shared across all numbers attached to your Campaign and all wireless Carriers.

The same MPS limit applies whether you send all traffic through one number or split it up across multiple numbers.

Campaign Use Cases fall into four categories:

Declared Use Case Campaigns may receive a higher MPS than a Mixed or Marketing Campaign with the same Brand Score. However, it is important to correctly classify your Use Case. Incorrectly classified use cases can result in Deactivated Campaigns and hefty fines from industry organizations.

Notably, there are undeclared industry limits for MMS. As of April 2023, we estimated these to be:

How do I register my MMS for 10DLC?

10DLC Campaigns include both SMS and MMS. While MMS throughput does not change, the carrier surcharge for MMS is higher than that of SMS. Details of MMS charges are available on the Portal Pricing page.

Refer to the above question for specific 10DLC rate limit estimates for MMS.

Messaging throughput Estimate Tables

How much throughput should I expect?

Carriers have different approaches to throughput. In summary:

What are the throughputs for AT&T’s Message Class-based throughput system?

As of September 2023, there are over 20 categories in AT&T’s throughput system, with only a few of these being in the Standard category. Use Cases in the Standard category include Dedicated (e.g., notifications), Marketing (e.g., promotions), and Mixed (e.g., an account used for promotions and notifications).

We have attempted to simplify these into the following table:

There are over 15 Classes for Special Use Cases with a wide variety of throughput limits, limit methods (from per number to per Campaign), and Use Cases. Below are some of the most common Special Use Cases and their throughputs according to AT&T rules:

*Vetting is mandatory for Brands conducting political Campaigns

What are the throughput limits for T-Mobile’s Brand-based throughput system?

T-Mobile sets limits at the Brand level, not Campaign. For Standard Campaigns, these limits are as follows:

Brands which are not Vetted and are not on the Russell 3000 may default to a Low Brand Tier for T-Mobile throughput.

What are Verizon’s throughput limits?

Verizon has not declared any throughput guidance as of September 2023. However, since Verizon has joined the TCR (the 10DLC oversight body), Telnyx highly recommends following 10DLC best practices.

10DLC Definitions / Acronyms