A2P 10 DLC Registration (Classic)

• What is A2P messaging?
• What is 10DLC?
• Does 10DLC only include SMS messages?
• Why is A2P 10DLC registration required for messaging?
• What is TCR?
• Does A2P 10DLC apply to toll-free numbers?
• How can I register?
• How is my brand registered?
• What types of campaigns are there?
• Do I need to register a separate brand & campaign for each MightyCall number?
• I don't send SMS campaigns, we just send occasionally text our customers. Do I still have to register?
• What should I write in my campaign description?
• What is Opt-in (Call to Action) Flow?
• Do I have to provide actual message examples?
• Is having a business website a must? 
• Do I need to mention messaging in my Privacy Policy on the website?

• What if I don't use any opt-in, opt-out or help messages?

• What is safe to text and what is prohibited?
• Penalties in case of violations

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What is A2P messaging?

A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging includes messages that are sent/received from an application. This type of messaging is used by businesses to communicate with their customers.

All messages sent by a business are considered A2P, even if the business is a sole proprietorship. 

What is 10DLC?

10DLC or 10-Digit Long Code is a common name for local ten-digit phone numbers, for example, 888-888-8888. 

Does 10DLC only include SMS messages?

No, it includes both SMS and MMS messages. 

Why is A2P 10DLC registration required for messaging?

In response to the growing volume of unwanted and malicious SMS/MMS traffic, mobile carriers in the United States started imposing registration requirements on A2P (application-to-person) messaging services, such as MightyCall.

All end users are required to register their messaging brand & campaigns and have their business 10DLC numbers assigned to a registered campaign by September 1, 2024.

In 2023, US carriers started blocking messages sent to US phone numbers from business numbers that aren't associated with a registered A2P 10DLC brand & campaign. The blocking will gradually increase, and all unregistered SMS traffic will be significantly limited after September 1, 2024.

What is TCR?

The Campaign Registry (TCR) is the organization that handles the registration of A2P 10DLC brands & campaigns by working with carriers, messaging companies, and industry partners, ensuring the common standards for A2P 10DLC messaging.

Does A2P 10DLC apply to toll-free numbers?

Toll-free numbers in the USA are not affected by these changes. However, if you're planning to send messages to phone numbers in the United States and Canada, you will need to verify your toll-free numbers through a different process.

How can I register?

MightyCall created a special form that you need to fill out. Once we receive your submitted form, we will send it to TCR for registration, you won’t have to contact TCR directly.

The A2P 10DLC registration includes 2 parts:

• Brand registration: you provide the information about your business, such as the legal name, EIN or tax ID, address and contact person's credentials.
• Campaign registration: you describe how you're planning to use SMS, what kind of messages you will be sending to your customers.

How is my brand registered?

All information provided in the form will be shared with carriers and TCR for the purpose of brand and messaging campaign registration. Once done, your company name, address and EIN will be verified against multiple databases. As a result, it will receive a Verified or Unverified status.

What types of campaigns are there?

There are two main types of messaging campaigns: Standard & Special:

• Standard types include 2FA, Account Notification, Customer Care, Delivery Notification, Fraud Alert Messaging, Higher Education, Marketing, Polling & Voting, Public Service Announcement, Security Alert.
• Special types, such as Charity, Emergency, Political, Social, Sweepstake, Agents & Franchises, K-12 Education are sensitive or critical in nature and, as a result, may require vetting or MNO (Mobile Network Operators) approval before they can be registered.

Do I need to register a separate brand & campaign for each MightyCall number?

No, a campaign can include up to 49 business numbers. As long as they are sent under the same brand (business) and the provided campaign description fits them all.

If you have different phone numbers used for multiple businesses, you will need to register each brand and the campaigns for them separately.

I don't send SMS campaigns, we just send occasionally text our customers. Do I still have to register?

The major wireless carriers in the US and Canada have implemented new regulations regarding text messaging, and any messages sent from a MightyCall number must be registered with the business sending them.

Campaigns is this case aren't related to marketing or sales activities: by registering a campaign, you are specifying the type of messages you plan to send to ensure that mobile carriers can identify the sender and the content of these messages.

What should I write in my campaign description?

Your campaign description must describe the intended purpose of your messaging. It should answer the following questions:

• Who you are;
• Who do you want to reach;
• Why you are sending out messages.

Good Example: "Messages for the customers of a local car dealership service center. Appointment reminders, repair updates, satisfaction follow-up, online bill payment, and 2-way conversations."

Bad Example: "Text messages are used for our team members to communicate with our customers and partners." Why is it bad? It doesn’t say who you are or what you want to communicate.

What is Opt-in (Call to Action) Flow?

Opt-in (Call To Action) Flow refers to the way your customers give their permission for you to send them SMS messages. There can be different ways, for example: 

• Entering a phone number through a website.
  Example: Customers opt in by visiting www.examplewebsite.com and adding their phone number. They then check a box agreeing to receive text messages from the brand.
• Clicking a button on a mobile web page.
• Sending a message from the customer's mobile device that contains an advertising keyword.
  Example: Customer opt in by texting START to (111) 222-3333.
  Important: If customers can opt in by texting a keyword, the response should include the brand name, confirmation of the opt-in enrollment to a recurring message campaign, how to get help, and a clear description of how to opt out. 
• Initiating the text message exchange, in which the message sender replies to the customer only with responsive information.
• Signing up at a point-of-sale (POS) or another message sender on-site location.
• Opting in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.
  Example: "BrandName: You are now opted in to our service notifications. For help, reply HELP. To opt out, reply STOP"

Do I have to provide actual message examples?

You must provide the examples of SMS you're planning to send to your customers: it would be best to share the actual messages you have previously sent.

Please make sure the messages align with the overall campaign description. Ideally, they should include your brand name or a sender's name, to ensure they don't look like generic messages without a context, unrelated to your brand & campaign. 

Good examples:

• Hello Kevin, this is a reminder about your appointment with Awesome Car Dealership on August 2nd, 2024 at 10 in the morning. Let us know if you would like to reschedule your appointment. Thank you!
• Hi Lily, this is Louis with Construction Pros. Your kitchen sink has been fixed, should I take a look at your washing machine as well? 
• Reminder from Dr. Smiles: Hi Jim, we look forward to seeing you at 3:00 pm tomorrow for your cleaning. Reply STOP to disable SMS notifications.

Bad examples:

• Thanks for leaving a review on Google Business. We would like to learn more about your experience. I will contact you soon.
• I received your question. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
• There’s a little favor I would like you to help me with, please.

Is having a business website a must? 

If you don't have a business website, you can provide a link to your business social media page (such as LinkedIn / Facebook, etc.). 

Do I need to mention messaging in my Privacy Policy on the website?

A compliant Privacy Policy is a must for registering your messaging campaign. Make sure your Privacy Policy includes the messaging policy as well, especially the opt-in and opt-out details.

A sample messaging policy can be as follows:

Text message communications. We use text messaging to communicate with you about your service. Normal messaging rates apply and the frequency of messages may vary. Mobile Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Opt-out of text message communications. You may opt-out of text messaging at any time by replying to any message with STOP or contacting us at company@email.com. This will end the communications from that particular phone number. You may continue to receive service-related and other non-marketing text messages from other phone numbers managed by Company, and you may opt out of those in a similar fashion.

What if I don't use any opt-in, opt-out or help messages?

If you don't use opt-in, opt-out or help messages, and your opt-in or opt-out processes don't include SMS communication by customers, you can leave the corresponding fields on the messaging brand & registration forms as is. 

What is safe to text and what is prohibited?

Safe to text are the matters that are not present on the prohibited messaging topics list:

• Illegal, harmful, unwanted, inappropriate, objectionable content;

• Criminal misinformation;

• Anything that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the message recipient lives. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Cannabis;
  • Prescription medication that cannot legally be sold over-the-counter;

• Alcohol, firearms, gambling, tobacco, or other adult content;
• Hate speech, harassment, exploitative, abusive speech;
• Fraudulent messages;
• Malicious content, such as malware or viruses;
• Any content that is designed to intentionally evade filters or detection systems. This includes intentionally misspelled words or non-standard opt-out phrases which have been specifically created with the intent to evade these mechanisms.

Penalties in case of violations

There are heavy penalties that will be passed on for any content violations. Some examples include the following: