Navigating 10DLC Registration: Essential Insights for 2024

The business of sending text messages has undergone significant regulatory changes, especially when 10DLC registration became mandatory in 2023. As of 2024, the 10DLC registration process has undergone a significant overhaul, making it more streamlined and user-friendly for businesses embarking on their A2P messaging journey. 

This refined process is meant to facilitate a quicker and more efficient entry into the 10DLC ecosystem, allowing businesses to leverage this powerful communication tool with greater ease.

Table of Contents

• What is 10DLC registration?
• The impact of 10DLC on your business
• The 10DLC registration process 
• Ensuring 10DLC compliance for your campaigns 

What is 10DLC Registration?

10DLC is shorthand for a 10-digit long code. Unlike short codes, 10DLC offers businesses a cost-effective way to send high-volume, application-to-person (A2P) text messages. Businesses typically use them for marketing purposes, customer service, or informing subscribers about events.

The Impact of 10DLC on Your Business

 The 10DLC registration system was specifically designed to reduce text message spam and protect consumers. By embracing the change, companies not only adhere to compliance standards but also benefit from improved message deliverability and engagement rates. 

However, navigating the registration process and understanding carrier-specific policies can be complex. This means integrating 10DLC into your business communication strategy requires careful planning and adherence to best practices.

The 10DLC Registration Process 

If you’re new to SMS marketing (or using SMS for other purposes), it’s important to note that a registration process is involved. This is a large shift from the past when organizations were more or less able to start sending messages almost immediately.

Although the process may be more time-consuming now, once you complete registration, you can help ensure message delivery and better develop or preserve your reputation. 

Without 10DLC registration, some carriers will not deliver your messages because they will technically consider them "unverified." In other cases, not registering may also increase your costs — some heavy hitters, like AT&T, have implemented pay-per-message fees for unregistered 10DLC messaging. 

The nature of your organization and the intent of your SMS messaging may dictate the registration processes. That said, you will typically have to provide:

• Your business number or tax ID number (EIN), which confirms that you are a business entity 
• Your country
• Your organization’s website
• Your designation; e.g., a sole proprietor or nonprofit
• Your industry

This will also require a 10DLC “Campaign Registry” so that carriers understand the content of what is being sent (and so that bulk text messages are more secure).

All of these steps, as well as the approval process, may place some small businesses at a disadvantage, or delay their marketing efforts. Ultimately, though, 10-digit long codes will be more swift and cost-effective. 10DLC may also increase deliverability and develop greater trust with your audience—one of the keys to customer retention.

Ensuring 10DLC Compliance for Your Campaigns 

With last year’s introduction of 10DLC, regulatory measures have been put in place to ensure that texting campaigns adhere to certain guidelines. Failure to comply can not only lead to fines but also tarnish a brand's reputation. In this section, we'll delve into the essential guidelines and best practices to ensure your campaigns remain 10DLC compliant.

10DLC Vetting

The primary goal of campaign vetting is to ensure that your messaging campaigns comply with carrier standards. Whether you need to vet your campaigns largely depends on your carrier’s policies and the nature of your messaging campaigns. 

In many cases, 10DLC campaign vetting is a mandatory step, especially for campaigns that are expected to have a high volume of messages or are in industries that are more scrutinized for compliance reasons, such as financial services or healthcare. Undergoing the vetting process not only ensures that your campaigns align with carrier guidelines but also potentially qualifies your messages for improved deliverability rates and lower filtering.

As of 2024, carriers have introduced enhanced Caller ID authentication measures to bolster the verification process. Businesses will continue to be responsible for ensuring that their campaigns comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act.

Volume Limitations

There are limitations on the volume of messages that can be sent from a single long code within a specified timeframe. These caps are set to ensure the quality and reliability of the messaging ecosystem, prevent spam, and ensure that messages reach recipients without undermining the network. 

As of 2024, the 10DLC registration program has expanded its capabilities to support increased message volumes, responding to the growing needs of businesses to communicate with their audiences on a larger scale.

Still, businesses need to monitor and control message volume to avoid exceeding these limits, which can result in penalties or suspension of service.

Message Types

Understanding the different types of 10DLC messages—promotional, transactional, and informational—is crucial because each has its own rules. Promotional messages need clear permission from the receiver and follow strict rules, while transactional and informational messages require careful handling to not be seen as spam. It's important for businesses to correctly identify their message type and follow all relevant laws and carrier rules. Doing so helps messages reach their target successfully and keeps customers' trust intact.

Elevate Your SMS Marketing with Textedly 

Mobile marketing is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. This is due in part to the fact that consumers want more direct communication with the brands they do business with and the organizations they support. Switching from short codes to 10DLC may seem like a hindrance, but it stands to benefit both consumers and businesses.

Take your SMS campaign to the next level with Textedly. As an industry leader in the world of SMS and MMS, we offer the solutions you need to make an impact on your audience, all on a simple-to-use and economical platform. We also offer exceptional customer support for whatever concerns or questions arise for you about 10DLC registration and more.

Launch your success by giving Textedly’s free trial a spin today.