A2P 10DLC Overview

If you are sending SMS messages in the U.S., you need to know about A2P 10DLC. We've put together the video below to help you learn what this about, how to register, and what costs are involved.

As of August 31, 2023 A2P 10DLC is fully in place if you are sending to U.S. phone numbers. All messages from unregistered numbers will be blocked.

A2P 10DLC registration is NOT OPTIONAL if you are sending business SMS messages in the U.S.

In This Article:

• What is A2P 10DLC?
• What Makes a Business SMS Compliant?
• Best Practices to Improve Your Chances of Getting A2P 10DLC Approved
• Are There Any Associated Fees?
• Where Do I Register?

What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC stands for application-to-person 10-digit long code. It is a system created by major mobile U.S. carriers to register U.S. local and mobile 10-digit numbers used by companies to send SMS messages, in order to:

• Aid in trust and transparency between businesses and their customers while reducing spam messages
• Better accommodate high volume senders (3000+ per day)
• Increase deliverability for good senders as a lot of the prevention measures for spam have also impacted good senders and caused them to have their messages blocked.
• Still reduce spam messages

What Makes a Business SMS Compliant?

1. Your opt-in process includes receiving explicit permission from contacts to text them.
   1. A checkbox on the form where they opted in asking them to confirm they are ok with receiving SMS messages.
   2. The language on your chat widget that lets them know you will reach out to them by SMS when they fill out that form.
2. Your first message to contacts includes:
   1. Identification of who you are. (ex. This is Jane Awesome from ABC Co.)
   2. Language telling them how they can opt out (ex. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.)
3. Now, you also need to register for A2P 10DLC.

For LC Phone users, you can go to Settings -> Business Profile -> General on the right hand side and there are a few checkboxes that you can have selected to make your SMS messages compliant by automatically adding in that opt-out messaging and your sender information.

For Twilio users, you will need to manually add these items to your messages.

Best Practices to Increase Your Chances of Getting A2P 10DLC Approved

• Apply for the correct registration. Only go through the sole proprietor registration if you do NOT have an EIN. If you have an EIN, use standard registration.
• When filling out the standard registration form, make sure your details are an EXACT MATCH to the details on your CP575 letter that you received from the IRS with your EIN number. Every comma, hyphen, space, and spelling. Seriously.

  • If your CP575 says:

    Apt. 9A

    Do NOT Enter:

    • #9A
    • Apt 9A
    • Apt-9A
• If you have moved since filling out your EIN application, you may be wondering if you should put your new address. You need to fill in what the IRS currently has on file. If you have already updated them with your new address, then use the address that you updated them with (match exactly how you entered it with them). If you have not updated your address, use what is listed on the CP575 letter.
• When filling out sole proprietor registration, be sure to list the phone number of your actual physical cell/mobile phone for the OTP verification. DO NOT use an LC Phone or Twilio number. This will not be used in sending going forward, it is just for them to reach out and verify that it is you and that you are registering.
  • You will be sent a notification to confirm your opt-in. Reply yes to that message.
• Be detailed in your campaign description. Be very specific.
  • Ex. “I’m a nutrition coach based in San Diego, California and I use SMS messaging to confirm appointments with my clients, and send them appointment reminders.”
• Including links to forms/chat widgets where people opt-in to SMS is great.
• Use actual messages you send for your sample messages, and be sure they match the description you provided about your campaign. Don't type in something random that you wouldn't actually send.
  • Ex. If you told them the last example about being a nutrition coach using SMS for appointments, you wouldn’t want to grab an example message that is a marketing message offering them a discount on a future service.

Are There Any Associated Fees?

Yes, there are fees directly from the mobile carriers. These are not set by FG Funnels, Twilio or LC Phone. These are set by the major U.S. mobile carriers.

If You HAVE an EIN (Standard Registration):

• Your one-time brand and campaign fees ($4.41 + $16.50)
• $2-12/monthly campaign fee, which may vary based on your sending reputation

If You DON'T have an EIN (Sole Proprietor Registration):

• Your one-time brand and campaign fees ($4.41 + $16.50)
• Up to $2.50/monthly campaign fee, which may vary based on your sending reputation (The fee is lower because there are more limits when you are a sole proprietor. You can only have one phone number as a sole proprietor and can only send up to 3000 messages a day as a sole proprietor.)

Where Do I Register

If You Have LC Phone:

• In your FG Funnels account, go to Settings > Phone Numbers > Trust Center (top menu within Phone Numbers)

  

• We have a walkthrough of the whole process available in FG Funnels University. It’s in a lesson titled Setting Up LC Phone For Your Account - For US/Canada Phone Numbers.

If You Have Twilio:

• You will need to log in to Twilio and complete registration in their Trust Hub.

  

• We have a walkthrough of the whole process available in FG Funnels University. It’s in a lesson titled Twilio Trust Hub.