Volume pricing starts at 200,000 units/ month. For lower volumes, check our standard pricing
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What is 10DLC SMS?
10DLC numbers have replaced unregistered long codes for A2P text
messaging in the US. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
10DLC (10-digit long code) is the newest service for business text messaging using SMS and MMS. 10DLC explicitly allows application-to-person (A2P) SMS traffic over long code phone numbers for things like alerts, appointment reminders, notifications, and marketing messages.
Compared to unregistered long codes, 10DLC offers higher messaging throughput — up to 4,500 transactions per minute (TPM) per operator — and enhanced deliverability, because 10DLC use cases are approved by operators. And 10DLC messaging is less expensive than using short codes.
To take advantage of this sanctioned channel, businesses must register their numbers and the use cases for which they use them with their carriers. Registration lets carriers know who’s sending messages and what kinds of messages are being sent, so they can protect end users from spam and unwanted messages.
If you’re sending A2P text messages to US recipients and not using toll-free or short code source numbers, register your brand and campaigns for 10DLC first. Not registering your A2P traffic will result in your messages being blocked.
10DLC offers several benefits
10DLC brings many benefits for carriers, carriers’ customers, and businesses. Carriers protect their consumers from unwanted and nuisance messaging spam. Businesses gain higher throughput than they could with the unregistered long codes and have a more affordable alternative to short codes and toll-free numbers. End users get increased confidence and trust in their No. 1 means of communicating with businesses.
High messaging throughput — up to 4,500 transactions per minute per operator
Enhanced deliverability, because 10DLC use cases are approved by operators
Unlike short codes, long code numbers can be used to make and receive calls
Cost savings compared to short codes
All of the changes required to implement 10DLC pave the way for businesses to leverage personalized and conversational ways to engage with their customers. Visit our 10DLC support page for more information and details about 10DLC.
10DLC compliance — the time is now
To protect their customers, mobile carriers needed to make sure that businesses were registering their long codes as 10DLC numbers for A2P use cases. When they register, companies must provide details about their businesses and use cases (brands and campaigns) so the carriers can check them for legitimacy and appropriateness. Each carrier has come up with penalties for not registering 10DLC numbers, which include surcharges, fines, increased filtering, decreased throughput and deliverability, and the potential to be blocked from sending SMS messages. If you’re using long codes for A2P texting, 10DLC registration is now mandatory.
The carriers are committed to providing a better user experience for their customers by decreasing spam and increasing consumer trust. Enforcing 10DLC registration is a key step in accomplishing those goals.
What 10DLC terminology should I know?
A brand represents a business entity that is responsible for sending messages.
A campaign represents the type of messages the brand intends to send. The terms “campaign” and “use case” are often used interchangeably. Brands may run campaigns of several types.
Once you’ve registered your brands and campaigns you must link phone numbers to the campaigns. Once you’ve done that, messages sent from those numbers are considered 10DLC-registered and all the benefits of 10DLC apply.
10DLC fee overview
SMS customers pay a one-time setup fee and ongoing monthly recurring fees for every campaign registered in addition to standard messaging costs and carrier surcharge fees:
One-time brand registration fee — $4
One-time optional (but highly recommended) vetting fee — $40
Recurring campaign charge — $10 per month, billed quarterly
More details on 10DLC fees.
Messaging Fees:
- Standard cost per message as reflected on the Plivo pricing page
- Carrier surcharge fee for unregistered traffic. Visit the Plivo SMS pricing page for surcharge details.
How do I get started with 10DLC?
Plivo customers can use the console or SDKs to complete registration for themselves and their customers.
Via the console
On the Plivo console, you can register brands and campaigns and link numbers to campaigns.
Via server SDKs:
Plivo has updated our server SDKs for customers to use to automate the 10DLC registration process and save a lot of time. Now you can:
Register brands and campaigns
Link and unlink numbers from your campaigns
Receive callbacks for updates related to your registrations and number links
Read more about how to get started with Plivo’s updated server SDKs for 10DLC.
You must register your long codes if you use them for A2P messaging.
Register your business as a Standard brand. Plivo strongly recommends taking advantage of optional vetting for your brand if your messaging volume exceeds 6,000 per day. Only vetted brands can take advantage of the highest possible throughput: 4,500 messages per minute.
If your messaging volume is less than 6,000 messages per day, you can opt for a low-volume mixed campaign.
If your messaging volume is higher, you can choose from a variety of campaign types for your messaging requirement.
Plivo eases 10DLC registration for Fluent
“When 10DLC got introduced into the SMS ecosystem there were a lot of unknowns, everybody was a little confused, everybody needs some handholding. Even the carriers are still figuring things out.
"I’ve gone through the 10DLC registration process with several vendors, and I see lots of advantages to Plivo’s approach.
I love the self-service console and ease of use. With some other providers, I can’t sign on to their portal and register a brand or a campaign and have it approved within a couple of hours. It’s really nice that with Plivo I can go in and do it myself, and the turnaround time for approvals seems very quick. Most of the time I can get a campaign up and running within a day or two. In the rare situation when I haven’t had a quick turnaround I can open up a support ticket, talk to my CSM, and everybody is communicating with me about why it’s delayed, and it’s always resolved in a timely manner.”
Commonly asked 10DLC questions
Do i need to register for 10DLC?
Businesses sending A2P text messages of any kind over long codes to US recipients must register their brand and campaigns for 10DLC. Unregistered A2P traffic will result in your messages being blocked.
What’s the best way to avoid rejections of brand and campaign registry?
We’ve documented 10DLC registration guidelines to help you get it right the first time. Brands and campaigns are typically approved or rejected in two to three days. If your application is rejected because you didn’t follow these guidelines, you must make changes and ask Plivo to resubmit your application. The process can take one to two weeks.
How long does it take for a campaign to be approved?
Standard campaigns, such as those for two-factor authentication (2FA) or account notification, are generally approved within three business days; other use cases might take up to a week. Follow registration guidelines to avoid having your campaign registration rejected.
What message throughput should I expect?
US operators have defined messaging throughput tiers in terms of transactions per minute (TPM) and transactions per day (TPD). Message rate limits and throughputs are based on the vetting score the business receives from TCR.
What’s Plivo’s recommendation for resellers?
We’ve documented the recommended registration process for resellers.
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