A Complete Guide to A2P 10DLC
Improve Deliverability of Your Messages with A2P 10DLC
What is A2P 10DLC?
Text messages (SMS) and multi-media messages (MMS) sent through Avochato from 10-Digit Long Code phone numbers (10DLC) are classified as Application-to-Person (A2P) traffic by US phone carriers including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. Released in 2021 the United States, A2P 10DLC is a new system that allows businesses to send messages in a compliant manner through these phone numbers. 10-digit long code numbers, also known as local numbers, contain an area code for a specific location in the US. For example, (415) 214-8977 is Avochato’s local 10DLC number.
The Campaign Registry ("TCR") is a central hub that stores information for A2P 10DLC. The registry supports a sanctioned text messaging ecosystem and provides visibility into the messaging source and content, allowing mobile carriers to provide a more reliable and simple messaging service.
To learn more about A2P 10DLC, check out the video at this link, which explains why A2P 10DLC was created and benefits of registering your business.
Does A2P 10DLC apply to my business number?
A2P 10DLC applies to any 10-digit local number. A2P 10DLC does not currently apply to dedicated Short Codes (5-6 digit numbers) or Toll-Free phones (1-800 numbers, known as “TFN”), although both Short Codes and Toll-Free numbers have their own unique verification process. Click into these links to learn more about Short Codes and Toll-Free Verification. A2P 10DLC currently only applies to US-based phone numbers.
How does it affect my business?
Verifying your business for A2P 10DLC will allow you to reach customers at scale with better deliverability and increased throughput, all while protecting your end users from spam and fraud. A2P 10DLC allows local numbers to have increased throughput that can match or even exceed delivery speeds of Short Codes at significantly lower costs. Delivery throughput will be determined by your business type and use case, and Avochato can help you register to understand what your options are.
What happens if I don’t register for A2P?
If your business is not verified on A2P 10DLC and you are texting customers from a local 10DLC number, you may experience significant deliverability issues from phone carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and others. Unregistered traffic will also incur penalty fees that will be determined by each phone carrier and passed on as costs to your business.
Is there a cost associated with A2P 10DLC?
The new A2P 10DLC system has created a fee structure that Avochato will be passing along to you at cost. There will be no additional mark up from Avochato, and the industry-wide fee structure can be found below. You will be able to view reports in Avochato of all pass-through fees, which will be deducted from your account balance.
What are the A2P 10DLC fees?
- One-time brand registration fee of $4 (required)
- Note: Providing inaccurate business information will cause carriers to reject the application, leading to additional $4 fees for each subsequent submission. Please make sure your EIN, business address, and other business details are accurate before submitting your application to avoid any duplicate $4 charges from carriers. If you have questions, contact us after reviewing this guide and we can gladly help.
- One-time manual vetting process of $15 (required)
- US A2P 10DLC Campaign registrations will be subject to a manual vetting process and will be charged a one-time $15 campaign verification fee at the time of registration including each re-submission of a previously rejected campaign. This fee is only collected by Avochato without mark-up and is passed directly to the wireless industry’s main A2P 10DLC Direct Connect Aggregator (DCA) who performs the manual vetting.
- Use-case registration fees ranging from $1.50/mo to $30/mo (required)
- Note: you will need one use case per Avochato inbox / phone line. In the registration process, make sure to create multiple use cases if you have multiple phone lines within Avochato. For more information on how to create a Use Case, check out this link.
Use Case | Monthly Pass-Through Fee |
Low-Volume (under 5k segments sent in any given day) | $1.50/mo |
High-Volume (over 5k segments sent in any given day) | $10/mo |
Special (more details below) | $10-$30/mo |
- Carrier fees (required)
- Carrier fees vary by phone carrier. A full list of the most up-to-date carrier fees can be found here in the fourth section titled “Carrier Fees.” As with all of the fees in this guide, Avochato will pass these fees along to you at no additional mark up.
- One-time Vetting fee of $40 (required for High-Volume)
- If you anticipate sending more than 5,000 segments on any given day, you will want to get set up with a High-Volume or Special Use Case instead of a Low-Volume Use Case. Carriers will vet your brand for a one-time charge of $40, which will yield a brand score. Based on that brand score, you may be eligible for higher throughput and larger audience limits.
Which Use Case should I choose?
Check out this link for more details on how to register Use Case.
Low-Volume
If your business is sending fewer than 5,000 message segments in any given day, you are qualified to register for the low-volume use case. This has a monthly fee of $1.50 as of November 3, 2022.
High-Volume
If your business is sending more than 5,000 message segments in any given day, you qualify for high-volume use cases. If you are on a low-volume use case and you send more than 5,000 message segments, any messages beyond this will be filtered by carriers and may not delivered to recipients.
There are 2 main types of high-volume use cases:
- High-Volume Use Case
- Special Use Case
High-Volume Use Cases
A high-volume use case has a higher monthly fee of $10/mo compared to a low volume use case. Below is a list of high-volume use cases:
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) - used for account verification such as OTP
- Account Notification - used for sending notifications regarding status of an account
- Customer Care - used for support and interacting with customers
- Delivery Notification - used for sending information about the status of a delivery
- Fraud Alert Messaging - used for notifying about potential fraudulent activity
- Higher Education - used for campaigns sent by colleges and universities
- Mixed Use Case - used for campaigns that cover two or more use cases in this list
- Marketing - used for promotional content such as sales and limited time offers
- Polling and Voting - used for conducting non-political polling and voting
- Public Service Announcement - used for sending awareness about a given topic
- Security Alert - used for notifying about compromised software or hardware systems
Special Use Case
These are use cases that usually have additional requirements and are subject to certain rules. Below is the list of special use cases and its corresponding monthly fee:
- Agents and Franchises ($30/mo) - brands that have multiple agents, franchises or offices in the same brand vertical, but require individual localized numbers per agent/location/office
- Charity / 501(c)(3) Nonprofit ($3/mo) - communications from a registered charity aimed at providing help and raising money for those in need (does not include religious organizations)
- Emergency ($5/mo) - notification services designed to support public safety/health during natural disasters, armed conflicts, pandemics, and other national or regional emergencies
- K-12 Education ($10/mo) - for messaging platforms that support schools from grades K-12 and distance learning centers (not for post-secondary schools)
- Political ($10/mo) - part of an organized effort to influence decision making of a specific group (only federal campaigns)
- Proxy ($10/mo) - peer-to-peer app-based group messaging with proxy/pooled numbers. Supporting personalized services and non-exposure of personal numbers for enterprise or A2P communications
- Social ($10/mo) - communication within or between closed communities like influencers and their followers
- Sweepstake ($10/mo) - all sweepstakes related messaging