A New Era in Business Text Messaging

Welcome to the new era! Prior to this point, you would select a texting partner, choose a phone number, and begin texting on the same day. However, today, the entire industry and all providers have shifted away from this model, and all businesses and organizations that wish to send text messages must have a fully registered and approved phone number.

➡️ Not a single text message can be sent until the registration and approval are completed. 

Why This Direction?

Mozeo has always supported building a texting ecosystem that is powerful, viable, and, most of all, spam-free. Spam is not only annoying and intrusive, but it also hinders progress for everyone else trying to send real, pertinent messaging. A single sender's actions can impact others' positive work and be a nuisance to the ecosystem as a whole. 

By requiring registration and approval, spammers can no longer spin up a new number and send unwanted messages.

Planning Time

Text messaging remains the best way to get information directly into the hands of subscribers. Texting hugely surpasses email and social media read rates, and there is no better way to communicate.

However, with these new requirements, you need to plan ahead. Registration and approval timelines are 1 - 3 weeks, depending on the mobile carriers' queues. You'll also need to be radically transparent about your business information, how you intend to send text messages and samples of what those messages will look like. 

As for sending number options, the choices remain the same, but they all now require registration and approval before a single text message can be sent.  

Shortcodes

Registration timeline: 8 - 12 weeks

These are 5 to 6-digit numbers dedicated to a single owner. Often used for very high-volume sending, these require a full review by each mobile carrier before being allowed to send messages. 

Voice calls are not supported on shortcodes. 

Toll-Free Numbers

Registration timeline: 1 - 3 weeks

These numbers begin with 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, or 888. These are best for groups who text individuals across North America. 

In addition to messaging, toll-free numbers support voice calls on the same number used for texting.

Local Numbers (10DLC)

Registration timeline: 1 - 3 weeks

A local phone number, also known as a 10-digit long code (10DLC), is the sanctioned standard for A2P text messaging. It consists of a traditional 10-digit phone number generally containing a local area code (e.g., 212-XXX-XXXX). These numbers are most often used for businesses communicating on a very local level with their audience. They are registered with all mobile carriers through the Campaign Registry. 

In addition to messaging, 10DLC supports voice calls on the same number used for texting.