10DLC Compliance: Using Mozeo’s Trust Hub

Please Note: This article pertains to accounts with a regular ten-digit number (10DLC). It does not yet apply to toll-free numbers (e.g., 833, 844, 855, 866, 888) or shortcode numbers (e.g., 22122).

If you’ve been sending Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages via Application-to-Person (A2P) platforms, you’ve got some business to take care of.  Recently, American carriers have stopped supporting unregistered long codes for A2P SMS.

That doesn’t mean you can’t continue messaging your customers or keep your current number, however. You merely need to register your 10-Digit Long Code (10DLC) to keep using it for commercial messaging purposes. 

Unique to your business, your number helps establish brand recognition and maintain 10DLC compliance—but to hold onto it, you’ll need to apply to The Campaign Registry. Let’s unpack the 10DLC registration process and learn how to quickly and easily register your number using Mozeo’s Trust Hub.

Who is The Campaign Registry?

The Campaign Registry (TCR) calls itself “the backbone support for the 10DLC ecosystem.” Essentially, TCR serves as a central hub for Campaign Service Providers (CSPs) to register their clients’ brands and campaigns. 

Non-consumer numbers often used unsanctioned long codes for their messaging campaigns—but those days are over. In order to get a better idea of who’s messaging whom and for what purpose, most major American cellular carriers now require businesses to register their campaigns’ including:

• AT&T
• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• Us Cellular
• Interop

With all these large providers now requiring 10DLC registration, it begs the question: What is 10DLC, anyway?

What is 10DLC? 

As per The Campaign Registry, 10DLC is the approved standard for commercial (A2P) messaging using traditional 10-digit numbers. It’s essentially a messaging channel operated by mobile carriers specifically for businesses and their texting campaigns.

10DLC supports a reliable network with the capacity to handle high messaging volumes. It also allows users to make voice calls on the same number that they text. 

Why Register Your Phone Number?

Your phone number is already associated with your business, and if you fail to register it with TCR, there’s a high chance that you’ll lose it and be unable to get it back. Losing access to your number can:

• Make your customers lose contact, become confused, and stop patronizing your business
  
  
• Cause you to start from scratch, recollecting client numbers and rebuilding your repository of approved recipients (i.e., those who’ve given consent to receive messages from your number)
  
  
• Lock you out of banking, social media, and other accounts if you use the same number for One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or other authentication methods

Besides the fear of losing your historical, widely-known number, there are also the potential legal repercussions of not registering your 10DLC. All businesses that use text messages to communicate with their customers or employees must register—even if they don’t message for marketing purposes. There are also other 10DLC regulations governing registration workarounds, message contents, and more.

10 DLC Non-Compliance Consequences

Failure to comply with 10DLC rules results in fines and penalties—but the exact amount varies depending on the severity of the violation. Under current rules, you could be fined for:

• Program evasion – If you purposely try to evade 10DLC registration with techniques like snowshoeing (i.e., spreading messaging across multiple, unregistered numbers), replacing your registered 10DLC with an unauthorized number, or dynamic routing (i.e., frequently changing CSPs or other factors to hide your identity), you could face fines of $1,000 per incident. 

• Text enabling – This occurs when you or a representative of your business activates and uses a 10-digit North American Numbering Plan (NANP) number to send messages, prior to receiving verified ownership. Such actions can cost your company up to $10,000 per occurrence. 

• Content violations – These rules control the actual contents of messages sent via A2P networks and ensure consumers don’t receive lewd or harmful texts. Generally, avoiding any mentions of Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco (SHAFT), while also not participating in phishing or spam messaging, is enough to comply. If you do break content rules, you’ll be subject to a $10,000 fine for each instance from the third violation onward.

• Gray routes – Sending a message that should be delivered via a commercial-use A2P server over a Person-to-Person (P2P) network (i.e., the kind reserved for consumers) results in charges at $10 per violation.

10DLC Compliance Benefits

Brand recognition and fear of penalties aren’t the only reasons to register your number. The numerous upsides to complying with 10DLC regulations include:

• Improved deliverability – By analyzing the sender information and the purpose of various messages, carriers can prioritize business messages on specific networks. They can also allocate dedicated messaging channels to efficiently manage high commercial volumes.

• Reduced spam filtering – Since 10DLCs are registered to specific businesses and verified as unique, carriers won’t have to apply the dreaded Suspected Spam label to your message just because it contains marketing material. 

Your bank account and customer base will both thank you for registering your 10DLC. So then, when should you get started toward compliance?

New Requirements and Deadlines

The primary deadline to register your 10DLC has long passed, and if you haven’t already done so, you’re probably already experiencing the repercussions. Nearly all mobile carriers began blocking messages sent from A2P numbers with unregistered 10DLCs as of August 31, 2023.

Some providers still offer service to unregistered numbers, but with plans to phase coverage out entirely by December 1, 2024, the days of unsanctioned 10DLCs are numbered. 

If you’ve somehow managed to send messages without registering your 10DLC and are not on one of the few networks still offering the service, you’re likely subject to the fines outlined in this article. If you haven’t already registered, do so as soon as possible to avoid (further) liability. 

How to Register Your Number

Brands don’t apply directly with TCR. Instead, they register with a CSP that submits the application on their behalf. CSPs facilitate messaging and marketing efforts for individual businesses and ensure their compliance with 10DLC, among other regulatory guidelines. 

To get started, you'll file things like:

• Legal company name
• Country of registration
• Employer ID Number (EIN) or Tax ID
• Address
• Vertical
• Contact details

TCR will then use third-party, independent sources to verify your EIN, tax information, company name, and address before issuing an Identity Status. If a brand’s application and public records contain inconsistencies, they’ll be labeled as Unverified until a review confirms their correct details.

If your brand is initially unverified, you’ll have 45 days from registration to submit an appeal and provide the correct company information. Once your brand achieves the Verified status, you can begin sending messages in line with 10DLC regulations. 

How to Register Using Trust Hub

Mozeo simplifies applying to TCR for your 10DLC registration and submits the form on your behalf. To get started, open up Mozeo’s dashboard and:

1. Navigate to your SETTINGS tab.
2. Under SETTINGS, select the TRUST HUB option.
3. Accurately complete the form within the TRUST HUB section.
4. Mozeo will submit your application to mobile carriers for review and approval.
5. After submission, you can track your number approval’s progress within Mozeo’s TRUST HUB.

Please note: Obtaining full approval from mobile carriers generally takes one to three weeks. Mozeo has no control over this waiting period or the ability to expedite the process, so apply early if you wish to start messaging sooner. 

Send Compliant Messages with Mozeo

Registering your 10DLC is essential if you want to keep your business number and continue messaging approved recipients among your clientele. Failure to register can result in blocked texts and steep fines—so make sure to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid legal repercussions. 

Mozeo makes it simple to register your 10DLC with our intuitive TRUST HUB. After completing just one form, you'll soon be in line with TCR guidelines. And Mozeo doesn't just keep you above board in regards to 10DLC. We also help businesses maintain 100% SMS compliance across all their messages and campaigns.

Get started with Mozeo today—10DLC compliance and a smoother texting experience are waiting.