If you're sending business text messages in the United States, A2P 10DLC compliance isn't optional—it's mandatory. In 2021, major carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon) implemented 10DLC to combat spam and protect consumers. Non-compliant businesses face message filtering, delivery failures, and potential carrier blocking.
This guide covers everything you need to know about A2P 10DLC: what it is, why it matters, how to register, and how to maximize your trust score and throughput.
What Is A2P 10DLC?
A2P stands for Application-to-Person messaging. It's any text message sent from a business application (like your SMS marketing platform) to a consumer's mobile device.
10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code. It's a standard 10-digit phone number (like 555-123-4567) registered for business use, as opposed to:
- Short codes (5-6 digit numbers like 12345)
- Toll-free numbers (800, 888, 877, etc.)
Before 10DLC:
Businesses used regular 10-digit numbers for mass texting, but there was no way for carriers to distinguish legitimate businesses from spammers. This led to carrier filters blocking all high-volume messaging.
After 10DLC:
Businesses must register their company, use case, and phone numbers with The Campaign Registry (TCR). Carriers use this data to assign trust scores and throughput limits.
Why A2P 10DLC Compliance Matters
For Carriers
- Combat SMS spam and scams
- Protect consumers from phishing
- Improve network quality
- Meet regulatory requirements
For Businesses
- Guaranteed message delivery (no carrier filtering)
- Higher throughput (send more messages per second)
- Better sender reputation
- Avoid penalties and number deactivation
- Professional appearance (verified business identity)
Consequences of Non-Compliance
- Messages get filtered or blocked entirely
- Throughput throttled to 1-3 messages per minute
- $10,000 TCPA fines per violation
- Phone numbers permanently banned
- Damage to brand reputation
Bottom line: If you're sending business texts, 10DLC compliance is non-negotiable.
The A2P 10DLC Registration Process
Step 1: Register Your Business
Before registering campaigns, you must register your business with The Campaign Registry (TCR).
Required information:
- Legal business name (must match official records)
- Business address
- Tax ID (EIN) or Social Security Number
- Business type (LLC, Corporation, Sole Proprietor, etc.)
- Vertical/Industry (E-commerce, Healthcare, Real Estate, etc.)
- Business website
- Business phone number
- Number of employees
- Stock ticker (if publicly traded)
Registration fee:
- Standard registration: $4 one-time fee
- Verified business (recommended): $40 one-time fee + $15/month
Step 2: Register Your Campaign (Use Case)
After business registration, register each SMS campaign/use case. Each distinct messaging purpose requires its own campaign.
Campaign types:
- Standard campaigns (marketing, promotions, loyalty)
- Special campaigns (political, charity, emergency)
- Low volume mixed (general business, under 6,000 messages/day)
Required campaign details:
- Campaign description
- Message sample
- Call-to-action
- Opt-in/opt-out process
- Help keywords
- Target audience
- Estimated monthly volume
Campaign registration fee:
- Standard campaign: $10 one-time fee
- Some carriers charge monthly fees: $2-10 per campaign per month
Step 3: Register Your 10DLC Phone Numbers
After campaign approval, link your 10-digit phone numbers to approved campaigns.
Number registration fee:
- Per number: $2-5 one-time fee
- Some carriers charge monthly: $1-2 per number per month
Step 4: Wait for Carrier Approval
Typical approval times:
- T-Mobile: Instant to 3 days
- AT&T: 3-10 business days
- Verizon: Instant to 5 days
DMText gets approval in 36 hours on average through optimized registration and carrier relationships.
Total 10DLC Registration Cost
Minimum setup cost (1 number, 1 campaign):
- Business registration: $4-40
- Campaign registration: $10
- Number registration: $2-5
- Total: $16-55 one-time + $2-25/month ongoing
For high-volume senders:
- Verified business: $40
- 3 campaigns: $30
- 5 phone numbers: $10-25
- Total: $80-95 one-time + $20-80/month ongoing
Understanding Trust Scores
The Campaign Registry assigns each business a Trust Score from 0-100 based on business verification, industry, and history.
Trust Score Tiers
75-100: High Trust
- Verified businesses with clean records
- Maximum throughput (4,500+ messages/minute)
- Lowest filtering risk
- Best delivery rates
50-75: Medium Trust
- Unverified but legitimate businesses
- Moderate throughput (240-2,700 messages/minute)
- Some filtering risk
- Good delivery rates
25-50: Low Trust
- Unverified, new, or risky industries
- Low throughput (10-240 messages/minute)
- Higher filtering risk
- Reduced delivery rates
0-25: Untrustworthy
- Suspicious or flagged businesses
- Severely limited throughput (<10 messages/minute)
- Heavy filtering
- Poor delivery rates
How to Maximize Your Trust Score
Get Business Verification
- Pay for verified brand registration ($40)
- Verify through third-party data sources
- Consistent business info across platforms
- +20-30 point boost
Choose Low-Risk Industry
- Healthcare, Education, Financial Services score higher
- Cannabis, Debt Collection, Gambling score lower
- Pick the most accurate vertical
Submit Complete, Accurate Information
- Match official business records exactly
- Provide website, phone, address
- Use professional email domain (@yourcompany.com)
Maintain Clean Sending Reputation
- Low opt-out rates (<1%)
- Low spam complaint rates (<0.1%)
- High engagement rates
- Proper consent documentation
Link Business to Established Domain
- Older domains score higher
- SSL certificate required
- Professional website content
- Privacy policy and terms visible
Throughput Limits by Trust Score
Throughput is how many messages you can send per second/minute. Higher trust = higher throughput.
AT&T Throughput Limits
| Trust Score | Messages Per Second | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 75-100 | 75 MPS | Unlimited |
| 50-75 | 45 MPS | Unlimited |
| 25-50 | 4 MPS | 200,000 |
| 0-25 | 0.17 MPS | 10,000 |
T-Mobile Throughput Limits
| Trust Score | Messages Per Second | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 75-100 | 75 MPS | Unlimited |
| 50-75 | 45 MPS | Unlimited |
| 25-50 | 10 MPS | 200,000 |
| 0-25 | 4 MPS | 2,000 |
Example: A business with a 60 trust score can send 45 messages per second on T-Mobile = 162,000 messages per hour = 3.9 million per day.
Campaign Use Cases and Best Practices
Marketing/Promotional Campaigns
- Trust score impact: Moderate risk
- Throughput: Standard limits
- Best practices:
- Clear opt-in process
- Respect frequency (1-4 texts/month)
- Include STOP instructions
- Avoid misleading claims
Transactional Messages (2FA, OTP, Account Alerts)
- Trust score impact: Low risk
- Throughput: Higher limits available
- Best practices:
- No promotional content
- Time-sensitive delivery
- Clear sender identification
- Short, factual messages
Customer Care/Service
- Trust score impact: Low risk
- Throughput: Standard limits
- Best practices:
- Two-way conversations enabled
- Trained staff for replies
- Response time under 5 minutes
- CRM integration
Political Campaigns
- Trust score impact: High risk
- Throughput: Special rules apply
- Best practices:
- Requires special campaign type
- Stricter compliance rules
- More scrutiny from carriers
- Election timing considerations
Healthcare/Pharmacy
- Trust score impact: Low risk (if HIPAA compliant)
- Throughput: Higher trust scores
- Best practices:
- HIPAA-compliant platform required
- Patient consent documentation
- Secure message content
- PHI protection
Common 10DLC Registration Mistakes
1. Mismatched Business Information
Problem: Business name on registration doesn't match tax records.
Solution: Use exact legal name from EIN documentation.
2. Generic Campaign Descriptions
Problem: "Marketing messages" is too vague.
Solution: "Promotional offers for e-commerce fashion products with monthly sales alerts and exclusive discounts."
3. Missing Opt-In Process Documentation
Problem: Can't prove how subscribers consented.
Solution: Keep records of opt-in forms, timestamps, and consent language.
4. Skipping Business Verification
Problem: Lower trust score and throughput limits.
Solution: Pay $40 for verified brand = significant throughput boost.
5. Using Personal Information for Business
Problem: Using SSN instead of EIN looks unprofessional.
Solution: Get an EIN from the IRS (free, takes 10 minutes online).
6. Incomplete Website
Problem: Website missing privacy policy or terms of service.
Solution: Add required pages before registration.
7. Registering Multiple Use Cases Under One Campaign
Problem: Mixing promotional and transactional messages confuses carriers.
Solution: Register separate campaigns for distinct purposes.
How Long Does 10DLC Approval Take?
Industry standard: 2-4 weeks
DMText average: 36 hours
Factors affecting approval speed:
- Verified business: Faster approval
- Complete information: No follow-up questions
- Clean industry vertical: Low-risk businesses approved faster
- Platform relationships: Established platforms have faster carrier processing
Rejection reasons:
- Incomplete business information
- Website doesn't load or match business
- Suspicious industry vertical
- Previous compliance violations
- Mismatched tax ID and business name
10DLC vs. Short Codes vs. Toll-Free Numbers
| Feature | 10DLC | Short Codes | Toll-Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $15-80/month | $1,000-10,000/month | $100-300/month |
| Approval Time | 36 hours | 8-12 weeks | 1-3 weeks |
| Throughput | 4-75 MPS | 100-200 MPS | 3-10 MPS |
| Best For | Most businesses | Enterprise, high-volume | Customer service, 2-way |
| Number Format | (555) 123-4567 | 12345 | (800) 555-1234 |
When to use 10DLC:
- Marketing messages
- Most business SMS
- Budget-conscious startups
- Moderate to high volume
When to use short codes:
- Massive volume (millions per day)
- Enterprise brands
- MFA/2FA at scale
- Highest deliverability required
When to use toll-free:
- Two-way customer service
- Voice + SMS on same number
- Lower volume
- Brand recognition
State-Specific 10DLC Considerations
California (CCPA)
- Additional consent requirements
- Privacy policy must be SMS-accessible
- Opt-out must be honored within 30 days
Florida
- Restrictions on certain verticals
- Additional spam penalties
- State-level opt-out requirements
Texas
- Stricter enforcement of TCPA
- Additional documentation requirements
National Do Not Call Registry
- Doesn't apply to texts (only calls)
- But respect internal do-not-text lists
10DLC for Special Industries
Financial Services
- Higher trust scores available
- Stricter message content requirements
- Cannot discuss account balances via SMS
- Two-factor authentication gets premium treatment
Healthcare
- HIPAA compliance required
- BAA (Business Associate Agreement) needed
- Encrypted platforms only
- PHI cannot be in message content
Cannabis
- Lower trust scores
- Restricted throughput
- Some carriers block entirely
- Requires creative workarounds
Gambling/Sweepstakes
- High-risk category
- Strict compliance requirements
- Age verification needed
- State-by-state restrictions
How to Monitor 10DLC Compliance
Key metrics to track:
- Delivery rate: Should be >95%
- Opt-out rate: Keep under 1% per campaign
- Spam complaints: Target <0.1%
- Throughput: Monitor for sudden drops
Red flags:
- Delivery rate suddenly drops below 90%
- Carrier filters your messages
- Throughput throttled unexpectedly
- Increased "invalid number" errors
Action steps if flagged:
- Review recent message content
- Check opt-out rate spike
- Verify opt-in process
- Contact carrier liaison
- Audit message templates
- Reduce sending frequency
Future of A2P 10DLC
Upcoming changes:
- Stricter trust score algorithms
- Real-time spam detection using AI
- Cross-carrier data sharing
- Higher penalties for violations
- Potential expansion to other messaging channels
What businesses should do now:
- Register for 10DLC immediately (no more delays)
- Get business verification for maximum throughput
- Document consent processes meticulously
- Monitor metrics weekly
- Stay updated on carrier policy changes
Conclusion: 10DLC Compliance Is Non-Negotiable
A2P 10DLC transformed business SMS from the Wild West into a regulated, professional channel. While registration adds complexity and cost, the benefits far outweigh the hassle:
✅ Guaranteed delivery rates above 95%
✅ Higher throughput for mass messaging
✅ Protection from spam filters
✅ Professional sender reputation
✅ Legal compliance and protection
Don't wait to register. Carriers are increasingly filtering unregistered traffic. Every day you delay is another day of poor deliverability.
DMText handles 10DLC registration for you. We get businesses approved in 36 hours with optimized trust scores and maximum throughput. Sign up today and start sending compliant messages tomorrow.