Setting Up SMS, A2P 10DLC & Your Business Number

Why A2P 10DLC Exists

In the US, mobile carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) require any business sending SMS through a 10-digit long code (10DLC) to register the business and campaign under Application-to-Person (A2P) rules. This was rolled out in 2022 and fully enforced since 2023. If you send SMS from an unregistered 10DLC, carriers will filter your messages to spam within days. There is no workaround.

Provision Your Number

Go to Settings → Phone Numbers → + Add Number. Pick a local number with an area code that matches your business location. Cost: $1.15/month per number plus per-message fees. Do not use toll-free numbers for marketing SMS — they have different compliance rules and generally worse deliverability for marketing messages.

Brand Registration

Go to Settings → Trust Center → Business Profile → Register Brand. Fill in: legal business name, EIN, business address, website, business type (LLC, corporation, etc.), industry, and authorized representative. This data is verified against public records. Fee: one-time $4. Approval: usually 1–3 business days.

Campaign Registration

Separate from brand, you register each use case. Go to Trust Center → Campaigns → Register Campaign. Pick a use case (Marketing, Customer Care, 2FA, etc.). Provide 2–5 sample messages. Describe your opt-in method (web form, checkout, verbal, paper). Campaign fee: $10 one-time, $1.50/month. Approval: 1–3 weeks.

Messaging Throughput

Before A2P approval: roughly 1 message per second, capped at ~200/day per number. After approval: 10–100+ messages per second depending on your Trust Score. The difference matters when you are blasting a campaign or running a heavy automation.

Opt-In Is Not Optional

Every person you send marketing SMS to must have given explicit, documented consent. Scraping numbers, buying lists, or texting people who gave you their number for a different purpose will generate TCPA complaints ($500–$1,500 per message in penalties). Keep records of when, where, and how each contact opted in.

Quiet Hours & Timing

Most states prohibit marketing SMS before 8 AM or after 9 PM local time. Automations that send based on workflow triggers should use the Send during business hours setting. Do not rely on carriers to enforce this for you.

Required Message Boilerplate

Initial campaign messages must include: your business name, clear opt-out instruction (Reply STOP to opt out), and ideally a frequency statement (Msg&data rates apply, 4 msgs/mo). STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT, and CANCEL are recognized opt-out keywords and must be respected automatically.