A2P 10DLC (or sometimes just A2P) is the shorthand telecom providers use to mean being an authorized sender of business-related text messages.

You register for A2P10DLC directly through the smrtPhone Trust Center.

U.S. text/SMS infrastructure was not built to withstand the volume of business texting that occurs today. Plus, this channel is being abused by scammers and spammers - and US Carriers are taking action to protect their consumers.

The carriers have built a new channel specifically for business texting, with promised greater throughput and deliverability.

To gain access to this channel, you must have an approved business texting plan and identify which phone numbers from which you will be texting.

smrtPhone is a cloud-based platform and we follow rules. None of our carriers will allow unregistered traffic. Unregistered traffic is blocked up until registration.

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person messaging using a 10-Digit Long Code phone number. Translation to layperson terms: it means you’re using software technology to send text messages using a local phone number.

The alternative methods to A2P 10DLC messaging are:

For more information on the Pros & Cons of the different types of business text messaging, please read our blog post on the topic ⇢

A2P 10DLC is a great way for businesses to reach customers because it allows for efficient communications at scale. You use a local, recognizable area code, which builds trust as you slide into consumers’ most guarded, urgent inbox.

All text communications on local numbers through any cloud phone system (including smrtPhone) are considered application-to-person (A2P) by mobile carriers that receive and deliver the messages to their subscribers.

The move toward verification requirements affects all communication providers.

This change is driven by the receiving carriers and is the new industry standard; it is not specific to smrtPhone. We are here to help guide you through the process and make it as easy as possible to comply with these new standards.

Mobile Carriers now require businesses who text to register.

As business-to-consumer texting has increased in popularity, there has been an increase in bad actors who abuse the channel. Because of mounting complaints, the three largest mobile carriers in America (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile/Sprint) have decided to implement a verification method to improve the customer experience.

Short-code and toll-free messaging already require verification, and A2P 10DLC verification is the logical next step to build greater trust between businesses and consumers and provide consumers greater control over their message inboxes.

As an authorized source of text messages, you will separate yourself from the spammers and scammers, improving the deliverability of text messages and increasing consumer trust. There will be dedicated routes for A2P-verified traffic, resulting in improved reliability.

As part of becoming A2P authorized, you will receive a Trust Score that states your reputation in the eyes of mobile carriers. Trust scores will be ranked low/medium/high. The better your trust score, the greater your deliverability speed and volume—you can send more messages faster.

Verification already exists for short codes and toll-free numbers, and studies show increased ROI for verified messages.

More information about fees is contained in the article that covers registration ⇢

Unregistered SMS/MMS will be blocked and none of your receivers will get any message until registration.

Messages sent by unverified providers will be subject to heavier filtering by mobile carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. This means they will not allow any unregistered traffic to leave the sender's inbox.

There are three steps to registering for A2P 10DLC:

Once your plan registration is approved, you can add/edit the phone numbers you'd like to associate with the texting plan/campaign.