Master FAQ & Playbook

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code. It is the telecommunications industry standard for businesses sending SMS/MMS messages to U.S. mobile numbers using standard local phone numbers.

Historically, local 10-digit numbers were designed for P2P (Person-to-Person) chatting. As businesses started using software to send mass texts, carriers experienced massive spam volumes. To combat this, carriers created the A2P 10DLC framework, which requires businesses to officially register their identity and messaging intent to gain approved access to the mobile network.

Any entity sending messages from a software application to U.S. phones using a local number must register. This includes:

• Fortune 500 corporations sending marketing blasts.
• Small businesses (SMBs) sending appointment reminders.
• Non-profits and charities asking for donations.
• Real estate agents using CRMs to text leads.
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies using API SMS.

Even if you only send 5 texts a day from your business software, you are classified as A2P and must comply with registration rules.

Failure to register your brand and campaigns will result in severe operational and financial penalties:

• Carrier Blocking: Carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile will completely block unregistered traffic. Your messages will show as "Sent" in your CRM, but will never reach the customer's handset.
• Hefty Fines: Unregistered messaging carries heavy carrier surcharges, and non-compliant traffic can result in fines up to $10,000 per violation from network operators.
• Account Suspension: Providers (CSPs) like Twilio, Sinch, or your VoIP provider will suspend your messaging capabilities to protect their network reputation.

No. While Toll-Free numbers do not use the exact 10DLC TCR registry, they have their own strict verification process that is heavily regulated by Zipwhip/Kaleyra. Unverified Toll-Free numbers face immediate blocks and heavy filtering.

Furthermore, 10DLC is generally preferred for local businesses and sales teams as consumers are far more likely to engage with a local area code than an 800 number.

The Campaign Registry (TCR) is an independent organization established by the major U.S. mobile carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) to serve as the central hub for registering A2P 10DLC messaging campaigns.

TCR does not actually transmit messages. Instead, it collects information about your business (Brand) and what you intend to text (Campaign), performs compliance vetting, and issues a "Trust Score." Carriers use this data from TCR to decide whether to deliver your messages and at what speed.

When you register a Brand, TCR uses a third-party vetting agency (like Aegis or WMC Global) to verify your business identity. Your Trust Score (usually 0-100) is determined by analyzing:

• The exact match between your Legal Business Name and your Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• The consistency of your business address.
• Your online footprint (Domain age, SSL certificates, business directory presence).
• Company size and structure (Fortune 500s get higher default scores).

A higher Trust Score grants you higher daily message throughput limits, particularly on T-Mobile's network.

A Brand represents the actual business sending the messages. You register a Brand by providing your Legal Business Name, EIN, Address, and Website.

A Campaign represents the specific messaging use case you will be sending under that Brand. For example, a single Brand (A Dental Clinic) might have two Campaigns: one for "Appointment Reminders" and another for "Marketing Promotions." You attach phone numbers to Campaigns, not Brands.

Brand vetting is largely automated and usually takes minutes to a few hours. However, Campaign vetting requires human review.

If your submission is perfectly compliant (meeting all CTIA rules), approval typically takes 2 to 5 business days depending on the current backlog. If your submission has compliance errors, it will be rejected, and you will have to fix it and re-enter the back of the queue.

For marketing messages, carriers and the TCPA require Express Written Consent. This means the consumer must take a clear, affirmative action to agree to receive texts.

Acceptable forms include:

• Checking an unchecked box on a web form next to a clear SMS disclosure.
• Texting a keyword (e.g., "Text JOIN to 55555") from their mobile device.
• Signing a physical document.

Unacceptable: Hidden disclosures in terms of service, pre-checked boxes, or assuming consent because they bought a product.

Absolutely. A compliant, accessible Privacy Policy on your website is a strict requirement for 10DLC approval.

Critically, your Privacy Policy MUST contain a clause stating that mobile phone numbers and SMS consent data will NOT be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes. If this clause is missing, your campaign will be rejected with an Error 9108.

SHAFT stands for Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco. Messages containing this content are strictly prohibited or highly regulated on U.S. mobile networks.

Even if you are a legally operating business (e.g., a licensed CBD seller or a local brewery), you face heavy restrictions. Alcohol and Tobacco require rigid age-gating mechanisms before opt-in. Cannabis and CBD are federally illegal, and carriers generally ban them outright regardless of state laws.

CTIA guidelines require you to provide functional responses to mandatory keywords.

STOP Message: Must acknowledge the opt-out, state the brand name, and confirm no further messages will be sent. Example: "[Brand Name]: You have been unsubscribed and will no longer receive messages."

HELP Message: Must identify the brand, provide a way to contact support (email/phone), and state message rates. Example: "[Brand Name]: For assistance, call 555-5555 or email help@brand.com. Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel."

Validation Tokens are the internal currency of the MyTCRPlus platform. Every time you utilize one of our advanced compliance systems, a token is consumed.

For example, running a campaign through the Rejection Remediation Tool costs 1 token. Running a full Trust Score pre-flight simulation costs 1 token. You purchase tokens via our monthly subscription plans (Starter, Pro, Enterprise), which provide different monthly allotments.

The Rejection Remediation Tool is our flagship diagnostic engine. If your campaign is rejected by TCR, you input your rejection code and campaign details into the tool.

The system cross-references your inputs against our database of 179+ carrier rejection logic pathways. Within seconds, it outputs the exact structural fix required—whether that's rewritten privacy policy text, corrected opt-in flow logic, or adjusted sample message verbiage—guaranteeing your resubmission aligns perfectly with carrier expectations.

Yes. MyTCRPlus is platform-agnostic.

We do not sell phone numbers or transmit SMS messages. We are a pure compliance and diagnostic layer. You use our tools to generate the perfectly compliant data packages, which you then copy and paste into the registration portal of your current provider (Twilio, Sinch, GoHighLevel, RingCentral, etc.).

Yes. Our Enterprise tier includes full access to the MyTCRPlus REST API. This allows SaaS companies, CPaaS providers, and large marketing agencies to integrate our compliance validation checks, sample message formatting, and error remediation logic directly into their own software interfaces.

Error 9108 is a Privacy Policy Violation. It is currently the #1 reason for campaign rejection.

It occurs when human reviewers audit your provided website link and determine your Privacy Policy is either missing, inaccessible, or non-compliant. To fix it, you MUST add specific verbiage stating: "Mobile information and SMS consent will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes."

T-Mobile and AT&T have aggressively clamped down on unregistered, non-EIN businesses. If you registered as a "Sole Proprietor" without an EIN (Tax ID), your messaging throughput is heavily throttled, and many providers will outright reject the application.

The fix is to register your business formally to obtain an EIN, and then re-register your Brand as a standard private company to gain access to Standard Use Case campaigns.

Yes. TCR charges a non-refundable $15 campaign vetting fee (often marked up to $40+ by intermediate CSPs) for every submission attempt. If you are rejected, you lose that fee. When you resubmit, you must pay it again. This is why using MyTCRPlus pre-flight tools to guarantee first-pass approval is critical to controlling costs.

Absolutely not. Do not do this.

Campaign resubmissions are tracked. If you resubmit identical data that was previously flagged without making structural changes, it will be automatically rejected. Furthermore, rapid "spamming" of submissions can flag your Brand Profile, leading to extended manual review penalties or permanent blacklisting.