About A2P 10DLC Compliance

All Aloware customers must now provide their brand registration information for 10DLC (10-digit long code) and A2P (app-to-peer) messaging under Account > Compliance, otherwise, it might be subject to 100% SMS filtration and undeliverability.

Before we proceed, let's dive first into the terms used in this article:

A2P - or App-to-Peer is sending SMS and MMS from an app to a person
10DLC - or 10-Digit-Long-Code (e.g., 555-555-5555) is the term for a 10-digit phone number and area code
Use Cases - or Campaign use cases refers to the business' intention in sending SMS and MMS; it can be used for validating new users, sending marketing messages, etc.

What are the things that you need to know?

This change is not unique to Aloware. Businesses that use 10DLC to send messages in the US over A2P services (e.g., Aloware) are affected and are being applied industry-wide.
You should experience a decrease in filtering when sending messages because of increased transparency provided by the brand and use case registration.
Text traffic over Toll-free numbers is not subject to A2P 10DLC requirements.

What is A2P 10DLC?

Sending a text message from one mobile handset to another is considered to as P2P (Peer-to-Peer) while sending a text message via software like Aloware is referred to as A2P (App-to-Peer).

10DLCs have always existed, but US carriers have decided to treat SMS traffic from Application-to-Peer (A2P) services differently starting in 2021.

Under this framework, users of these lines will now need to formally declare their intention with wireless carriers in order to conduct commercial texting under A2P 10DLC.

The goal of A2P 10DLC registration is to provide businesses with

Reliable, trusted, and constantly secure solution to reach their customers
Protect consumers from unwanted and spam messages

Why is A2P 10DLC happening?

US carriers are using A2P 10DLC to separate commercial and P2P use cases in order to provide a better experience for their wireless subscribers.

The goal is to increase transparency and reduce SMS & MMS spam from local numbers. Text messaging deliverability and volume will ideally improve for compliant texters overall, while noncompliant texters will face increased costs [e.g., unauthorized bulk SMS, spam SMS].

Telecommunications networks implement A2P 10DLC — not the FCC.

Who will be affected by A2P 10DLC?

This change affects everyone who texts in the United States using Ten-Digit Long Codes via A2P services like Aloware. This change is not unique to our product and is being implemented across the industry.

However, if your organization sends fewer than 3,000 per day, you will still need to register basic information about your brand under A2P 10DLC; however, the impact of the framework will likely be negligible.

Note: Text traffic over Toll-Free numbers is not subject to A2P 10DLC requirements.

Toll-Free numbers are already sanctioned for business use, and their text traffic will not be subject to filtering or tariffs in the same manner as A2P 10DLC traffic.

How will A2P 10DLC impact the cost of texting?

Aloware's pricing will not change in response to A2P 10DLC; however, the carriers will levy additional pass-through fees on text traffic from our customers that reach their subscribers. This fee will be passed on to our clients at no additional cost.

You can read more about the fees in this article: Carrier Fees for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

When does A2P 10DLC go into full effect?

As of February 2022, a few U.S. carriers have provided a confident timeline for full A2P 10DLC implementation.

Because each carrier has different implementation timelines and methods, Aloware strongly encourages organizations to register as soon as possible to avoid surprise fees or filtering.

Existing Aloware customers MUST provide their registration information under Account > Compliance.

What happens if I don't make the registration to 10DLC?

10DLC compliance is imperative, but carriers are allowed a grace period until March 31, 2022. After that time, organizations that fail to comply may face fines.

Read about non-compliance penalties.