A2P (Application-to-Person Messaging) 10DLC (10 digits long code) Messaging, sometimes called business SMS or enterprise SMS or business texting. A2P differs from P2P messaging. P2P stands for person to person messages, such as family and friends texting each other. Unlike P2P messaging, A2P texts allows businesses to send text messaging for two way conversation, appointment reminder, text to e-signature, video chat, share document, & even text to get paid.
A2P texting is getting popular as customers prefer texting. However, there are great changes starting Feb 2021 for the texting industry.
Here are the changes in summary:
1. Shared Short Code Messaging is terminated.
2. 10DLC needs registration
3. 10DLC throughput is increasing
4. 10DLC has new surcharges by the mobile carrier
What is short code message?
Short code is a one way text messaging system. For example, text “pizza” to number “12345”. 12345 is the short code.
One short code number costs thousands per year. Thus many companies share a short code to reduce the cost. Short code message is one way and this is the major flaw to short code messaging. The other issue is the spamming control of shared code texting.
Mobile Carrier has terminated to provision any new shared short code. So if you are using one, you need to use the new standard: 10DLC texting.
What is 10DLC?
10DLC stands for “10 digit long code”. Also known as “commercial long codes”, these phone numbers are the new standard in A2P text messaging for many organizations.
A2P 10DLC is the new standard for businesses to send messages in the United States. To build trust with mobile carriers, businesses register their brands and campaigns and benefit from high-volume, high-deliverability messaging over long codes.
Verizon launched their 10DLC program in February 2020 without a pre-registration requirement for A2P senders.
AT&T 10DLC registration process will be available in the coming weeks.
T-Mobile’s 10DLC route is set to go live on April 1st.
10DLC throughput is set at 1 message per second (MPS). This is good for most business texting use cases. Because of the new registration requirement and the additional fees, 10DLC throughput will be vary but more than 1 MPS.
10DLC Fee by Mobile Carriers
The fee varies among the mobile carriers. This is an extra fee which does not exist previously.
Verizon: outgoing SMS the surcharge is $.00255 and for MMS it is $.0052.
AT&T: all outgoing SMS incur a $.002 surcharge and all outgoing MMS traffic will incur a $.0035 surcharge.
T-Mobile: T-Mobile charges $.003 for Inbound and Outbound SMS beginning on April 1, 2021. T-Mobile charges $.01 for Inbound and Outbound MMS beginning on April 1, 2021.
What does this mean to our business texting customers?
As business texting gets more popular, it is natural for mobile carriers to charge the extra fee and regulate the industry. Overall, this is a good change which allows A2P 10DLC texting industry to be healthy in the long run.