Glossary · 10DLC

What is 10DLC?

10DLC (10-digit long code) is the US mobile carriers’ standard for Application-to-Person (A2P) business SMS sent from standard 10-digit phone numbers. It requires the sender to register their brand and each messaging campaign with The Campaign Registry (TCR), pay per-message carrier fees, and stay within throughput limits determined by a trust score. 10DLC replaced the previously-unregulated approach to business SMS on long codes and is enforced by AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other US carriers. Non-registered A2P traffic on 10-digit numbers is filtered or blocked.

Why 10DLC exists

Before 10DLC, businesses sent SMS from regular 10-digit phone numbers with no registration requirement. Carriers saw high volumes of spam, phishing, and illegal traffic. Their response was the 10DLC standard: require businesses to register so carriers know who is sending what, and enforce compliance via throughput limits and filtering.

10DLC gives legitimate senders a faster, more reliable path (higher throughput, fewer filtering surprises) while keeping spam out.

Who needs 10DLC registration

Any US business sending A2P SMS from a 10-digit number, which includes:

Appointment reminders
Order confirmations
Shipping updates
Customer support conversations
Sales follow-ups
Marketing messages
Two-factor authentication codes
Any “application-initiated” messaging

Person-to-person (P2P) conversational messaging from an individual’s personal phone doesn’t require 10DLC. The dividing line is intent and scale, a business sending at scale is A2P.

10DLC components

Brand registration

The company sending SMS registers itself with The Campaign Registry. Basic (standard) brand registration is lower-cost and lower-trust-score. Vetted brand registration (higher cost, external vetting by Aegis Mobile or similar) unlocks higher throughput.

Brand data required:

Legal entity name
EIN or tax ID
Business address
Industry
Website
Stock ticker (if public)

Campaign registration

Each use case (type of SMS you send) is registered as a separate campaign. Categories include:

2FA
Account notifications
Customer care / support
Marketing
Higher education
Polling / voting
Public service announcements
Charity
Low-volume mixed (flexible, for small senders)

Each campaign has a description, sample message content, opt-in mechanism, and opt-out handling. The Campaign Registry approves or rejects based on completeness and compliance.

Trust score

Each brand gets a trust score (1–100) based on vetting status, history, and complaints. Higher trust = higher throughput (messages per second per phone number) and lower filtering risk.

Throughput and MPS

10DLC throughput is measured in Messages Per Second (MPS) per number, determined by:

Trust score (vetted vs. standard)
Number type (toll-free, short code, or 10DLC)
Carrier (each carrier has its own MPS rules)

Typical 10DLC ranges: 1–3 MPS (standard) up to 60+ MPS (high-trust vetted brands).

Carrier fees

Each carrier charges a per-message fee on top of your SMS provider’s rates. Fees vary but typically $0.0025–$0.005 per message per carrier. These fees are passed through by your provider.

How 10DLC registration works, step by step

The registration sequence is fixed — campaigns cannot be submitted until the brand is approved:

Gather brand data. Collect the exact legal entity name, EIN, registered business address, and website as they appear on official records. Mismatches here are the single biggest cause of delay.
Register the brand. Submit brand details to The Campaign Registry through your SMS provider. Standard registration returns a brand identifier and an initial trust score within a day or two.
Decide on vetting. If you need throughput above the standard tier, request external brand vetting. Vetting raises the trust score and is worth it for any sender above a few thousand messages a day.
Define and register campaigns. For each distinct use case — 2FA, support, marketing — submit a campaign with a clear description, sample messages, the opt-in flow, and opt-out handling.
Pass campaign review. The Campaign Registry and carriers review each campaign. Approval typically takes 1–3 business days when the submission is complete.
Provision numbers to campaigns. Assign your DID numbers to approved campaigns. Only then will carriers treat traffic from those numbers as registered A2P.

Plan ahead — do not wait until launch day. Complications come up (EIN mismatch, industry category questions, website issues) and delays happen.

10DLC throughput tiers

Throughput depends primarily on whether the brand is vetted and on its trust score. Approximate per-number messaging rates:

Tier	Trust score	Approx. throughput	Best for
Standard / unvetted	Low (typically under 50)	~1–3 MPS	Small senders, low-volume mixed campaigns
Vetted, mid trust	~50–75	~10–30 MPS	Growing mid-market SMS programs
Vetted, high trust	~75–100	~30–60+ MPS	High-volume marketing and notification senders
Toll-free (separate path)	Verified	~3 MPS, high daily caps	National support lines, brands wanting a memorable number
Short code	Carrier-approved	Very high	Mass marketing, “text JOIN to 12345” programs

The practical lesson: if your projected volume exceeds a few thousand messages a day, pay for brand vetting up front. Launching unvetted and then trying to scale into carrier filtering is slower and more painful than vetting from the start.

Common 10DLC rejection reasons

Most registration delays trace to a short list of fixable problems:

Brand data mismatch — the legal name, EIN, or address does not exactly match official records. The most common rejection by far.
Vague campaign description — “we send messages to customers” is not enough. Carriers need the specific use case, audience, and message types.
Missing or weak opt-in — the campaign must show exactly how recipients consent. No documented opt-in, no approval.
Sample messages without opt-out language — sample content should reflect real messages, including “Reply STOP to opt out.”
Use case mismatch — registering a “customer care” campaign and then sending marketing blasts gets the campaign suspended.
Prohibited content — messaging tied to restricted categories (certain lending, cannabis, gambling) faces extra scrutiny or outright rejection.

A complete, honest submission that matches what you will actually send clears review fastest.

10DLC registration timeline

Standard registration: 1 to 2 weeks from submission to approved brand
Vetted registration: 2 to 4 weeks including external vetting
Campaign approval: usually 1 to 3 business days per campaign after brand is approved

Plan ahead: do not wait until launch day. Complications come up (EIN mismatch, industry category questions, website issues) and delays happen.

10DLC vs. other SMS options

Option	Use case	Regulatory	Cost	Throughput
10DLC	A2P from standard 10-digit numbers	Brand + campaign registration required	Per-msg carrier fees + SMS provider costs	1–60+ MPS by trust score
Toll-free SMS	A2P from toll-free (800/888)	Toll-free verification	Per-msg fees	Usually 3 MPS
Short code	High-volume marketing (e.g., “Text JOIN to 12345”)	Heavy vetting, carrier approval	$1,000+/month + per-msg fees	High
P2P (unregistered)	True person-to-person, low volume	Not A2P, don’t use at scale	Standard per-msg	Limited

Most small and mid-market businesses use 10DLC because it’s the most cost-effective A2P path with reasonable throughput. See DialPhone business SMS → for how 10DLC registration is handled end-to-end.

Compliance requirements

10DLC itself is a carrier-driven registration standard, but the legal compliance bar for SMS comes from TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act):

Prior express consent for marketing messages
STOP-keyword handling (SMS opt-out rules)
Quiet hours (8pm–8am local) for promotional messages
Identification: sender must identify themselves in messages
Honor DNC list: Do Not Call registry applies to SMS in many interpretations

DialPhone handles 10DLC registration and the TCPA compliance mechanics automatically: STOP/START keywords, quiet hours enforcement, consent audit trail, carrier fee pass-through.

What happens without 10DLC

Unregistered A2P traffic on 10-digit numbers gets:

Filtered: carriers silently drop the message without delivery
Delayed: artificial rate limits
Rejected: sender receives error codes (SMPP/CPaaS-level)
Flagged: sender’s number gets a bad reputation, compounds problems

Many businesses launch SMS programs, see delivery rates of 10–30%, and blame the wrong thing. The answer is almost always 10DLC registration.

10DLC in 2026: what has changed

10DLC is now a mature, fully enforced standard, and the trend since launch has been steadily tighter:

Enforcement is universal. Every major US carrier now blocks unregistered A2P traffic outright. There is no longer a grey period where unregistered messages “mostly” deliver. Unregistered means undelivered.
Trust score matters more. Carriers increasingly tie not just throughput but filtering aggressiveness to the brand trust score. A low-trust brand sees more of its legitimate traffic filtered, not just rate-limited.
Conversational consent is scrutinized. Carriers and The Campaign Registry expect a clear, documented opt-in for every campaign. Buying lists or assuming consent is now a fast route to campaign suspension.
It pairs with one-to-one consent. Recent TCPA attention on genuine, specific consent reinforces what 10DLC already demands — that the recipient actually agreed to hear from your brand specifically.

The strategic takeaway for 2026: treat 10DLC registration and clean consent as table stakes, not paperwork. The senders who maintain a high trust score and accurate campaign registration get reliable delivery; everyone else fights filtering indefinitely.

DialPhone and 10DLC

DialPhone handles 10DLC for customers:

Guide through brand registration in the admin portal
Submit campaigns based on your stated use cases
Auto-configure STOP keywords and quiet hours
Pass carrier fees through transparently
Monitor trust score and filtering events
Support vetted brand registration for higher-volume senders

Typical customer is live on registered 10DLC in 5 to 10 business days.

Example

A real-estate brokerage launched SMS marketing with no 10DLC registration. Delivery rate: 32%. Complaints that “my texts aren’t going through.” After DialPhone onboarded them through standard 10DLC registration (9 days to approved campaign): delivery rate 94%, cost per delivered message actually lower because messages stop bouncing. The messaging volume didn’t change, carrier filtering did.

10DLC frequently asked questions

What does 10DLC stand for?

10DLC stands for 10-digit long code. A “long code” is a standard 10-digit phone number — the kind a person dials — as opposed to a 5- or 6-digit short code. The “10DLC” label specifically refers to the US carrier framework for sending registered Application-to-Person (A2P) business SMS from those standard 10-digit numbers. So 10DLC is both the type of number and the registration system that governs business texting from it.

Is 10DLC registration required?

Yes, for any US business sending A2P (application-to-person) SMS from a standard 10-digit number. It is not a legal statute — it is a carrier requirement enforced by AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and the other major networks. The enforcement is absolute: unregistered A2P traffic is filtered or blocked, so in practice registration is mandatory if you want your business texts to be delivered. The only messaging exempt is genuine low-volume person-to-person texting from an individual’s personal phone.

How much does 10DLC cost?

10DLC has several cost layers. There is a one-time brand registration fee and a recurring per-campaign fee charged by The Campaign Registry (typically a few dollars per month per campaign, varying by use case). Optional brand vetting carries an additional one-time fee. On top of that, carriers charge a per-message fee — usually $0.0025 to $0.005 per message per carrier — passed through by your SMS provider. For a small sender the total is modest; the per-message carrier fees are what scale with volume. DialPhone passes carrier fees through transparently rather than marking them up.

How long does 10DLC registration take?

Standard brand registration usually takes 1 to 2 weeks from submission to an approved brand. Vetted registration takes 2 to 4 weeks because it includes external vetting. Once the brand is approved, each campaign is typically reviewed within 1 to 3 business days. The biggest cause of delay is a mismatch between the brand details you submit and official records — an EIN, legal name, or address that does not match exactly. Submit accurate data and the process is predictable; guess at the details and expect rejections and resubmissions.

What is the difference between 10DLC and a short code?

Both send A2P SMS, but they differ in number format, cost, and throughput. A 10DLC is a standard 10-digit number — it looks like a normal phone number, can also receive calls, costs little, and supports moderate throughput. A short code is a 5- or 6-digit number (“text JOIN to 12345”), requires heavy carrier vetting, costs $1,000+ per month, and supports very high throughput. Most small and mid-market businesses use 10DLC because it is far cheaper and the throughput is sufficient. Short codes make sense only for true mass-marketing programs sending huge volumes.

See DialPhone SMS and 10DLC support

Business SMS platform → · SMS compliance guide → · High-volume SMS →

10DLC registration guide: step-by-step
HIPAA-compliant texting for businesses
TCPA — the federal law 10DLC compliance supports
DNC list — the opt-out registry that applies to SMS campaigns
STIR/SHAKEN — the parallel caller-ID authentication standard for voice
DID number — the 10-digit number you register and assign to a 10DLC campaign
DialPhone business SMS pricing