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10DLC is the telecommunications industry’s novel solution to the legislative and regulatory developments of the past few years. Short for 10“10-digit long code,” 10DLC uses regular local landlines instead of short codes or toll-free numbers for application-to-person (A2P) communications and other forms of business-to-customer messaging all across North America.

Long codes have long been used for purposes such as customer service and use cases are rapidly expanding to better suit other business needs as well. Of course, “10DLC” isn’t doesn’t mean just any standard long code. That phrase comes laden with its own laundry list of laws and regulations that control the ways in which you can and should be using 10-digit long codes for A2P messaging.

Differences Between 10DLC, Short Codes, and Toll-Free Numbers

To gain a better understanding of what 10DLC is and what industry professionals mean when they use the phrase “10-digit long code,” let’s look at 10DLC in comparison to traditional short codes and toll-free numbers.

Short Codes

A short code is an abbreviated number commonly between four and six digits in length. As of September 2021, short codes are the most common A2P solution globally. However, 10DLC is set to upset that in the coming years for a variety of reasons that we’ll cover in the next few sections.

Whereas short codes remain the ideal A2P solution for large-scale, enterprise-level communications, 10DLC has become North America’s most efficient A2P solution when communicating with clients on the local, in-branch level.

Toll-Free Numbers

Toll-free numbers are often referred to as “eight hundred numbers” due to the fact that they all begin with an eight. Prior to the advent of 10DLC, text-enabled toll-free numbers were on the rise in popularity, particularly in customer service use cases.

Although both 10DLC and text-enabled toll-free numbers are capable of sending the same kinds of messages, the throughput and deliverability of 10DLC messages are significantly higher. That’s because 10DLC includes a form of pre-registration with mobile network operators (MNOs) known as The Campaign Registry (TCR), which we will cover more in depth later in this article.

5 Benefits of 10DLC

Communication service providers (CSPs) all forms of business-to-customer messaging.

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Table of Contents

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4 Benefits of 10DLC

MNOs in North America are switching to 10DLC for a variety of reasons. Among the most common reasons are those that followto meet regulatory standards. With this transition come the following benefits:

Improved Message Deliverability

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Between the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act of 2019 and the FCC’s Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) subsequent regulation rollouts, quite a bit has changed in the field of telecommunications. Add to that the ever-changing requirements for Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) compliance and you have a veritable minefield of potential fines, blocked messages, and legal action.

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Although toll-free numbers may be text-enabled in order to offer both text and voice compatibility, short codes remain text-compatible only. 10DLC numbers take this one step further, enabling greater flexibility for Customers customers to call or text the same number, which in turn makes it easier for Customers customers to engage with your business.

Lower Prices

Like short codes and toll-free numbers, 10DLC numbers are often offered via leasing agreements. The difference, however, is that short codes can cost upward of $1,000 per month, whereas 10DLC numbers typically run around $1 per month.

Note, of course, that this does not include individual carrier fees, registration fees, or other costs. Even so, adding together all of those additional prices can save you around 90% when compared to the cost of a single short code.

The Problem of Robocalls and Other Spam

Laws and Regulations

10DLC and the Campaign Registry

Registration

FAQs

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10DLC and The Campaign Registry

In response to the demands imposed upon the telecommunications industry by this new legislation, MNO’s across North America have come together to create what is known as The Campaign Registry. The Campaign Registry is the result of a partnership between North American MNOs aimed at creating a simple means of maintaining regulatory compliance.

TCR enables MNOs to more easily verify the validity of corporate messaging campaigns, satisfying the government’s requirement for the implementation of improved call authentication technology. This is done through the use of a registration system that requires companies planning to use 10DLC A2P communication solutions to register their campaigns with contact information, use cases, and other details.

Registration

The registration process for TCR may appear complicated and difficult to navigate. In accordance with our commitment to enabling seamless business phone system solutions for our Partners, Resellers, Clients, and Users, Mongotel has put together an online form to streamline the registration process. Simply fill out the form and we’ll do the rest.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Still not quite sure what 10DLC is or what these changes mean for your business? Check out this list of FAQs to see if your question has already been answered: 10DLC FAQs.

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