What Is 10DLC?

10DLC is the telecommunications industry’s novel solution to the legislative and regulatory developments of the past few years. Short for “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” 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 all forms of business-to-customer messaging.

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4 Benefits of 10DLC

MNOs in North America are switching to 10DLC to meet regulatory standards. With this transition come the following benefits:

Improved Message Deliverability

Before an MNO will allow a business to use 10DLC to send A2P communications, said business will be required to register. This registration with MNOs enables them to vet and verify your business’s messages before you send them, significantly reducing the chance of messages being blocked or flagged as spam.

Ease of Regulatory Compliance

Between the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act of 2019 and the 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.

10DLC enables you to ensure that your A2P communications remain in compliance with all of the above laws and regulations by pre-approving select campaigns based on use cases and other qualifications.

Greater Local Appeal

Neither short codes nor toll-free numbers enable the same level of local brand recognition as 10DLC numbers. Since 10DLC involves the use of local phone numbers, which are far more recognizable to individuals in said locale, A2P communications sent through these channels will appear more personal.

10DLC Numbers Support Both Text and Voice

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 to call or text the same number, which in turn makes it easier for customers to engage with your business.

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.

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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