SMS regulations in the United States.
A2P 10DLC, toll-free, and short codes.
US A2P messaging is governed by carrier registration through The Campaign Registry (10DLC brand + campaign vetting), the CTIA Messaging Principles, and the TCPA consent regime — number-based registration, not alphanumeric sender IDs.
A2P 10DLC via The Campaign Registry
Application-to-person messaging over standard 10-digit long codes must be registered through The Campaign Registry (TCR). You register your brand and then each messaging campaign, declaring use case and sample content. Campaigns are vetted before traffic is approved by the carriers.
Trust score and carrier throughput
Brand vetting produces a trust score that determines per-carrier throughput. T-Mobile applies daily message-volume caps by trust tier, and AT&T assigns messages-per-second (TPS) tiers. Higher trust scores unlock higher sending limits; unregistered or poorly-vetted traffic is throttled or blocked.
Toll-free and short codes
Toll-free numbers used for A2P must go through toll-free verification before they can send at scale. Dedicated short codes are provisioned through the CTIA/TCR short-code registry and carry their own application, vetting, and lease process — the highest-trust option for high-volume campaigns.
CTIA Messaging Principles & Best Practices
The CTIA publishes the Messaging Principles and Best Practices that the carriers enforce for A2P content and consent. Every program must honor STOP/HELP keywords for opt-out and help, and content is restricted under the SHAFT rules — no sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco messaging.
TCPA consent and opt-out
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) requires prior express written consent for marketing messages, while transactional messages may rely on an established business relationship. Recipients must be able to opt out at any time (STOP), and opt-outs must be processed immediately. TCPA violations carry statutory per-message damages.
Carriers and registration lead time
BroadNet terminates 10DLC and toll-free traffic to T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon over direct connections. Brands cannot register with The Campaign Registry directly: brand and campaign registration is filed through a campaign service provider, and BroadNet coordinates it during onboarding. 10DLC registration typically takes 7–14 business days.
- Direct to T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon.
- 10DLC brand + campaign registration via TCR: typically 7–14 business days.
- Toll-free: carrier-verified business profile before sending at scale.
- Short codes: leased and provisioned through the short-code registry.
- Submit your KYC packTrade licence, authorisation letter and sample messages
- BroadNet files the applicationWith the operators or the regulator, as the market requires
- Review and approvalTypical lead time7-14 business days (10DLC)
- Send under your brandYour approved sender ID on every message
Technical facts for the USA
Network codes, message lengths and sender-ID rules in one table. Segment lengths are the GSM standard values (3GPP TS 23.038).
| Mobile country code (MCC) | 310 – 316 |
|---|---|
| Dialling code | +1 |
| Operators (MCC-MNC) |
|
| SMS length, GSM-7 (Latin alphabet) | 160 characters in a single SMS; 153 per part when concatenated |
| SMS length, UCS-2 (Arabic, Cyrillic and other scripts) | 70 characters in a single SMS; 67 per part when concatenated |
| Regulator | FCC + CTIA (Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and CTIA (carrier consortium)) |
| Sender-ID rules | 10DLC Brand vetting + Campaign registration via The Campaign Registry (TCR) for long codes. Toll-Free Verification via carrier-verified business profiles. Short codes leased + provisioned. |
| Sender-ID lead time | 7-14 business days (10DLC) |
How to register a sender ID in the USA
What to prepare, who approves it and how long it takes. Send us the documents below and BroadNet coordinates the registration with the operators, the regulator or the registry, as the market requires.
- Who approves
- No regulator pre-approval. For 10DLC, the brand's identity is verified in The Campaign Registry (TCR), and each campaign is reviewed by the campaign service provider and its upstream partners. Special use cases may also need carrier approval.
- Typical lead time
- 7–14 business days (10DLC)
Document checklist
- Legal company name, spelled exactly as on your IRS registration
- EIN (US), or your Business Number (Canada), or the VAT or company registration number for other countries
- Brand contact details
- A clear, detailed description of what each campaign will be used for
- Your opt-in call-to-action and privacy policy
Steps
- 1
Register the brand. Brands cannot register with TCR directly: a campaign service provider files your legal company name and EIN or tax ID, and TCR verifies your identity. BroadNet coordinates this during onboarding. If another provider has already vetted your brand, its vetting token can be imported.
- 2
Register a campaign for each use case, with a clear and detailed description. Special use cases may need vetting, or carrier approval before or after launch, before they can send.
- 3
Each campaign is submitted through the campaign service provider and its upstream partners. Allow 7–14 business days; TCR notes that approval times vary by use case and by how many partners are in the chain.
- 4
Send only within the registered campaign. Use a clear call-to-action, apply each opt-in only to the campaign it was given for, send STOP opt-out instructions and confirm each opt-out with one final message.
Common reasons for rejection
- An EIN or tax ID that does not match the legal company name
- A vague or unclear campaign description
- A special use case without brand vetting or carrier approval
Official sources
- 47 CFR 64.1200 · ecfr.gov
- FCC · fcc.gov
- CTIA · ctia.org
- TCR · campaignregistry.com
- TCR FAQ · campaignregistry.com
- CTIA Messaging Principles · api.ctia.org
Requirements are set by the regulator and the operators and can change. Check the official sources, or ask our team, before you file.
More on USA
Compare A2P SMS rules across the region.
Each market pairs a regulatory playbook with its live coverage and operator-direct routing detail.
US sender types: what each one requires
| Capability | 10DLC | Toll-free | Short code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand + campaign registration with TCR | — | — | |
| Toll-free verification | — | — | |
| Lease through the short-code registry | — | — | |
| STOP/HELP keyword handling | |||
| SHAFT content restrictions |
Common questions
Who regulates A2P SMS in the United States?
Do I need to register to send A2P SMS?
What consent and content rules apply?
How long does 10DLC registration take?
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