The 10DLC or 10-Digit Long Code is a standard phone number with ten digits – hence the name. Mobile carriers created it as an Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging channel to facilitate sending text messages at higher volumes.
With the growing use cases for mass messaging and marketing, 10DLC phone numbers became the standard for A2P messaging across businesses in the US. Unlike other complex and costly channels, 10DLC is comparably cost-effective and efficient.
Prior to creating the 10DLC, companies had to use short codes, toll-free long codes, and local long codes. However, these came with limitations, making them impractical for many organizations.
For instance, short codes were expensive to use. Meanwhile, toll-free long codes were limited in their ability to dispatch multiple messages and could send only up to a few thousand SMS daily. Similar to toll-free long codes, local long codes’ capacity to send messages was also capped at a certain number – only one message per second. Also, local long codes were explicitly intended for Person-to-Person (P2P) messaging and had compliance problems when adopted into A2P text messaging.
10DLC addresses the issues associated with P2P and other A2P messaging options. It also comes with additional benefits like reduced phishing and spam messages, improved deliverability and compliance, and usability in multiple communication channels.
If businesses want to harness 10DLC, they can rely on approved providers like TeleMessage. This company is a verified Campaign Service Provider (CSP) for A2P messaging. It can help brands follow the necessary procedures like registering their business and campaigns with the third-party organization, The Campaign Registry (TCR). Completing the registration process means that the sent messages are verified, and their sender is known.
TeleMessage also provides other solutions like mobile archiving. Its products capture and retain mobile content, including text messages, WhatsApp, WeChat, and even call archiving to ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
To learn more, see this infographic from TeleMessage that talks about sending legitimate SMS messages via 10DLC approval.
