What Is A2P-10DLC, And Why It Matters
Businesses increasingly use text messaging to communicate with customers. But with growing misuse (spam, scams), U.S. mobile carriers have put new rules in place. One of the major changes is the adoption of A2P-10DLC as a standard for doing business texts from local phone numbers.
What Does A2P-10DLC Mean?
- A2P = Application-to-Person. This means texts sent by software or applications (e.g. a cloud phone system), even if the content seems “personal.”
- 10DLC = 10-Digit Long Code. That is, the standard local U.S. phone number format.
So, A2P-10DLC means: sending business-related texts from a local 10-digit U.S. phone number via an application (software) rather than a simple person-to-person mobile line.
Why Carriers Are Implementing A2P-10DLC
- The U.S. SMS infrastructure wasn’t built for the large scale of business messaging today.
- There has been an upsurge in spam and fraudulent text messaging. Carriers want to protect consumers.
Carriers are establishing dedicated channels for business texting. These require registration, verification, and accountability.
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What Happens If You Don’t Register
If a business does not comply with A2P-10DLC registration/verification:
- Outbound texts (SMS/MMS) may be blocked by carriers.
- Messages could be filtered more aggressively, meaning poor deliverability.
Brands using unregistered local long codes for U.S. numbers risk failure in message delivery. Carriers will not escalate issues unless the sender is registered.
