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November 3, 2026 · By Piyush Sahoo A2P 10DLC is the US carrier program for business texts sent from ordinary 10-digit local numbers. You register your company as a brand and each messaging use case as a campaign, then attach your numbers. Unregistered traffic gets blocked, and your trust score can limit how fast registered messages move. This guide explains who runs the program, turns the carrier limits into real send times, and separates carrier rules from US law. It also covers what changes when your company sits in India, and how 10DLC differs from DLT.
Key takeaways
  • The rules follow the recipient’s phone. An Indian company texting US phones from a US local number needs 10DLC, and DLT does not carry over.
  • The registry does not approve campaigns. The Campaign Registry says other parties in the sharing chain do that review, so a stuck campaign is a question for your provider.
  • Adding numbers rarely adds capacity. T-Mobile caps volume per brand and AT&T per campaign, so trust score matters more than number count.
  • In our worked example, the same 105,000 segments take 1 day or 53 days on T-Mobile. The trust score alone makes that difference.
  • Registration does not replace consent. 10DLC is a carrier program, and US telemarketing law applies separately.

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What does A2P 10DLC mean?

The name joins two ideas. A2P (application-to-person) describes the sender, and 10DLC (10-digit long code) describes the number. The number itself is nothing special. It looks like any US local number. What changes is the registered record behind it, which tells carriers who sends and why. The A2P label is broader than many teams expect:
  • Software isn’t the only trigger. CTIA’s messaging principles class a message as non-consumer when an agent or representative sends it for a business, so a sales rep texting from a work platform counts. CTIA now prefers “non-consumer” to “A2P”, though carriers still use both.
  • Purpose isn’t a way out. The Campaign Registry’s overview includes one-off messages that aren’t marketing.
The program exists because these numbers were built for people texting people. As spam moved onto them, carriers set a standard so that traffic is identified and consensual.

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Does your text need 10DLC?

Answer two questions in order. Where is the recipient’s phone, and which number sends the text? Decision map. Start with where the recipient's phone is. India leads to DLT registration with entity, header and template IDs on every message. Anywhere else leads to the country's coverage record. The United States then depends on the sending number: a local number needs A2P 10DLC, a toll-free number needs verification, and a short code needs a carrier application. Decision map. Start with where the recipient's phone is. India leads to DLT registration with entity, header and template IDs on every message. Anywhere else leads to the country's coverage record. The United States then depends on the sending number: a local number needs A2P 10DLC, a toll-free number needs verification, and a short code needs a carrier application. The three US routes differ in more than registration: The toll-free approval route comes from Vobiz’s toll-free guide, and The Campaign Registry confirms voice on 10DLC. The last row is our general guidance. For calling and number choice, see toll-free vs local vs mobile numbers.

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Who runs A2P 10DLC?

Five kinds of party share the work, and many guides blur them. These role names come from The Campaign Registry’s 2026 overview: Two lanes of parties. Registration passes from the brand to the campaign service provider, then to The Campaign Registry, which does not review, approve or reject campaigns, then to the CSP, CNP and DCA review chain. Delivery passes from your app to the CSP, then a connectivity partner or direct connect aggregator, then the carrier, which filters, limits and delivers. Two lanes of parties. Registration passes from the brand to the campaign service provider, then to The Campaign Registry, which does not review, approve or reject campaigns, then to the CSP, CNP and DCA review chain. Delivery passes from your app to the CSP, then a connectivity partner or direct connect aggregator, then the carrier, which filters, limits and delivers.
  • Brand. The company the recipient believes is texting them.
  • CSP (campaign service provider). The platform that files brands and campaigns for its customers.
  • TCR (The Campaign Registry). The central hub that holds those records.
  • CNP and DCA. A connectivity partner links CSPs to carriers, and a direct connect aggregator connects to the carrier gateway.
  • MNO. The mobile network operator, which you know as the carrier.
Two consequences follow, and both save real time. Ask your provider about a stuck campaign. TCR says plainly that it does not review, approve, or reject campaigns. It also tells brands not to register with it directly, and to go through a messaging provider instead. Work out who the brand is before you file. TCR defines the brand by what the recipient believes. If an agency or outsourcing firm texts a client’s customers in the client’s name, the client looks like the brand under that definition. Filing the agency instead would misdescribe the sender, so settle this with your provider early.

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How does A2P 10DLC registration work?

Registration has a fixed order, and each stage depends on the one before it.

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1. Register the brand

You supply the legal name, tax identifier, address, website, and a contact. The values must match official records, because the check compares them. A mismatch stalls everything downstream, since no campaign can clear under an unverified brand. Providers package brands differently, so names can vary. The Campaign Registry’s CSP guide shows the common shape: Don’t choose the sole proprietor route if you hold a tax ID, because TCR limits it to individuals and small businesses without one.

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2. Register each campaign

A campaign declares one messaging program: its use case, consent flow, sample messages, and replies to STOP and HELP. Choose the type by message content rather than by industry, because TCR says the use case defines the content you send. Your description, samples, and consent wording must all tell the same story.

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3. Attach your numbers

A number can send only after it joins an approved campaign. TCR’s guide adds that using 50 or more numbers requires a different provisioning process on T-Mobile.

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How long should you allow?

The Campaign Registry says campaign review can take 1 to 4 weeks, so plan for the slow end. Each rejection restarts the review. Our advice is to submit at least a month before a launch you can’t move.

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How does trust score set your throughput?

Your trust score is a rating from 0 to 100. It comes from a standard vet, an optional third-party review of factors such as compliance history and employee count. Carriers then turn that rating into limits, and they do so differently: Bar chart of 10DLC limits by trust score. T-Mobile messages a day per brand: 200,000 for scores 75 to 100, 40,000 for 50 to 74, 10,000 for 25 to 49, 2,000 for 1 to 24 and unvetted, and 1,000 for sole proprietors. AT&T SMS a minute per campaign: 4,500, 2,400, then 240 for lower bands, and 15 for sole proprietors. Bar chart of 10DLC limits by trust score. T-Mobile messages a day per brand: 200,000 for scores 75 to 100, 40,000 for 50 to 74, 10,000 for 25 to 49, 2,000 for 1 to 24 and unvetted, and 1,000 for sole proprietors. AT&T SMS a minute per campaign: 4,500, 2,400, then 240 for lower bands, and 15 for sole proprietors. These figures come from The Campaign Registry’s CSP guide, April 2026, which also explains the unit each carrier uses:
  • T-Mobile counts per day, per brand. Every campaign under one brand shares the allowance, so more campaigns or numbers don’t add to it.
  • AT&T counts per minute, per campaign. Its message class follows your use case and score.
  • Verizon isn’t in these tables. The guide lists terms for AT&T and T-Mobile, so ask your provider about Verizon.
Limits also move over time. TCR notes that carriers can change these terms at any time, and points readers to official carrier documentation.

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Segments spend your allowance

Plan your allowance in segments rather than messages, and confirm with your provider how each carrier counts them. Vobiz’s segment rules state the arithmetic: GSM-7 text fits 160 characters in one segment and 153 per segment when split. Any other character switches the message to UCS-2, at 70 and 67. Language therefore changes your cost and speed. A 300-character English message takes 2 segments. The same length in Hindi or Tamil takes 5, because those scripts need UCS-2. Teams texting Indian-diaspora audiences in the US should budget for this.

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A worked example: one send at each trust score

Assume one brand with one standard campaign sends a two-segment message to 52,500 recipients on T-Mobile and 52,500 on AT&T. Each carrier then has 105,000 segments to carry. Illustrative chart for 105,000 segments per carrier. T-Mobile takes 1 day at score 75 to 100, 3 days at 50 to 74, 11 days at 25 to 49, and 53 days at 1 to 24 or unvetted. AT&T takes 23 minutes, 44 minutes, 7.3 hours and 7.3 hours. Illustrative chart for 105,000 segments per carrier. T-Mobile takes 1 day at score 75 to 100, 3 days at 50 to 74, 11 days at 25 to 49, and 53 days at 1 to 24 or unvetted. AT&T takes 23 minutes, 44 minutes, 7.3 hours and 7.3 hours. Three lessons come out of this math:
  1. T-Mobile’s daily cap is the real limit here. AT&T’s rate adds hours, whereas T-Mobile’s cap adds days.
  2. A score of 75 is a planning threshold. Below it, this send no longer finishes in one day on T-Mobile.
  3. Time-boxed sends suffer most. A sale that ends on Friday cannot wait 11 days, so test your cap before you commit to a date.
Size your own send by dividing segments per carrier by your limit. If you don’t know the split, take the pessimistic view and assign more of the list to the carrier with your tightest limit.

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What does A2P 10DLC cost?

Several parties charge separately, and only some fees come from your provider. The Campaign Registry’s fee guide, updated 13 August 2026, lists the registry’s own charges to providers: From those figures, one vetted brand with one standard campaign costs about USD 166 in registry fees in its first year: USD 4.50 + USD 41.50 + (12 × USD 10). That is our calculation, and it excludes carrier fees and your provider’s own charges. Treat this as a shape rather than a quote, because providers bundle fees differently. Vobiz rates are on the Vobiz pricing page.

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What happens if you skip registration?

Your messages stop arriving, because carriers block unregistered business traffic on these numbers. No unregistered path remains that you should plan around. Registration also doesn’t end filtering, because carriers still watch what you send, so traffic that strays from your registered use case can suffer even when the paperwork is clean.

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Is A2P 10DLC the law?

No. 10DLC is a carrier program built on industry standards, whereas consent law comes from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and FCC rules. You can pass one and fail the other, so check both. This section isn’t legal advice, so confirm how these rules apply to you with US counsel. One outdated claim still circulates in guides. The FCC’s one-to-one consent rule never took effect, because the Eleventh Circuit vacated it in January 2025 days before its start date. CTIA guidance still says an opt-in should apply only to the sender and campaign it was given for, so shared lead lists remain a poor fit. Keep proof of every opt-in. CTIA suggests recording the timestamp, medium, the wording shown, IP address, phone number, and the person’s identity.

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How do you text the US from India?

The program reaches you wherever your company sits, because TCR’s scope is any business using SMS on 10DLC. Six points need attention when you file from India:
  1. Use your company identity. TCR’s guide asks for a US EIN if you hold one, and otherwise the primary corporation registration number for your country. For an Indian company, that points to the Corporate Identity Number (CIN).
  2. Check any no-tax-ID plan early. TCR accepts sole proprietor registrations only from the US or Canada. An Indian proprietorship without a CIN should ask its provider which route fits before planning a launch.
  3. Match the legal name to the record. Trading names often differ from the name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs record, so file the legal name and declare the trading name separately.
  4. Decide who the brand is. A BPO or agency texting US customers for a US client usually isn’t the brand, under TCR’s definition. The client’s details belong on the brand record, so confirm the filing with your provider.
  5. Plan sends in US time. Across the contiguous US, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time overlaps from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern. That is 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. IST during US daylight time, and 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. IST during standard time. That is our calculation for marketing sends, and it excludes Alaska and Hawaii.
  6. Staff your replies. A HELP reply and a monitored support address are part of the declaration, and your customers will use them during US hours.

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How does 10DLC differ from India’s DLT?

Both make senders identify themselves, but they work differently. Teams that know DLT often assume a template approach will carry over, and it does not. If you serve both markets, keep separate records. A US campaign approval does nothing for an Indian template, and a DLT header does nothing for T-Mobile. Our DLT registration guide covers the Indian process.

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How Vobiz handles A2P 10DLC

Vobiz exposes the full flow through the Messaging API and in the console under SMS & RCS → Registration. The compliance overview lists what each number type needs. Three rows of Vobiz states. A brand moves from DRAFT to PENDING to ACTIVE. A campaign moves from DRAFT to SUBMITTED or IN_REVIEW to REGISTERED once its brand is active. A number moves from not_registered to being added to the campaign to approved, where sendable.usDomestic is true. Rejected records are fixed from rejectionReasons, then registered again or appealed. Three rows of Vobiz states. A brand moves from DRAFT to PENDING to ACTIVE. A campaign moves from DRAFT to SUBMITTED or IN_REVIEW to REGISTERED once its brand is active. A number moves from not_registered to being added to the campaign to approved, where sendable.usDomestic is true. Rejected records are fixed from rejectionReasons, then registered again or appealed.
  • Brands. Create and submit a brand, then poll its registrationStatus and brandIdentityStatus. taxId, taxIdIssuingCountry, and businessRegistrationType cover companies outside the US, and businessDba holds a trading name. The businessRegistrationType list includes OTHER, so confirm with support which value suits a CIN.
  • Campaigns. Create and submit a campaign with its useCases, optIns, exampleMessages, and keyword replies. Upload consent screenshots as supporting documents, up to 10 MB each.
  • Carrier results. The network statuses call returns each carrier’s state, plus messageClass, throughput, and brandTier where the network assigns them. This is where your real limits appear.
  • Progress events. 10dlc.brand.updated and 10dlc.campaign.updated arrive on the WebSocket, so you don’t have to poll.
  • Rejections. rejectionReasons names what to fix. You can edit a draft or rejected campaign, and appeal a rejection with a stated reason.
  • Vetting. Request vetting when you need a higher tier. Confirm any fee with support first.
  • Numbers. A number’s registration object and sendable.usDomestic flag on the numbers resource show whether it is cleared for US traffic.
  • Segments and pacing. The cost preview counts segments without sending. Broadcasts accept ratePerSecond from 1 to 50, so you can pace a send to your limit.
  • Opt-outs. Keyword replies such as STOP are recorded automatically, and every send is checked against that list.
  • India. DLT IDs are fields on each message and broadcast, so one API serves both markets.
  • Other countries. The coverage record shows each country’s registration needs, sending window, and link rules.
Registration submissions, vetting, and messages can all carry charges and reach real people. Run them only with your own Auth ID and Auth Token, and only after you confirm the details and any fees.

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Frequently asked questions

A2P means application-to-person, the label for business texts sent through software or by agents working for a business. 10DLC means 10-digit long code, an ordinary US local number. Together they name the US carrier program for business texting on those numbers, with registered brands and campaigns.
You do if your business texts US phones from a US local number through a messaging platform. Size and purpose don’t exempt you, and companies outside the US are covered too. Toll-free numbers and short codes follow separate approval routes, so they sit outside this program.
Plan for one to four weeks, the range The Campaign Registry gives for campaign review. Accurate records shorten the wait, and each rejection adds another round of review.
Expect registry and carrier fees on top of your provider’s number and message prices. The Campaign Registry lists USD 4.50 to register a brand and USD 10 a month for a standard campaign, and carriers add a fee per message part. Check your own provider’s current rates.
Your texts from US local numbers stop reaching US phones, because carriers block unregistered business traffic. The Campaign Registry says any business using SMS on 10DLC must register, so plan to finish before your first send.
Yes. An Indian company can register as a brand using its company identity, such as its Corporate Identity Number. If it texts for a US client, the client is usually the brand. Registration for 10DLC is separate from DLT, which covers texts sent to Indian phones.

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Further reading on Vobiz

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Sources

US regulators and law Industry bodies Indian regulators

Register and send on Vobiz

Set up messaging on Vobiz and send your first SMS.