Brad Herrmann
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Spam SMS is a common issue that can hinder effective customer engagement and negatively impact your brand reputation.
To reduce spam and protect consumers, mobile carriers have implemented new registration requirements under the A2P 10DLC framework.
Starting December 1, 2024, businesses that send A2P text messages must register their brand and SMS campaign(s). This gives carriers greater visibility into who is sending messages and helps reduce unwanted or fraudulent traffic.
New to SMS registration? This guide explains what it is, why it’s required, who needs it, and how to complete the process successfully. Text-Em-All is an SMS marketing platform that helps businesses navigate registration requirements while maintaining compliance and deliverability.
What is SMS registration?
SMS registration is the process of registering your organization and messaging campaign under the A2P 10DLC framework. Businesses must submit their brand and campaign details through The Campaign Registry (TCR), which shares that information with mobile carriers.
A2P stands for application-to-person messaging, meaning messages sent from a software platform to individuals. 10DLC refers to standard 10-digit local phone numbers used for business texting.
The purpose of SMS registration is to help carriers verify legitimate senders, reduce spam, and improve message deliverability for approved businesses.
The growing problem of text spam
Spam text messages are a major issue in the United States. According to recent data, Americans receive an estimated 4.5 billion spam text messages each year, which is staggering.
According to recent Federal Trade Commission data, consumers reported hundreds of millions of dollars in losses due to text message scams in 2024 alone. These growing losses have increased pressure on carriers to enforce stricter sender verification standards.
These spam messages often come from unknown or illegitimate senders and may arrive in the form of:
- Marketing messages and promotions
- Identity threats
- Shipping notifications
- Casual greetings
Not only are these messages a nuisance, but they can also be dangerous and lead to financial or identity theft.
nuisance, but they can also be dangerous and lead to financial or identity theft.Abuse of texting tools and services
SMS compliance is complicated and difficult to understand, and while organizations like the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) and laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) have been put in place to help develop consistent processes and rules — the abuse of texting tools and services remains a problem.
At Text-Em-All, we are experts in text registration and stay up-to-date with every registration update, ensuring our customers’ needs are consistently met.
How are the carriers solving this problem?
In the past, carriers have relied on the following to mitigate spam:
- Content fillers
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- Opt-out mechanisms
- Complaint tracking
The problem here is that each carrier (or aggregator) is operating independently. Further, their rules are not transparent; sometimes, they’re slow to react.
The biggest issue, though, is that the carriers don’t have visibility into who the end user sending spam messages is.
SMS campaign registration thus stands as the preferred solution. Here are some of the primary benefits for carriers:
- Identifies the sender (both the service provider and end user)
- Identifies the use case and expected messages
- Restricts delivery speed and message volume
What happens if you don't register your SMS campaign?
If your business sends A2P messages without completing SMS registration, mobile carriers may:
- Block your messages entirely
- Filter or throttle delivery speeds
- Increase per-message fees
- Delay campaign approvals
- Flag your number for suspicious activity
Inconsistent delivery can disrupt customer communication and damage brand trust. Proper SMS registration protects your messaging reputation and improves long-term deliverability.
Who needs to register for SMS?
Any organization in the United States or Canada that sends A2P (application-to-person) text messages using 10-digit long code numbers must complete SMS registration. You may be asking, what type of text messages are impacted by this new regulation? In short, all types, including:
- One-to-one communication
- Bulk messaging
- Information texts
- Marketing and promotional texts
- Conversational (two-way) texts
How to register for SMS messaging
The registration process involves three primary steps.
Step 1: Register your brand
First, your business information is submitted to The Campaign Registry. This includes:
- Legal business name
- Employer Identification Number
- Contact information
- Business address
Carriers verify that your business is legitimate before approving the brand.
Step 2: Submit campaign details
Next, you provide information about how you plan to use text messaging. This includes:
- Campaign description
- Message examples
- Opt-in process
- Opt-out language
- Website or supporting links
Being clear and accurate during this step improves approval speed.
Step 3: Get approved
After submission, carriers review your brand and campaign. Approval timelines vary, but most registrations are processed within several business days.
Once approved, your campaign can begin sending messages under the A2P 10DLC framework.
What happens if you don’t register your SMS campaign?
Businesses that send messages without completing SMS registration may experience:
- Message blocking or carrier filtering
- Slower delivery speeds
- Higher messaging fees
- Delayed campaign approvals
- Reduced deliverability
- Potential account restrictions depending on platform policies
How Text-Em-All simplifies SMS registration
Consider Text-Em-All your one-stop shop for registering and sending SMS swiftly—and with ease. We make the SMS registration process as straightforward and transparent as possible, which allows you to focus on what matters most: engaging with your customers.
What’s more, Text-Em-All stands out from the crowd with:
- No extra fees
- Transparent, step-by-step guidance to save you stress and time
- Ongoing compliance updates to ensure you’re always informed
Ready to make the right type of impact with SMS? Get started with Text-Em-All today.