New 10DLC Vetting Fee ($15) - Starting August 1
As of mid-June, due to new TCR requirements, our upstream partners have begun vetting each new Campaign when they receive a new Campaign connection request - meaning when a Campaign is registered in The Campaign Registry, there is still work to be done.
Our DCA (Direct Connect Aggregator, aka companies that provide direct connectivity to mobile carrier gateways for the purpose of delivering messages) will begin charging a $15 vetting fee, starting August 1st. This new vetting process has increased the registration turnaround time to a minimum of 48 hours. Providing insufficient information in the Campaign registration can cause significant delays. If our upstream partner requires additional information, another $15 re-vetting fee will be charged with each resubmission. You will be notified if re-vetting applies to your Campaign(s).
We suggest that sufficient information is provided when registering your Campaign(s). This includes a FULL, formal description, up to 5 messaging templates, and if registering directly through SignalWire, a full description of the subscriber opt-in/opt-out process.
If you’re using an application platform (e.g. SignalWire) to send customers messages from a local phone number, you need to register with the Campaign Registry regardless of your use case. In this guide, we will walk you through what the Campaign Registry is, why is it important to register, how can you register, and the pricing structure.
The Campaign Registry only applies to 10DLC/local numbers sending messages to local US phone numbers. If you are sending messaging exclusively outside of the US or only from toll-free/shortcode numbers, this guide is not for you!
Phone Number Assignments Completion Time
When you create a phone number assignment for a brand new campaign, SignalWire has to send information up to our carriers in order to get it connected on their end. For a brand new campaign, this process can take up to 24 hours in normal circumstances. You may see failed or pending for the number assignment order during this time. Rest assured that as soon as it’s completed on the carrier end, you will see it reflected in your portal!
What is the Campaign Registry?
The usage of extended codes for messaging campaigns has increased due to their simplicity and ability to meet the needs of Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging between businesses and customers. As text message volume has increased, some businesses have used the same technology for sending spam text messages. This proliferation of spam is bad for customers, businesses, and the mobile industry overall.
With the above in mind, the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have partnered up with a company called Kaleyra to create The Campaign Registry. This platform is a single source of information about 10DLC messaging campaigns throughout the U.S., enabling the MNOs to serve as a record of who sent any given 10DLC message and what they claim to be sending, which can be checked and validated against actual messaging behavior.
The Campaign Registry is about creating a centralized, trusted access point to key information enabling messaging service providers such as SignalWire, to exchange transparency (directly with the MNO’s) in who they are and what they are doing for more predictable and reliable service delivery to end-users.
MNO’s can now have visibility into the “who” and “what” of each messaging campaign which allows them to provide a better quality of service for 10DLC messaging, while service providers like SignalWire can have confidence knowing that they are using an officially sanctioned messaging channel. Businesses can finally benefit from a better quality of service as well as better predictability of success for your messaging campaigns.
How is SignalWire involved?
SignalWire is proud to be at the forefront of these changes by working with all of our partners within this new communications ecosystem since its inception. Our priority is ensuring that your business is thriving and there is no disruption. We are fully committed to providing you with these updates as they are received and assisting you with adapting whatever changes are needed.
We will help you register and get your numbers and messaging verified with the registry, and navigate you through all the changes.
Who needs to register?
If you’re using an application platform to send messages to the customers, regardless of the conversational nature of the use case, then it is considered A2P (Application-to-Person) and you need to register. In other words, if you’re using SignalWire to send messages to customers, you need to register your brand, campaigns, and phone numbers. Registering with the Campaign Registry is mandatory for all 10DLC traffic to US numbers as of March 1st.
Best practices to register
One, be transparent and honest. You do not want to be in a situation where you are flagged for an error in your brand information or other information requested. More information on this is below.
Two, we advise you to be clear and detailed, especially for special use cases. Your use case is what you are using that campaign for. This lets the MNOs know what type of messaging to expect. Here’s a list of the use cases that you can select from/ When reviewing a campaign, carriers will look at the campaign description and see if it matches the content of the messages being sent.
| Standard Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| 2FA | Any authentication, verification or one-time passcodes |
| Account Notifications | Standard notifications for account holders, relating to and being about a user account |
| Customer Care | All customer care interactions including, but not limited to, account management and customer support |
| Delivery Notifications | Notification about the status of the delivery of a product or service |
| Fraud Alert Messaging | Notifications regarding potential fraudulent activity on a user’s account |
| Higher Education | Messaging created on behalf of colleges or universities, including school districts and education institutions. This use case is NOT for “free to the consumer” messaging models |
| Low Volume Mixed | For brands that have multiple use cases and require a very low messaging throughput. Examples include: test or demo accounts, small businesses (a single doctor’s office, a single pizza shop, etc.) |
| Marketing | Any communication that includes marketing and/or promotional content |
| Mixed | Any messaging campaign containing 2 to 5 standard use cases |
| Polling and voting | The sending of surveys and polling/voting campaigns for non-political arenas |
| Public Service Announcement | Informational messaging to raise an audience’s awareness about important issues |
| Security Alert | A notification that the security of a system, either software or hardware, has been compromised in some way and there is an action you need to take. |
Post-registration review by MNOs is required for all Special Use Cases.
| Special Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| Charity | Communications from a registered charity aimed at providing help and raising money for those in need. 501c3 Tax-Exempt Organizations only. |
| Proxy | Peer-to-peer app-based group messaging with proxy/pooled numbers. Supporting personalized services and non-exposure of personal numbers for enterprise or A2P communications. |
| Emergency | Notification services designed to support public safety / health during natural disasters, armed conflicts, pandemics and other national or regional emergencies. |
| Sweepstakes | All sweepstakes messaging |
| Political | Part of organized effort to influence decision making of specific group. Only federal. All campaigns to be pre-vetted. |
| Social | Communication with or between closed communities. Examples include: YouTube influencer or celebrity alerts |
| Platform Free Trial | CSP “Free Trial” Offers for non-paying customers. |
| Agents and Franchises | Brands that have multiple agents, franchises or offices in the same brand vertical, but require individual localized numbers per agent/location/office. |
| K-12 Education | Campaigns created for messaging platforms that support schools from grades K-12, and distance learning centers. This is not for post-secondary schools. |
Three, to verify that your use case is what you say it is, the registry also asks for messages or message templates that you would be sending. Even if you do not expect to have standard messages, try coming up with a few of your most common scenarios, especially if you are going to use the campaign for some common use cases, to help the registry judge your validity. Opt-out language is a must!
Pricing
| Item | Cost | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BRAND REGISTRATION FEE | $4 | One time for each brand |
| T-Mobile Campaign Connection Fee | $50 (Standard Campaigns) | One time for each newly connected Campaign |
| STANDARD USE CASES: 2FA, Account Notifications, Customer Care, Delivery Notifications, Fraud Alert Messaging, Higher Education, Marketing, Mixed, Polling and voting, Public Service Announcement, Security Alert, Carrier Exemptions, Proxy Messaging, Sweepstakes, Social, Political, K-12 | $10 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| Low Volume Mixed | $2 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| Charity | $3 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| Large CSP Trial | $0 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| Emergency | $5 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| Agents and Franchises | $30 | Monthly for each Campaign |
| NEW: DCA Vetting Fee | $15 | Vetting fee from our DCA for new Campaigns - if Campaign vetting fails and resubmission is necessary, an additional $15 is charged per each resubmission |
The Campaign Registry charges for the first three months of your Campaign up front, and we have adjusted our initial Campaign charge to reflect TCR’s charge.
Example: Instead of being charged $10 for registering a new Campaign for Standard Use Cases, we will charge $30 for the first three months, and then start charging $10 per month starting on the 4th month.
The total charge for creating a new Standard Use Case Campaign would be $80, which includes the $50 passthrough fee from T-Mobile plus the Campaign charge for the first three months.
Network Access Fees (NAFs) / Carrier Transit Fees
The table below displays passthrough fees from each mobile carrier, per message segment.
| Mobile Carrier | Inbound SMS | Outbound SMS | Inbound MMS | Outbound MMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | - | $0.0020 | - | $0.0035 |
| T-Mobile/Sprint | $0.0030 | |||
| $0.0040 (unregistered) | $0.0030 | $0.0100 | ||
| $0.0130 (unregistered) | $0.0100 | |||
| Verizon | - | $0.00255 | - | $0.00520 |
| US Cellular | - | $0.00500 | - | $0.01000 |
Additional T-Mobile Fees
T-Mobile charges a $50 one-time fee per campaign in addition to the current $10 monthly campaign registration fee from TCR.
T-Mobile will be enforcing additional fees for violation of messaging practices that are illustrated in the SMS/MMS Best Practices.
- Text Enablement: A $10,000 fee if T-Mobile receives a complaint from an end-user regarding a NANP (North American Number Plan) number sends messaging prior to registering the number with TCR.
- 10DLC Messaging Program Evasion: A $1,000 fee if a program is found to be snowshoeing, dynamic routing, or replacing a blocked number with a new number before registering that number to the same campaign.
- Content Violation: A $10,000 fee for each instance of the third and every following violation of the best messaging practices.
In addition to these, T-Mobile currently has a Grey Route fee that is in effect, which includes a $10 fee per message should an A2P message be sent via a P2P route.
Campaigns requiring 50 or more numbers:
- Special pre-approval needed - Number Pooling Application
- $100 processing fee
- $2000 configuration fee upon approval
Brands requiring daily messaging volumes above 200K:
- Special pre-approval needed - Special Business Review Application
- One time $5000 fee upon application submission
- Additional charges for SBRs are TBD
Terms to know
There are four categories of players involved in this new ecosystem -
- MNO - These are the Mobile Network Operators aka wireless carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc.). These are the companies that deliver your messages to the End Users.
- DCA (Direct Connect Aggregators) - These companies directly connect to the MNO’s gateways and transmit messages on behalf of its customers, such as SignalWire.
- CSP - This Is SignalWire - A Campaign Service Provider provides messaging services to its customers. A CSP works with its customers (aka Brands) to create and launch new and successful messaging campaigns. SignalWire is a fully registered CSP!
- Brands - This is the company or entity that will be sending the messages to its End Users.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does this change apply only to SignalWire? | No! This is an industry-wide change and all messaging service providers will need to abide by and be part of this new ecosystem. |
| Once The Campaign Registry registration is complete, am I clear to send? | No, the campaign must be vetted and connections must be accepted upstream before you’re good to send messages. Numbers must also be assigned. See our section on DCA Election below! |
| What is a DCA Election? | Direct Connect Aggregator (DCAs) are the companies that provide direct connectivity to mobile carrier gateways for the purpose of delivering SMS messaging. In short, a DCA is that organization confirming that the campaign in question is registered with the Campaign Registry. DCA election occurs when our upstream DCA completes their campaign vetting process and the campaign connection request has been accepted. |
| What is Campaign Verify? | Campaign Verify is a third-party SMS campaign verification platform that 527 organizations must go through in order to gain access to the Political use case. |
| T-Mobile sets a daily SMS limit for each brand. When does that count reset each day? | T-Mobile resets their counting towards your daily SMS limit every day at Midnight, US Pacific Time. |
| What information is required to register? | There are essentially two components to become registered: |
| Brands - We need to first register your business as a Brand on The Campaign Registry. Once registered, a Brand is given a unique Brand ID that is associated with ALL its campaigns and numbers, and messages. To become a Brand, the registry requires you to provide details about your business such as official company name, website, Tax ID / EIN, company contact name, direct number, and email. | |
| Campaigns - We will then need to register each of your unique campaigns. Once registered, each campaign will also be given a unique ID which will be registered directly with the MNO’s. Information required will be your campaign’s use cases, opt-in/out process, message samples. | |
| How long does the registration process take? | Approximately 3-5 business days (can take shorter or longer depending on the information submitted). |
| Can I use multiple Long Code numbers in one campaign? | Yes, as long as you have a valid use case for doing so. The maximum is 49 numbers currently, anything more than that will require additional registration for Number Pooling. If this applies to you, open a Support Ticket and we will discuss this in more detail with you! |
| What if I don’t register? | If you do not register, you will not be able to send messages from a local US number to another local US number using our platform. Registration is required! |
| What if my traffic is P2P (Person to Person)? | Even if your traffic meets P2P guidelines, it is still considered A2P as it is being sent from SignalWire (an API platform) meaning you still need to register. We do not currently have a P2P product offering. |
| Does this apply to Toll-Free Numbers? | No! Toll-Free numbers have to go through a totally unrelated verification process. |
| What factors will affect my maximum approved throughput? | For Brands that are not part of the Russell 2000 list, your default throughput to T-Mobile is 2000 segments per day. External vetting may result in a higher daily throughput. For the other carriers, throughput is determined by use case! |
| What if my throughput is not high enough for my needs? | If the throughput for your campaign does not fit your needs, there are 3rd party vetting partners of the registry that allow for additional vetting. There are added costs (see above) associated with that process and added vetting does not guarantee a better outcome. |
| What exactly is a campaign? | The simplest way to describe a campaign is a unique use case! For example, if you send marketing messages and also send alert messages, that would represent two different use cases. |
| How many campaigns will I need? | You need one campaign per use case as defined above. Some businesses will require only one use case/campaign (ie….I only send marketing messages). Other businesses may require many use cases/campaigns (ie….I send marketing and alert messages). There are mixed use cases available for businesses that aren’t worried about throughput. |
| Can I go directly to The Campaign Registry to register? | As mentioned, SignalWire has been at the forefront and has become a registered CSP (Campaign Service Provider) so that we can handle registration on your behalf and make it easier for you. That said, if you still prefer to directly go to the Campaign Registry on your own, please reach out to your sales representative for further details. |
| How will I know when I am fully registered and ready to go? | Our dedicated Campaign Registration Specialists will be working closely with you from the time you have submitted your request until all steps have been completed. |
| Once I am registered, can I send anything I want? | No! As mentioned, registration is not a green-light ticket to send anything. In fact, the system is set up so that the MNOs have a way of knowing who and what they are sending allowing for proper enforcement. ALL messaging industry guidelines set for by the CTIA as well as the MNOs must still be followed to ensure successful message delivery. Those details can be found here. |
| What if I change my messaging content? | If the content change is related to the same use case you used during the initial Campaign registration process, no changes will likely need to be made. However, if the new content you are looking to send is not related to the original use case, you would likely need to have that information changed within the registry. If you are not sure, please contact one of our Campaign Registration Specialists. |
| What if I want to add an additional number to my current campaign? | As mentioned above, as long as there is a valid reason you are needing to add an additional number to a current and active campaign, you are able to do so. Contact our Campaign Registration Specialists to start that process. |
| What if I want to add a new Campaign? | You can start the process by accessing the “Messaging Campaigns” tab within your SignalWire Space or by using our API! |
| Will there be daily messaging limits? | T-Mobile has a daily cap on the number of message segments you can send to their network, per brand. |
| What if I send messages to SignalWire at a higher throughput rate than I am approved for? | SignalWire has built a queuing system on our end that will queue up your messages and send them out in accordance with the approved throughput limits. This ensures all your messages will be delivered even if you send them at a higher than approved rate. |
| My company provides messaging services to multiple companies, how do I go about getting them registered? | The Campaign Registry provides for a Reseller persona. In addition, you have the option to directly register as your own CSP (Campaign Service Provider) directly with the registry. Please reach out to your sales representatives to discuss these options in further detail. |
| Do these changes affect my shortcodes? | No! SignalWire currently offers dedicated short code services. Dedicated short code services are not affected by TCR. |
| What about other mobile networks? | Some MNOs are not currently participating in the Campaign Registry. This whole ecosystem is still very new as well as a large industry change. The Campaign Registry is continuing to work with all the MNO’s and we expect them all to join in the near future. We will provide those updates accordingly. However, SignalWire will still be requiring registration for all 10DLC A2P traffic (regardless of MNO), in order to prevent future hiccups that will occur when other MNOs do eventually join the Campaign Registry. |
| Do these changes apply everywhere or just in the US? | If you are sending messaging exclusively outside of the US, no changes need to be made at this time. |
| What if I am already registered on The Campaign Registry with another provider, will I need to re-register again when migrating to SignalWire? | Yes! Each messaging provider is its own CSP (Campaign Service Provider) & registered uniquely with The Campaign Registry. If you are migrating from another provider, you will need to go through this process again. |
| If I am migrating from another provider, will my messages be blocked before I am registered with SignalWire? | No! Your registration with your current provider will remain in place until you request campaign deactivation. Until your campaign with SignalWire is fully registered, we suggest using your current provider for messaging in the meantime. |
| What if I switch to another provider in the future, will I need to re-register? | Yes! As mentioned, each messaging provider is its own unique CSP (Campaign Service Provider). Therefore, you would need to go through the same process with the new provider when switching over. |
| Can I have numbers with multiple providers at the same time? | Yes! However, you would need to register with each provider accordingly for each set of numbers. |
This page containing an overview of TCR rules and regulations and FAQs illustrates SignalWire’s most current understanding of carrier plans. Many of these details are still being finalized and could be subject to change, however SignalWire will continue to update this article as TCR evolves.