The infrastructures at US cell carriers weren’t built to handle the level of fraudulent calls and texts that occur today. The major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon) are working together and now taking action to protect their customers.
At this time, the new registration step applies to any business sending messages to US numbers through a cloud phone provider (like OpenPhone and others).
To register, you’ll need to have a valid EIN, CCN, or similar business ID. If you’re a sole proprietor based in the US and wish to get an EIN, you can apply for an EIN directly with the IRS. Keep in mind also your Social Security Number can’t be used to apply.
For small businesses or sole proprietors without a business ID and based in the US or Canada, check out our guide to registering as a sole proprietor.
If you’re using OpenPhone to text friends and family only and based in the US or Canada, check out our guide to registering for personal use.
How new guidelines from the major US carriers will benefit businesses
By completing the US carrier registration form, you can improve your text deliverability rates and lower the risk of carriers filtering your outbound text messages on their network. Carriers are planning to filter all unregistered messaging traffic. After August 31, 2023, you won't be able to text to a US phone number using OpenPhone.
By completing this registration, your OpenPhone workspace can:
- send up to 6,000 message segments per day, including up to 2,000 segments to T-Mobile numbers (subject to our Fair use policy)
- text from any phone numbers in your OpenPhone workspace; any additional numbers added to your account after your registration is approved will also be automatically associated with your approved registration
If you don’t complete verification, then we can’t assist you with messages that are filtered by the carriers.
As an added perk, we'll also help you get submitted to clear the guidelines of STIR/SHAKEN if you haven't already. This helps prevent larger carriers from mistakenly showing your caller ID as “possible spam” or “scam likely” when you complete an outbound call.
How much does registration cost?
After you’ve submitted the form, OpenPhone passes your form details along to a third-party organization, The Campaign Registry (TCR), for review.
At a high level, you pay a $19 one-time registration fee and then a monthly messaging fee. The fees mentioned here go to The Campaign Registry and other third-party entities that help review and register your company.
- Carrier review and setup fees: The Campaign Registry, a third-party agency chosen by the major US cell carriers, collects a one-time fee of $19 to review your application in two phases. In the first review, The Campaign Registry completes an initial screen of your application. A third-party entity then does a second manual review of the information you supply in the registration form. *
- Messaging fee: Low Volume Standard campaign fee: The Campaign Registry charges a $1.50 per month fee to help you maintain Low Volume Standard status with the large US cell carriers. For non-profit organizations, TCR charges instead a $3 per month fee.
*A $15 resubmission fee applies and goes to our carrier partner if your application is rejected. Keep reading for best practices and tips to help you complete your application.
We know these fees are surprising but if it helps, think of them as a small tax to keep fraud away from telephony and help make the use of a phone as a trusted channel of communication. 😊
100% of the fees mentioned above go to The Campaign Registry and other third-party entities to help you register and stay in good standing with the US cell carriers.
Who has access to US carrier registration?
Only paying customers have access to US carrier registration settings. You'll also need to be an owner or admin of your OpenPhone workspace using OpenPhone’s web or desktop app to view and submit the US carrier registration form.
Customers who are currently on a trial need to convert to a paid account to complete this registration. Learn how to switch to a paid account here!
Registering requires business identification
Keep in mind you’ll need an EIN or another valid business identification number (see the “Business registration ID type and number” below) to register.
If you have a small business or are a sole proprietor without a business ID and based in the US or Canada, find out how to register here.
How to access and complete the US carrier registration form
To complete the form, go to your OpenPhone account’s settings page and select “Trust”. Then click “Get started” to go through a short questionnaire to confirm your eligibility.
Once you’ve confirmed in app that you do have an EIN or other business tax identification number, you’ll be taken to a form to provide the following details about your company:
Legal business name
If you're providing your business EIN as a form of business ID, your business name, address, and EIN must exactly match the information sent to you by the IRS in the CP-575 form (an example of the form is shown above). The Legal business name you provide must not be abbreviated in any way and must appear exactly as it is filed with the IRS.
If you are a healthcare provider, you can also ensure you’re providing accurate information by entering your business's EIN into the HIPAA Space lookup website. If your business appears in the results, please fill in your business name exactly according to the business listing information. This is the most common rejection for applications which can lead to a business having to resubmit and pay the $15 vetting fee again.
Additional guidance for businesses based in Canada
Ensure that your legal company name is consistent with your corporation registration and is properly spelled before submitting.
Guidance for other regions
Companies in Europe should use the VIES VAT number validation lookup to look up their brand information before submission.
Companies in Australia can either use their ABN or ACN number in the business number field. If using ABN, feel free to use the official ABN Lookup tool to look up the information.
Companies in New Zealand should use New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) and use the official NZBN lookup tool to look up the information.
If you have multiple businesses under separate legal entities in your workspace, reach out to us by clicking “Help” on the bottom of this page.
Business type
Select from one of the following:
- Sole Proprietorship (If you don't have a business ID and not prepared to get one, follow this guide to complete registration.)
- Partnership
- Corporation
- Co-operative
- Limited Liability Corporation
- Non-profit Corporation
Company type
Choose from one of these options:
Private
- Your company has a valid business Tax ID (see the “Business registration ID type and number” section below)
- Isn’t listed on a public stock exchange
- Isn’t a non-profit organization
Public Profit
Your company is listed on a public stock exchange. You’ll need to specify the exchange and ticker symbol.
Non-Profit
Your company must have a designated Non-profit status business.
Government
Only specify this business type if you’re part of a government-run organization.
Business registration ID type and number
At this time, we can only register customers who have one of the following business IDs:
- 'USA: Employer Identification Number = EIN'
- Keep in mind if you've recently obtained an EIN for your business through the IRS, it can take up to two weeks for that information to be available in databases that organizations reviewing your carrier registration information can access.
- If you used your SSN to file your taxes as a sole proprietor, you can apply through our sole proprietor path. Check out this guide for more information on how to apply.
- If your company is publicly traded and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), you can use the SEC's EDGAR system to look up your EIN for free.
- 'Canada: Business Number = BN-9'
- 'Great Britain = Company Number'
- 'Australia = Company Number from ASIC = ACN or Australian Business Number = ABN'
- 'India = Corporate Identity Number'
- 'Estonia = VAT Number'
- Romania = VAT Registration Number'
- 'Israel = Registration Number'
- 'Other’
Industry
Choose the industry category that best reflects your organization.
Website
Your company's website; be sure to include the full URL such as http://www.xyz.com or https://www.xyz.com. If your business doesn’t have a live website, you can provide your Yelp listing or your business account’s social media.
Regions of operation
Select the primary region you conduct business in:
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- Latin America
- USA and Canada
Business address
Enter the address associated with your business registration and/or tax ID. A mismatch on any of the following may lead to rejection:
- Address/street line
- City
- State
- Postal code/zip code
- Country
Business contact
This information is for TCR’s record. This will not be the billing contact for the TCR registration fee. We will bill you directly based on the credit card address we have on file.
Messaging details
In this section, you'll need to provide detailed and accurate information as vague or short responses can result in your registration being rejected by The Campaign Registry.
How will your business use text messaging day to day?
Confirm the types of text messages your team will typically send to US phone numbers.
For example, a massage therapy studio could provide:
Our message therapy business will send an appointment confirmation text after someone opts in after scheduling an appointment on our website.
What specific text messages will you typically send?
In this section, you’ll need to provide at least two example texts your workspace typically sends. We also recommend sharing more than two if you have other messages you often send — just be sure to click “+Add another example” when entering in separate text message examples.
If you wish to send templated messages, please make sure to indicate the templated fields in sample messages with brackets, to help reviewers better identify which parts are templated. For example, please write “Dental check due for [Mary Doe], Visit [www.contoso.com] to schedule an appointment or call [123-456-7890]. To opt out of receiving text messages, reply STOP”.
We recommend having opt-out language in at least one of your sample text messages. If you’re unsure if we support your use case for texting, be sure to check out our guide to messaging categories and examples not allowed on our platform.
How you collect consent to send text messages
Select the opt-in method(s) your team uses to collect consent to send text messages.
Keep in mind if you indicate that your customers opt-in to your messages via the website, but provide a website address that does not function, your application will be rejected. In some cases, you may also be asked to provide proof of how you gather consent.
Other carrier registration form best practices
Before submitting your form, keep in mind also these best practices:
Ensure data accuracy and consistency
Make sure you submit an application with accurate and consistent data:
- EIN, business name, and address exactly match the letter sent by the IRS. If you provide an EIN to register, the EIN, legal business name, and address should match exactly what's shown on the form CP-575 sent to you by the IRS.
- Consistency in the business name, website, and text sample messages. If your brand name is Acme, your website is www.acme.com, but your sample messages say “Here’s your one-time passcode for logging into www.contoso.com”, your campaign will be rejected.
- Consistency in email domain and company name. If you register as Apple Inc., but you provide an email address containing a Gmail domain name, your campaign will be rejected. Note that this check only applies to large, well-known corporations that should have dedicated email domains.
- Make sure the business you register is the actual brand that you’re sending messages for. For managed service providers, agencies, and some forms of third-party vendors if you register a business with your own company’s information (e.g. a company that provides tech for dental offices), but end up sending messages for your customers (e.g., individual dentist practices), your application will be rejected.
Ensure your use case involves consumer consent before sending messages
If you aren't already, take the appropriate steps to collect consumer consent. Please refer to the CTIA guidelines to see detailed instructions and best practices on handling consumer consent.
- Make sure consumer opt-in is collected appropriately. If you indicate you collect opt-in via text messages, but your sample messages say “Hi, is this the owner of 123 Oak street? I’d like to discuss how I can help you sell your property”, it is clear that you have not collected appropriate consent before sending messages and your campaign will be rejected.
- Make sure opt-in language is available on your website if you indicated in your application that a consumer opts into your campaign on your company website. If your brand Acme uses its website, www.acme.com, to collect phone numbers but your website does not contain opt-in language such as “By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from ACME. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies.”, your campaign will be rejected.
What happens after my US carrier registration is submitted?
Once completed, we will submit the form to the carriers for approval. Due to the amount of businesses across the world registering, The Campaign Registry and other third-party entities in charge of reviewing your application currently have a backlog of requests. So keep in mind it may take weeks for your registration to be completed on the carriers’ end. However, we still recommend that you register as soon as possible.
There are two steps to becoming fully registered for texting to US numbers and one step for trusted calling:
- Brand registration: This is an initial automated review of the company information you provide in your registration.
- Campaign registration: With this step, a third-party entity completes a manual review of the messaging details that you supply in your registration.
- STIR/SHAKEN registration: This step helps prevent carriers from accidentally labeling your phone number as scam likely when you call their customers.
Each of these steps can have any of the following statuses:
- Pending - waiting for approval
- Approved - registration was successful
- Rejected - registration was rejected
If your application has been rejected or failed, please verify the details submitted and try submitting the form again. If you continue to get rejected, please click “Help” on the bottom of this page and we’ll be happy to help!
If approved, your workspace and its associated phone numbers will be registered, which will help ensure that your messages are delivered and calls have a lower chance of being mislabeled as SPAM.
Once approved, any additional numbers you add to your workspace will also automatically be tied to your existing registration information so you won’t need to apply again.
You can easily track the progress of your application by returning to the “Trust” settings.
What to do if my registration is rejected?
If your registration is rejected, please submit this form and we'll escalate it with our carrier partners on your behalf. In the form, you'll be asked to submit documentation that shows your business tax ID, business name, and address.
For US customers, submitting a copy of IRS form CP-575 that shows EIN, business name, and address has been successful in resolving rejections.
Register with the Free Caller Registry
We also recommend registering with the Free Caller Registry to help support the reputation of your phone numbers. The information you provide on that site is used by major US wireless carriers, including T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, and AT&T.
If you add additional numbers to your workspace, you must register any new numbers with the Free Caller Registry. However, you won’t need to complete the US Carrier Registration form again.
More information
For more frequently asked questions around registration, check out our carrier registration FAQs.
