You may have heard that the large US cell phone carriers require businesses to comply with a new set of policies to decrease the amount of spam texts and calls their customers receive. In addition to these FAQs, be sure to fully review our US carrier registration guide for more information on how to get registered.
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC refers to a system in the United States that allows businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) type messaging via standard 10-digit long code(10DLC) phone numbers. In an effort to combat SMS spam, US carriers consider all messages sent using virtual phone numbers with local area codes, like the ones provided by OpenPhone, to be A2P.
Who is required to complete the US carrier registration form?
Every OpenPhone customer that sends texts to any US number needs to register whether using OpenPhone for business or personal use (i.e texting friends and family).
What is a Brand and Campaign?
The Brand is the identifier for your organization or who you are. A Campaign is the type of text messages you’re sending across carrier networks.
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.
Is OpenPhone responsible for these new regulations?
No. In an effort to combat spam, US carriers are enforcing that local 10-digit phone numbers powered by applications like OpenPhone must be registered before sending messages to US numbers. These changes and regulations are out of our control.
Is this just a requirement for businesses?
No. This is a requirement for all virtual phone users. Every OpenPhone customer that sends texts to any US number needs to register—even for personal use (like texting friends and family). We are not able to support a personal use case exemption at this time.
Do other virtual phone providers require this?
Many virtual phone providers required this as far back as March 31st. We are also aware of a small handful of virtual phone providers who have yet to disclose a cutoff date.
Based on conversations with carriers and even direct competitors, those virtual phone providers without a cutoff date are currently experiencing high-levels of message filtering. We expect a larger, industry-wide cutoff for unregistered messages in the coming months.
What if I were to leave to another service?
All other virtual business phone services are either requiring, or highly recommending, immediate registration upon sign-up. Because the fees we are collecting are pass-through fees, we would expect that you would, at a minimum, be expected to pay the same fees. If necessary, we’re happy to help assist you in porting your number out to another service. Given that this is a US carrier requirement, you will be required to register with US carriers while using other virtual phone services as well.
How long does registration take?
Registrations may remain pending for up to 30 days, but we’re currently receiving some approvals in as quick as 5-7 days. In cases where your information is unable to be verified expediently, it may take longer than 30 days. You are not able to message US numbers while awaiting registration approval.
Can I register now as a sole proprietor if I don’t have a business EIN?
If you’re a small business, or sole proprietor without an EIN (or equivalent business tax ID) and based in the US or Canada, you can follow the instructions outlined here to get registered.
Can I register now for personal use?
Yes, if you use OpenPhone to only text your friends and family you can register through our personal use path. Keep in mind you'll need to have:
- a US or Canadian address
- a working mobile number with a country code of +1
Check out our guide for more information on registering through the personal use path.
Can I register a toll-free number through the carrier registration form?
If you have a single toll-free number on OpenPhone, you don't need to complete the carrier registration form mentioned above. If you use your toll-free number to send text messages, you should get toll-free verified!
Do I need to wait until my number is ported over before registering?
We recommend waiting until your carrier registration application is approved before you initiate porting a number to OpenPhone. If you don’t have an active account with us yet, you can sign up for a temporary phone number and then get your workspace registered.
What if I add a number to my workspace? Do I need to register again?
You won’t need to register again, as a submitted application covers all phone numbers in your workspace.
What if I already registered with another provider before moving to OpenPhone?
At this time, you’ll need to re-register.
If I have a Canadian phone number, do I still need to register?
If you are texting any US numbers, you will need to register.
What types of messages are prohibited from being sent?
Our guide to messaging categories and examples not allowed on our platform covers all prohibited use cases.
Do I have to register with the Free Caller Registry also?
SHAKEN/STIR is a protocol mandated by the FCC. If you’re following best practices and are still being marked as SPAM on your recipient’s caller ID, you should also consider registering with the Free Caller Registry (FCR). Keep in mind this registration process can take weeks to process on the FCR’s end.
What is STIR/SHAKEN?
STIR/SHAKEN (also referred to as SHAKEN/STIR ) is a caller authentication framework developed by ATIS and IETF and is meant to reduce fraudulent robocalls.
With STIR/SHAKEN protocols, carriers may flag non-compliant callers on the recipient’s caller ID as:
- Possible spam
- Suspected robocall
- Scam likely
How do I complete A2P 10DLC registration?
Filling out the US carrier registration form helps you register for new regulations around A2P 10DLC advocated for by the large US cell carriers.
How can I check whether my registration was approved?
After you’ve submitted the US carrier registration form, you can easily track the progress of your application by returning to the “Trust” settings from the web or desktop app.
Are there any volume thresholds where registration isn’t required to text?
At this time, if you use OpenPhone to send business texts to any US phone numbers, you’ll need to complete the US carrier registration form.
Will this come with additional charges?
Yes—but not from OpenPhone. US carriers are working with The Campaign Registry and other third-parties to review submissions from every user across all phone software providers.
Those third parties charge a one-time $19 fee, which OpenPhone collects on their behalf and forwards to them upon registration. In addition to the one-time fee, The Campaign Registry also charges an ongoing monthly fee for keeping your registration in good standing with US carriers:
- $1.50 per month if you register as an organization
- $2 if you register as a sole proprietor or personal user
- $3 per month if you're a non-profit
If they find an issue after reviewing your submission, you'll need to pay a $15 resubmission fee.
Will it cost extra now to send text messages?
The review of your application from The Campaign Registry and an other third-party entity requires a one-time registration fee of $19 that we'll bill to you based on the credit card on file. These fees go directly to The Campaign Registry and an other third-party entity to review and approve your application.
In addition to the one-time registration fees, OpenPhone will pass on a monthly fee from The Campaign Registry ($1.50 per month if you register as an organization, $3 per month if you're a non-profit, and $2 if you register through the sole proprietor path) in order to maintain your good standing with the US cell carriers.
If they find an issue after reviewing your application, you'll need to pay a $15 resubmission fee.
100% of the fees mentioned above go to the third-party entity and The Campaign Registry to help you register and stay in good standing with the US cell carriers.
Are there limits to how many texts I can send after registering?
Yes. These limits will be made clear to you during registration. On average, these limits exceed typical text message usage; usually in the order of thousands of messages per day.
Who is The Campaign Registry?
The Campaign Registry is a third-party organization that works with North American mobile operators and companies to help their customers register based on emerging new regulations pushed for by the large US cell carriers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.).
What happens once I complete and submit the registration form?
You can easily track the progress of your application by returning to the “Trust” settings.
Can I expedite my US Carrier registration?
Not at this time, as each of these applications is manually reviewed by The Campaign Registry and another third-party entity. They currently have a backlog of requests from thousands of businesses worldwide registering. Keep in mind your registration may take weeks to process on the carriers’ end.
Is anyone ineligible from registering?
Yes. Unfortunately, there may be certain OpenPhone users who do not meet US carriers’ requirements for registration.
- Individuals using OpenPhone for personal use must have a US or Canadian address and local phone number that is not powered by an application like OpenPhone.
- Businesses without a government tax ID must have a US or Canadian address and local phone number that is not powered by an application like OpenPhone.
- Businesses with a government tax ID can register from anywhere with any phone number.
If I’m not eligible for registration, what do I do?
We recommend switching to a toll-free number, which isn’t currently bound by these new regulations.
If my registration is rejected, what do I do?
A third-party company handles the verification of your information, and we do not have any control over whether your application is approved or rejected. The information we receive is limited, but you can view your rejection reason in-app as well as in your rejection email. You should use this information to resubmit your application for approval.
Important: your text messages will only be successfully delivered if you have a successful registration. If you have any questions about your rejection, please contact our Support team here <link>.
