Operation and best practices of the SMS channel in the U.S.

SMS usage in the United States is widespread and ingrained in people’s communication culture. Text messaging is used for both personal and business purposes and continues to grow in popularity. 

Sign-up and registration process

Beginning January 2023, new 10DLC US campaign registrations in LabsMobile will require a per-client, per-use-case sign-up and registration process. Specifically, the following will be required:

• Registration and validation of a LabsMobile user account
• Fill in the 10DLC SMS service request form in the US
• LabsMobile will validate the information provided and initiate the registration process with the responsible entities
• Registration and assignment of a 10DLC number
• Issuer registration (Brand)
• Registration of the use case (Campaign)
• Configuration, testing and service start-up

This process can take up to 7 working days but can take up to 3-4 weeks depending on congestion of requests, registration problems or inconsistent data provided.

Information required to initiate registration

The following fields must be filled in for registration:

• Legal Company Name
• EIN or Tax ID
• Official legal document
• DBA or Brand Name
• Business type
• Business industry
• Business registered address
• Business contact information

The cost of this process can be up to $10 with a monthly cost of up to $15 per use case. Each use case will be considered based on submission volume and LabsMobile user account.

Through this use case record, sender and dedicated 10DLC number, a reputation index is assigned to each sender so that operators apply filters and validations based not only on the messages sent but also on previous history and reputation.

We recommend following good practices in your SMS sendings such as using a recognizable brand name, providing accurate information, using clear messages, following TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) and CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) guidelines, and monitoring campaigns. This will increase the likelihood of approval and avoid additional charges.

Forbidden Content

These are the categories of messages that are not allowed under current regulations:

• High-risk financial services
• • • Payday loans
    • Short term high-interest loans
    • Third-party loans (e.g., auto, mortgage)
    • Student loans
    • Cryptocurrency
• Third-party lead generation services
• • • Companies that buy, sell, or share consumer information.
• Debt collection or forgiveness
• • • Third-party debt collection
    • Debt consolidation
    • Debt reduction
    • Credit repair programs
• “Get rich quick” schemes
• • • Deceptive work-from-home programs
    • Risk investment opportunities
    • Pyramid schemes
• Illegal substances/articles
• • • Cannabis (United States)
    • CBD (United States)
    • Fireworks
• Prescription drugs
• • • Drugs that require a prescription
• Gambling
• • • Casino apps
    • Gambling websites
• “S.H.A.F.T.” use cases
• • Sex
  • Hate
  • Alcohol
  • Firearms
  • Tobacco

SMS Restrictions in the United States

Some of the common restrictions and considerations include:

1. Compliance with consent regulations – It is important to obtain explicit consent from recipients before sending text messages. This may include an opt-in process, where users must confirm their desire to receive SMS messages from you.
2. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Compliance: The TCPA is a federal law in the United States that regulates automated telephone communications, including SMS messages. This law places certain restrictions on sending SMS messages to consumers, such as the requirement to obtain consent and provide an option to opt out of receiving future messages.
3. Compliance with anti-spam policies: It is important to follow anti-spam guidelines and acceptable use policies to avoid sending unsolicited SMS messages or spam. This includes ensuring that your messages meet the expectations and preferences of the recipients.
4. Respect sending times and frequency: Avoid sending SMS messages at inappropriate times, such as very early in the morning or very late at night. In addition, it is advisable to maintain a balanced sending frequency and avoid sending too many messages that may annoy or saturate the recipients.

To avoid rejection of campaigns, make sure the campaign and service meets the prohibited content guidelines, maintain consistency of branding, website and messaging. 

Consistency is important, so make sure your email domain, company name and messaging match your trademark. Follow CTIA’s guidelines for consumer consent and include consent language on your website if that’s where you collect consents.

Sending volume limitations

With the new regulation a standard throughput (SMS messages per second) of 1 SMS/second applies. But this number may vary and will be determined by the sender’s confidence score and the type of messaging campaign (use case).

This limitation applies to both the maximum number of SMS messages a sender can send per use case. Depending on the needs and nature of the use case it will be necessary to allocate more 10DLC number and obtain a higher sending throughput.

In addition, the type of registration will determine the maximum monthly sending capacity and the allowed throughput. There is a Low Volume account type with a maximum monthly capacity of 6,000 SMS. If a higher monthly capacity is required, it will be necessary to register a Standard account with different requirements and costs.

It is necessary to correctly inform the use case and the monthly volume so that LabsMobile technicians can allocate the resources and perform all the required steps.

Best practices for using the SMS channel in the United States

It is important to keep the following guidelines in mind when sending SMS campaigns in the United States.

1. Provide value: Make sure your text messages offer valuable and relevant content to recipients. Avoid sending excessive or irrelevant promotional messages, as this can lead to decreased user engagement and ultimately unsubscribes.
2. Segment and personalize: Use audience segmentation to send relevant SMS messages to specific groups of users. Also, consider personalizing messages with the recipient’s name or other relevant information to increase connection and engagement.
3. Appropriate sending frequency: Don’t saturate users with frequent text messages. Maintain a balanced sending frequency and avoid sending messages at inappropriate times, such as late at night or early in the morning.
4. Make it easy to unsubscribe: Always include a clear and easy option for recipients to unsubscribe from your text messages if they wish to do so. Respect unsubscribe requests in a timely manner and remove users from your list appropriately.