Guidelines for Messaging in the USA

When it comes to quick delivery for activation, authentication or transactional SMS messages, we recommend sending your SMS messages via a Toll Free Number (TFN).

For marketing or promotional messages, we recommend a dedicated long number (10DLC). When you send your SMS messages using a dedicated long number, this automatically becomes your Sender ID.

Apply for your Incoming Number here

Look at the table below for use-cases and costs involved for each number:

Features	Dedicated Toll Free long Number (TFN)	Dedicated 10 Digit Long Number (10DLC)
Canadian use	Yes	Yes
Daily maximum volume	High Volume (500k + messages per month)	Low to Medium Volume (200K messages or less per day)
Recommended max rate	30 per second	30 per second
Replies possible	Yes	Yes
Use Cases	Activation, authentication or transactional SMS (Marketing not allowed)	P2P, marketing / promotional (Marketing is allowed)
Use Case Additions	One-time password (OTP) or verification codes. Account-related alerts or notifications. Customer care messaging that includes some automated messaging (including satisfaction surveys).
Forbidden Use	Gambling eg. casino apps, sites High-risk financial services eg. loans Lead Generation eg. companies who buy/sell/share consumer info Debt Collection “Get rich quick” schemes Illegal substances eg. narcotics, prescription drugs "S.H.A.F.T." use cases (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco)	Gambling eg. casino apps, sites High-risk financial services eg. loans Lead Generation eg. companies who buy/sell/share consumer info Debt Collection “Get rich quick” schemes Illegal substances eg. narcotics, prescription drugs "S.H.A.F.T." use cases (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco)
Best Practices	Clear opt-in received easy opt-outs made possible. Do not use shortened URL's. Do not share the TFN for other uses. Use case registered should be adhered to.	Clear opt-in received easy opt-outs made possible. Do not use shortened URL's. Do not share the 10DLC for other uses. Use case registered should be adhered to.
Costs to receive replies	Free to reply sender. Costs dependant on incoming message volume.	Standard costs for sender of reply.
Status reports	On most carriers.	No
Unicode support	Yes	Yes
Regulatory notes	CTIA and TCPA guidelines. Immediate code shutdown for marketing messages. Subject to carrier filtering.	CTIA and TCPA guidelines. Subject to carrier filtering.
Cost	$3.50 to $4.00 per month	$60 setup $20 for brand registration $5 per month.
Additional Registration Information	You will need to register your brand and campaign with the networks in order to get approval for sending.	You will need to register a brand and campaign with the networks in order to get approval for sending messages. Official company information, Company contact details, Use case, approximate daily message volumes is required.
Other info		Customers can only send messages with the same use case that have been registered with their campaign.
Set-up time	Customer owned. 7 business days.	Customer owned. 14 business days.

If you are unsure about which incoming number to apply for, fill in the application form, and we will guide you.