Pricing and Fees for the A2P 10DLC Service

Modified on Thu, 10 Oct at 4:10 PM

Important Updates for A2P 10DLC Messaging


Notice 1: Shutdown of Unregistered 10DLC Messaging
Starting July 5, 2023, all 10DLC phone numbers used to send SMS and MMS messages to U.S. numbers must be registered to an approved campaign under your brand.

Messages sent from unregistered numbers will face increasing message blocking, leading to a complete block of unregistered U.S.-bound messages after August 31, 2023.


Notice 2: Unregistered 10DLC Message Fee Increases
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are raising per-message rates for unregistered traffic.

Unregistered messages may be subject to additional filtering or blocking.

Specific fee increases and timing can be found in the carrier fee section.

To avoid higher fees and service disruptions, register your unregistered traffic for A2P 10DLC via the platform's Phone System Trust Center.


Notice 3: Sole Proprietor A2P 10DLC Registration Now Available
Sole Proprietor Brand registration has been reintroduced for sending low-volume messages.

Individuals or small businesses without a Tax ID (EIN) can refer to the FAQ for details on how to register.

Depending on traffic requirements, choose between Low Volume Standard Brands (less than 6,000 messages per day) or Standard Brands (more than 6,000 messages per day) for mixed messaging campaigns.


Notice 4: New Requirements for A2P 10DLC Registrations
Effective January 26, 2023, new A2P Campaign registrations undergo a vetting process with a one-time campaign vetting fee. A2P 10DLC Campaign Vetting Changes - January 2023

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. This system is specific to long code messaging toward the United States, and does not affect shortcodes or Toll-Free numbers sending to the US.

For an overview of A2P 10DLC and answers to many common questions, see What is A2P 10DLC?


A2P 10DLC Pricing Overview
There are two categories of fees associated with A2P 10DLC: registration fees and per-message carrier fees. Both types of fees are charged by carriers as part of the A2P 10DLC system and are passed through to customers with no added cost.

Registration fees are applied when registering your US A2P Brand and your A2P Use Case at the moment they are registered with TCR.

Carrier fees are also charged by carriers for A2P 10DLC messages sent to users on their networks. These fees are applied in addition to standard US Messaging pricing. In general, the fees are applied for each outbound SMS segment or MMS message. T-Mobile (including Sprint) also applies fees to inbound SMS and MMS.

Please see below for a full breakdown of the fees associated with A2P 10DLC.


Registration Fees
When considering your options, Standard Brand registration enables up to 60,000 segments per day, while the Low Volume Standard Brand registration is limited to 6,000 segments.

It's worth noting that each segment corresponds to 160 characters for SMS.

  • US A2P Sole Proprietor Brand registration fee: $4.41 one-time registration fee at the time of vetting (no Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC)

  • US A2P Low Volume Standard Brand registration fee: $4.41 one-time registration fee at the time of vetting (no Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC)

  • US A2P Standard Brand registration fee: $48.51 one-time registration fee at the time of vetting (includes Secondary Vetting for A2P 10DLC)

  • US A2P Campaign use case registration fees: $16.54 one-time registration fee at the time of vetting.


US A2P Reoccurring Monthly Campaign registration fees:

Campaign use case type

Cost**

Sole Prop (Starter)

$2.21/month

Standard (see Table 1 here)

$12/month

Low-volume* mixed use case

$1.70/month

Special: Charity / 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

$3.3/month

Special: Emergency Services

$5.5/month

  • Low Volume Mixed use cases support up to 2,000 SMS segments and MMS per day toward T-Mobile (see T-Mobile daily limits) and are given a lower message throughput (MPS) than other use cases, regardless of Trust Score.

** The Campaign use case registration fee is billed at the time of vetting, then as a renewal fee for the same amount each month, unless the Campaign is deactivated/deleted.


Carrier Fees
AT&T Carrier Fees

Fees effective for all long code messages to AT&T as of March 1st, 2022:

  • $0.002 per registered outbound SMS message segment

  • $0.0035 per registered outbound MMS message

  • $0.004 per unregistered outbound SMS message segment

  • $0.005 per unregistered outbound MMS message

Effective June 1, 2023, fees will increase for unregistered messages:

  • $0.002 per registered outbound SMS message segment

  • $0.0035 per registered outbound MMS message

  • $0.01 per unregistered outbound SMS message segment

  • $0.015 per unregistered outbound MMS message


T-Mobile Carrier Fees (including Sprint)
Fees effective for all long code messages to T-Mobile as of March 1, 2022:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.01 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message

  • $0.004 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.013 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message

Effective June 1, 2023, fees will increase for unregistered messages:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.01 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message

  • $0.005 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.014 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message

Effective August 1, 2023, fees will increase for unregistered messages:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.01 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message

  • $0.006 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.015 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message

T-Mobile acquired the Sprint network in 2020. Some devices still appear as "Sprint" in a Lookup. Messages sent to these users will have the same fees as other messages to T-Mobile.


Verizon Wireless Carrier Fees
Verizon introduced A2P 10DLC fees in January 2019 (for details, see here). In September 2022, Verizon increased these fees. Following other U.S. carriers raising fees for unregistered messages to encourage 10DLC registration, Verizon will increase its per-message rate on unregistered traffic, effective July 1, 2023.

Fees effective for all long code messages to Verizon as of September 2022:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.005 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message

  • $0.003 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.005 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message

Effective July 1, 2023, fees will increase for unregistered messages:

  • $0.003 per registered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.005 per registered outbound/inbound MMS message

  • $0.01 per unregistered outbound/inbound SMS message segment

  • $0.005 per unregistered outbound/inbound MMS message


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