A2P 10DLC, explained for contractors
Every contractor who texts customers eventually hits this wall — a pile of acronyms standing between you and messages that actually get delivered. Here's what A2P 10DLC is, why it exists, and exactly what you have to do about it. No jargon.
The 30-second version
A2P 10DLC is the carriers' official program for letting a business send texts from a regular 10-digit local number. A2P means “Application-to-Person” (software texting a human); 10DLC means “10-Digit Long Code” — your normal phone number, as opposed to a short code or toll-free line.
Since 2023, US carriers require any business texting from a 10-digit number to register first. You tell them who you are and what you'll send; they deliver your messages reliably instead of treating them as spam. Skip it and your texts get filtered or blocked — which for a missed-call text-back means the customer never gets the reply, and the whole system silently fails.
Carriers got tired of spam texts
For years, spammers blasted texts from cheap local numbers. Carriers responded by building a registry (run through The Campaign Registry) where legitimate businesses identify themselves. The trade: register and get trusted, predictable delivery; don't, and your traffic is assumed to be spam.
For the trades this is mostly good news. A registered HVAC, plumbing or roofing shop texting customers who just called it is exactly the kind of low-risk, high-consent traffic carriers want to deliver — so once you're registered, deliverability is strong and stays that way.
Brand, then campaign
1 · Register your brand
Your business identity, verified once:
- ✓ Legal business name
- ✓ EIN (tax ID) — a real one sharply raises your trust score
- ✓ Business address and website
- ✓ Contact name, email and phone
2 · Register a campaign
What you'll actually text, and proof it's consented:
- ✓ Use case (for us: appointment scheduling + customer care)
- ✓ Sample messages you'll send
- ✓ How people opt in (they called your business)
- ✓ Opt-out handling (every message honors STOP)
You register the brand once. You can attach multiple campaigns to it, but a single missed-call-recovery campaign covers what a contractor needs.
The three numbers people ask about
Trust score: when you register your brand, the registry scores it on how complete and verifiable your details are. A valid EIN with matching business information pushes it up; a higher score buys you higher daily message throughput and better deliverability. Accurate registration is the biggest lever you control — there's no trick beyond filling it out correctly.
Fees: a one-time brand vetting fee (about $4) and a recurring campaign fee (commonly a few dollars a month), plus small carrier pass-through fees per message. The dollars are trivial; the cost of not registering — texts that quietly never arrive — is what actually hurts.
Timeline: brands are often approved within minutes to a day; campaigns usually clear within a few business days, occasionally up to a couple of weeks if a manual review is triggered.
Or: let SignalRevive do all of it
You don't actually have to become a 10DLC expert. When you onboard with SignalRevive, we register your brand and a compliant missed-call-recovery campaign for you, absorb the carrier fees into the flat monthly price, and keep the registration healthy so your texts keep landing. You keep your number; we keep it deliverable.
The one thing that helps most: have your EIN and legal business name handy at signup. That's what earns the higher trust score — and it's the only homework we'll ask you for.
A2P 10DLC — contractor FAQ
What is A2P 10DLC in plain English?+
A2P 10DLC is the carriers' official system for letting a business send text messages from a normal 10-digit local phone number (10DLC = 10-Digit Long Code; A2P = Application-to-Person). You register your business and describe how you'll text customers; in return, carriers deliver your messages reliably instead of filtering them as spam. It's required for business texting in the US.
Do I need A2P 10DLC to text my customers?+
Yes. Since 2023, US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and the rest) require any business sending texts from a 10-digit number to be registered. Unregistered business traffic gets heavily filtered, blocked, or hit with per-message penalties — so a missed-call text-back that isn't registered often simply never arrives.
How much does A2P 10DLC cost?+
There's a one-time brand registration vetting fee (roughly $4) and a recurring campaign fee (commonly a few dollars a month), plus carrier pass-through fees on messages. The amounts are small; the real cost of skipping it is undelivered texts. With SignalRevive the registration is handled for you and the fees are included in the flat monthly price.
How long does A2P 10DLC registration take?+
Brand registration is often approved within minutes to a day. Campaign approval usually lands within a few business days, though it can take up to a couple of weeks if a campaign needs manual review. Because SignalRevive registers on your behalf as part of onboarding, you don't wait on it — we handle the back-and-forth.
What's the difference between a brand and a campaign?+
The brand is your business identity — legal name, EIN, address, contact. The campaign is the specific use case for your texts (for missed-call recovery: appointment scheduling and customer-care replies to people who just called you). You register the brand once, then attach one or more campaigns describing what you actually send.
What is a trust score and why does it matter?+
When you register your brand, the registry assigns a trust score based on how completely and verifiably you filled out your business details (a valid EIN and matching business info raise it). A higher score means higher daily message throughput and better deliverability. Accurate registration is the single biggest lever you control.
Does SignalRevive handle 10DLC for me?+
Yes. As part of onboarding, SignalRevive registers your brand and a compliant missed-call-recovery campaign, and manages the carrier fees inside your flat monthly plan. You keep your number, we keep your texts deliverable — you don't have to learn any of this to be live.
Skip the acronyms. Just get texting that works.
SignalRevive registers your 10DLC brand and campaign as part of a 5-minute setup — fees included in the flat monthly price. Keep your number; we keep your texts deliverable.