Glossary
What is 10DLC?
10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the US carrier standard for businesses to send SMS from a regular 10-digit phone number, requiring registration with the carrier and explicit customer consent for each recipient.
In depth
Before 2021, businesses could send marketing texts from regular phone numbers with minimal oversight. After widespread spam abuse, US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) created the 10DLC standard, requiring all businesses sending more than ~100 SMS per day to register their brand and campaign with the carrier consortium (TCR — The Campaign Registry).
Registered 10DLC numbers get higher delivery rates, faster throughput, and protection from spam filters. Unregistered numbers face heavy throttling or outright blocking. The cost is a one-time brand registration ($4-50) and monthly campaign fees ($1.50-10).
The other piece of 10DLC is consent: every recipient of a business SMS must have given affirmative consent (an opt-in checkbox, a "reply YES to confirm," etc.). Without proper consent records, the campaign can be suspended even if it's registered.
Real examples
- 1.A barbershop registers their business with TCR, gets a 10DLC campaign approved for "appointment reminders," and can text customers from their existing business number.
- 2.A salon collects opt-in consent when customers book (checkbox: "Yes, send me appointment reminders by text") and stores the timestamp + IP for audit.
- 3.When a customer texts STOP, the business immediately unsubscribes them and sends a final confirmation message ("You are unsubscribed").
BookIt is 10DLC-registered out of the box. We handle the carrier registration and consent ledger so you don't have to.
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