In an effort to combat fraudulent calls and text messages, the United States telecommunications industry has acted on a number of regulatory changes that require businesses to obtain an attestation trust score through the creation of a business profile. This trust score will provide the underlying carrier with information to verify that the communications are not spam.
In order to send compliant SMS messages through Slate, you must set up a Business Profile as part of the A2P 10DLC registration process. This profile verifies your institution’s identity and is required by US mobile carriers to ensure trusted, high-quality messaging.
What is A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC (Application to Person 10 Digit Long Code) is a messaging system in the United States that enables Slate databases to send SMS messages to recipients using Slate hosted phone numbers.
A2P: Application-to-person texting (that is, using an SMS provider to send and receive messages).
10DLC: 10-digit long code number (that is, a standard phone number).
A2P 10DLC is essential because it:
Reduces Spam and Protects Recipients: It ensures that SMS messages sent from Slate are recognized as legitimate, reducing the risk of being filtered as spam and protects recipients from unwanted or fraudulent messages.
Builds Trust and Transparence: When the Business Profile and A2P Campaign sections in the Compliance Dashboard are completed and approved, carriers can easily identify who is sending the message and why your messages should be trusted.
Improves Message Delivery and Speed: Registered A2P 10DLC numbers are given higher throughput and more reliable delivery, ensuring that important messages reach recipients quickly and consistently.
Ensures Regulatory Compliance: A2P 10DLC helps Slate comply with industry regulations, including opt-in/opt-out requirements, safeguarding student privacy and communication preferences.
🔔 Important!Failure to register for A2P 10DLC may result in your messages being filtered and ultimately not delivered to the intended recipients. We strongly encourage everyone to register for A2P 10DLC via the Compliance Dashboard.
What is a Business Profile?
A Business Profile contains your institution’s core business information and is used to verify your institution before registering for A2P 10DLC messaging.
Clients can improve overall SMS and telecommunication reliability by submitting a single business profile (per Slate database) through Slate for each of the following areas:
Business Profile
SMS Deliverability (A2P)
Caller ID Name (CNAM)
Voice Call Certification (SHAKEN/STIR)
Voice Integrity
These compliance measures are required industry-wide.
Step 1: Setting up your Business Profile
Setting up your institution's Business Profile requires the following information:
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Website information
Social Media Information
Address
Authorized Representative Information - Designated Staff Member.
To edit your Business Profile:
Select Database from the main navigation.
Under Communications, select Compliance Dashboard.
Under Business Profile, click Edit Profile.
Complete each field in the profile, then click Submit. You can also click Save for Later.
Refer to the following sections for more information on each compliance area.
Step 2: Setting up your SMS Deliverability (A2P) Brand Profile and Campaign Use Case
The registration process for businesses using 10DLC for A2P messaging is intended to decrease spammers and increase deliverability, giving your messages more credibility in the long run. You will need to Register for A2P 10DLC by:
Submitting the A2P Brand Profile.
Submitting the Campaign Use Case
A2P Brand Profile
The Organization Type for the Brand Profile should match the Business Type that was approved within the Business Profile section.
To edit your A2P Brand Profile:
Select Database from the main navigation.
Under Communications, select Compliance Dashboard.
Under SMS Deliverability (A2P), click Edit Profile.
Select the appropriate Organization Type and click Submit.
Campaign Use Case
After Brand Profile approval, you can edit and submit your Campaign Use Case which requires the following information:
Intended Use Case
Description of Use
Description of Consent
Example Message #1
Example Message #2
Privacy Policy URL
Terms and Conditions URL
Before submitting, we recommend reviewing these A2P 10DLC Campaign Approval Requirements and watching this video for guidance on 10DLC Campaign - First Time Success. To edit your Campaign Use Case:
Select Database from the main navigation.
Under Communications, select Compliance Dashboard.
Under SMS Deliverability (A2P), click Edit Campaign Profile.
*Helper text is present to guide you in filling out the required information.Enter the required information and click Submit.
Oh no! My Campaign Use Case was rejected!
You can review detailed information for the rejection reason(s) by searching the error code here. Use this information to edit and re-submit your Campaign Profile.
Trust score and delivery rates
Carriers review the information provided and assign a Trust Score to your institution. The Trust Score is based on a scale from 0 to 100. A higher score allows for a greater rate of message delivery:
Score | Message Delivery Rate |
|---|---|
75-100 | 225 messages per second |
50-74 | 120 messages per second |
1-49 | 12 messages per second |
If you are sending more than 3,000 text messages per day, or use more than 5 phone numbers, registration with the carriers via A2P 10DLC is considered to be required.
⭐ Best PracticeUntil you have registered for A2P 10DLC and completed the campaign use registration, you essentially have a Trust Score of zero. Registering will always increase your score, and therefore your send rates.
Step 3: Caller ID Name (CNAM)
CNAM data—the 15-character textual name for a phone call—identifies incoming callers with either an individual or business name, associating their caller ID information with the phone number's registration data.
A terminating service provider retrieves the CNAM data when an individual receives a call. However, the CNAM data must first be registered to a known database that the carrier can scan.
Once your institution has established its Business Profile and has submitted the Voice Call Certification profile, you will be able to specify a Caller ID Name (CNAM) for outbound calls.
Step 4: Voice call Certification (SHAKEN/STIR)
This profile lets you receive the highest level of call attestation, which reduces the likelihood that an outbound call will be reported by carriers as unsolicited.
The FCC requires all voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN (or SHAKEN/STIR), a validation standard that ensures Caller IDs for calls traveling via an interconnected phone network are marked as legitimate by the originating carrier, and validated by the receiving carrier, before getting to the consumer.
Terminology
STIR: Secure Telephone Identity Revisited
SHAKEN: Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs
Phone Numbers that are conducting outbound calls are given one of three attestations.
Full Attestation (A)
Partial Attestation (B)
Gateway Attestation (C)
If your institution submits its Voice Call Certification (SHAKEN/STIR) profile, it will be reviewed for the A-level attestation. If the Voice Call Certification is not submitted, then your institution will receive the B-level Attestation.
Step 5: Voice Integrity
This profile improves call answer rates by submitting business information to mobile operators, reducing spam labeling of legitimate calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
When trying to pick our use case in the A2P Campaign, the only option we see is Charity. Are we doing this right?
If Charity is the only option available, that means that your institution’s non-profit status has been validated by our telecommunications partner. This is a preferable option to Higher-Ed or K-12.
Is this only for US-based institutions, or is this open to international institutions?
Organizations not based in the United States:
A2P 10DLC is available.
A Tax ID from your country is required and additional vetting may be required.
Organizations based in Canada:
For Canadian Brand Registration, the Business Number is the only required section. This is the first 9 numeric digits of the Business Number.
The bolded & underlined section of this example Canadian Tax ID is required: 123456789RT0001
Submitting the entire Tax ID will result in a rejection of your Brand Profile.
Organizations based in Europe: Use the VIES VAT Number.
Organizations based in other countries:
Use the numeric portion of your VAT ID Number.
If your institution does not have a VAT ID, please provide the primary corporation registration number or Tax ID number for your country.
For International Institutions, can we select Non-Profit as our use case?
If your organization has a US-based location, our telecommunications partner recommends registering your Business Profile and Brand using the EIN, Legal Name and Address of that US based organization.
If your organization does not have a US-based location, do note that only US based organizations will be correctly verified as a nonprofit brand. Non-US based organizations should avoid registering with Nonprofit or Government entity types as that will cause issues with the registration. Instead private or public should be selected as the company type.
📖 Further reading from Twilio: Nonprofit and Government Guide to A2P 10DLC Text Messaging Guide
Who should be listed as the authorized representative on the business profile?
This should be someone reasonably senior in the organization (for example, the Vice President of Enrollment), or someone with "Director" in their title, whose name and title are publicly visible (listed on your website). This will enable the form reviewer to more easily verify the information. Please note that this contact is for the Business Profile only and is a component of the Know Your Customer validation process. There is no public directory, and the individual will likely not be contacted.
Can we update the authorized representative after the business profile has been approved?
At this time, there isn't a mechanism to update approved business profile submissions or the Authorized Representative. The Authorized Representative isn't used in any way by Technolutions or by Twilio once the Business Profile has been reviewed and approved nor is that name placed on any list etc. for communication.
What do I select for Regions of Operation on the business profile?
Regions of Operation refers to any region where your institution has a physical or staff presence.
If there are two legal entities sharing a database, which one should be listed as the legal name on the Compliance Dashboard?
We recommend selecting the organization that “owns” the database.
Is the Employer Identification Number (EIN) treated as a unique identifier for the purpose of the Business Profile, or are there separate validations/certifications per Slate instance based on the Compliance Dashboard submission?
The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is used solely for business verification and validation by the mobile carriers. Therefore even if an institution’s campuses need to operate separately, they should still submit the form with the most relevant EIN for this one-time verification.
Is there a way to know which individual completed the Business Profile?
At this time, there is no way to view which Slate user filled out or submitted the Business Profile.
If the Business Profile was submitted with incorrect information (for example, with an incorrect business address), is there a way to update those items?
Once the Business Profile is submitted, it enters a review process where it can no longer be updated. If it is ultimately rejected, then the profile will become editable again. Please note however that the Business Profile is only used for the one-time verification by the mobile carriers. It should not pose a problem if the Business Profile is submitted and approved with the incorrect business address.
Can the Caller ID Name (CNAM) be changed after being submitted?
At this time, the Caller ID Name (CNAM) cannot be altered once submitted. We hope to provide a mechanism within Slate in the near future that allows the CNAM to be edited as desired.
If a college/university has multiple instances of Slate (i.e. undergrad and grad, or admissions and student success) does the college/university only have to register/certify once, or once per instance? Would the entire college/university share a trust score?
The A2P Registration will need to be completed for each database with SMS numbers.
What if the A2P 10DLC registration returns a low Trust Score?
If the Trust Score returned is less than the usual thresholds, an appeal is handled automatically.
Are there fees associated with A2P 10DLC?
There is a one-time registration fee, as well as a monthly fee. The fee is assessed and charged by the telecommunications carriers, passed to our telecom service provider, and then passed on to Slate. As of May 2025, the one-time registration fee is $50, and the monthly fee is $10.
When trying to pick our use case in the A2P Campaign, the only option we see is Charity. Are we doing this right?
If Charity is the only option available, that means that your institutions non-profit status has been validated by our telecommunications partner. This is a preferable option to Higher-Ed or K-12.
Why is my Caller ID Name (CNAM) not displaying on calls?
Caller IDs are passed from carrier to carrier when a call is transmitted. Our telecommunications partner performs normalization to display Caller IDs using standard E.164 formatting. However, different carriers vary in their preferred Caller ID formatting. Since calls can go through several different networks before reaching their destination, it isn't possible to see how your Caller ID Name might have been altered by carriers. In addition, Caller ID Names can be lost or replaced if the call crosses international borders.
Does Technolutions bill each Slate instance with the new monthly fee?
The fees will be debited from your Slate Credits automatically on a monthly basis.
Everything in our Compliance Dashboard is approved, but we still see the yellow banner in Deliver stating “Action Required: A2P Campaign registration is required to continue sending SMS messages.” Is it OK for us to begin texting?
Yes. Once all items are are approved within your Compliance Dashboard, you can begin by test sending a couple one-off text messages to check that SMS messages are being delivered and received. If there are no failures, you can start to send text messages in larger quantities through Deliver. The yellow banner may persist for as long as 90 days in your database after your Compliance Dashboard is complete.
Everything that we have to do in the Compliance Dashboard has recently been approved. However, we're seeing bounces and an error message 30024. What is happening here?
If your A2P 10DLC Compliance has just been registered it can take some time before all carriers associate your phone number with your A2P Campaign. If you're seeing a lot of texts skip_fail with that error code, that means a carrier hasn't updated their code.
In this case, we had telecommunications partner’s engineers look into this behavior. They have concluded that there is a provisioning delay with T-Mobile. As of July 19, 2023 - the average expected delay is approximately 10 days for your Compliance information to take effect on their side.
📖 Further reading about A2P 10DLC
10DLC Registration & Regulations: Your Complete Guide (Text Request)
A2P 10DLC Guide (Twilio)
10DLC registration guide: How to avoid unnecessary costs in 2024 (updated blog post) (Bandwidth)
State of Messaging Report (Annual) (Bandwidth)