With the FCC's 2018 decision that SMS and MMS are informational services, mobile carriers now have the freedom to control how these communications are sent and received.
Using this authority, cell carriers classed all wire business SMS in 2021 under a category called as A2P, or application to person. To ensure that only known entities are sending messages and to help carriers prevent spam or fraud, A2P SMS has a number of requirements that are different from SMS you receive on your cell phone. To assist with the registration process, mobile carriers authorized an organization known as TCR or the campaign registry to collect business information and use cases.
Because these registrations are required by the carriers, your provider cannot activate SMS on any new numbers until the registration has been completed. These registrations are collected through CSPs or the communications firm you are working with for your voice or SMS service.
Important business information is included in the registration, including your company name, federal registration number, such as an EIN, address, and contact details.
As a new requirement for enterprises, TCR also asks you to disclose to message recipients how you are gaining their authorization.
How customers can unsubscribe, how they can contact customer service, and examples of the messages you are sending. We recognize that this is a significant shift, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as new carrier regulations are implemented.
The good news is that once you register, you should see even higher message delivery rates since carriers will be familiar with and confident in your company. A new registration requirement was established by mobile carriers to aid in the verification of message traffic from corporate phone lines. Regardless of the nation or use case, these standards apply to all Vitel Global clients sending an SMS from long code numbers.
As the volume of commercial SMS traffic rises, so is the number of fraudsters sending texts. Authentic companies that register can send messages in accordance with the 10 Digital Long Code (10DLC) application to person (A2P) classification, while carriers can prohibit spam texts from unregistered sources.
You must register your company with The Campaign Registry (TCR), a third-party organisation, through Vitel Global in order to continue delivering communications. This procedure confirms that you are an authorised source of SMS/MMS messages. You must use the registration form we've supplied on our website to sign up.
The following carriers will need TCR registration as of January 6, 2022:
All Vitel Global customers must register by March 31, 2023 . SMS for your account and any unregistered numbers will be blocked if you don't register. Starting on February 17, 2023, Vitel Global will provide self-registration using the Admin Portal to simplify the registration process. Customers can register using the registration form we've supplied on our website in the interim.
1.Download the TCR Registration form.
2.Under the Business Information Section, enter as shown below:
| Field | Required information |
|---|---|
| Legal business name | This information must be entered exactly as it appears on your company's registration with the relevant federal agency that issues your business registration number, EIN, or Tax ID (e.g. IRS SS-4). |
| Business type | Select your business type. |
| Country of registration | Enter the name of the country where your business is registered. |
| Tax ID / Employer Identification Number (EIN) | This must be the number that a government agency assigned to your company when it registered as a firm. For instance, the US IRS offers the EIN. TCR will automatically reject your application if you don't give it or if your federal registration number and business name don't match. |
| Business address | Provide your legal business address. |
| City, State, Zip Code | Provide your legal business address. |
| Business phone number | Enter the main contact number for your company. It's not necessary for this to be a Vitel Global number. |
| Stock symbol | Only if you chose the option for your business type to be a publicly listed firm, enter your stock symbol. |
| Vertical | Select the checkbox next to the category that best describes your type of business. |
| Support email | Provide your email address for customer support. |
| Support phone | Provide number for customer support |
3.The Campaign & Opt In/Out Information section needs the following data to be filled out:
| Field | Required information |
|---|---|
| Categorization | Select the checkbox(es) next to any categories that apply to your current and future SMS usage. |
| Call-to-Action/Message Flow | Select the checkbox(es) next to any of the given techniques. |
| Opt-in keywords | Create a list of terms or phrases that people can click to sign up for your communications. Opt-in terms are commonly START or SUBSCRIBE and are required by TCR. |
| Opt-in message | Write the message that is sent to the recipient after they opt in. |
| Opt-out keywords | Give a person a list of terms or phrases they can click to stop receiving your messages. The opt-out terms required by TCR are often STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE. Regardless of how you use SMS, you must respect all opt-out requests. |
| Opt-out message | Write the message that the receiver sees after choosing not to accept it. |
| Help keywords | Describe the phrases or sentences a user can use to request more information or assistance. The standard HELP keywords in TCR are HELP or INFO. |
| Help message | Type the message that appears to the receiver after an assistance keyword is sent. |
4.Enter three sample SMS messages.
Note: It's crucial to include any links you intend to deliver by SMS and to use messages that accurately reflect what recipients will receive. You must use at least 10 characters, and you cannot use the same sample more than three times. If you choose to include links in your messages, make sure the links accurately reflect the content your clients will see. Avoid using short links, and read our blog post on sending URLs over SMS.
5.To demonstrate that you have read, comprehended, and accepted the following policies, check the appropriate boxes.
6.Include your name, job title, and email address in the contact information field.
7. With the file name "Vitel Global TCR_ Your Company Name Here," save the form as a PDF.
8. Use the secure Box upload link in the form to submit the completed document.
A brand ID is a set of details that identifies the company delivering the SMS. A brand identifies the business or other entity that the end user thinks is communicating with them.
Your phone numbers and the SMS method you'll employ are indicated by a campaign. Depending on how often it uses SMS, a corporation will normally have just one brand ID but numerous campaign IDs.
The cost of registration varies according to the type of business and SMS usage. Both one-time and ongoing registration fees are included in the price.
If you want to opt out of registering with TCR, you may do so, but you will be unable to use SMS messaging on Vitel Global’s network. Vitel Global can’t allow unregistered message traffic across our network. You can port SMS capabilities to another provider, allowing you to utilize Vitel Global for message, video, and phone while using a third-party provider for your SMS messages. To opt out, contact Vitel Global support and ask for SMS capabilities to be disabled on your account.
Canadian clients must adhere to the following rules if they want to send SMS messages to US clients:Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), and US carrier rules.
The CTIA's regulations are accepted as genuine policy by the FCC. Every three months, CTIA publishes Best Practices and Principles for Messaging.
Yes, any messages sent through US carriers must include these alternatives. This encompasses messages that are two-way conversations, marketing, information-only messaging, customer service, etc.
US carriers currently only permit business messages from organisations that are registered with the relevant federal agency (e.g., IRS in the United States). Additional registration documentation could be needed for companies operating outside of the US and Canada.
No, just your primary business and support numbers are needed on the form. All of your current phone numbers will be transferred to your new TCR brand ID and SMS campaign with Vitel Global. Please be aware that if you add other numbers, you might need to submit a support request to have them registered under your TCR campaign.
Vitel Global’s TCR registration service level agreement (SLA) allots 10 business days for completion. You can contact Support anytime during the working days for an update.
Some businesses must go through further screening in addition to registration to ensure their integrity. This will apply to particular sectors or use cases, as well as businesses that must send more than 2,000 SMS per day. A trust score is given to your business after it has been evaluated, and the greater it is, the more crucial the deliverability of your communications will be. Vitel Global handles the screening procedure through a third-party partner that has been approved by TCR. Please be aware that you can be charged $40 by Vitel Global for this vetting service. Open a case to submit a vetting request.
No, each business just needs to register once. However, it's possible that new numbers won't be assigned to your current campaign automatically. We advise accessing our service through the admin portal.
Every day, Vitel Global processes hundreds of entries. We make every effort to finish TCR registration as soon as possible, usually in ten business days. Please make sure you correctly complete the form as stated above in order to assist us. Rejecting a submission because it was submitted incorrectly restarts the procedure.
