Here’s the Why and How for 10-Digit Long Codes

It’s no secret that spammers are infiltrating customers’ mobile messaging experiences. Chances are it’s happened to us all. This is happening due to shared short codes, a 5-6-digit code that is shared between multiple brands. Shared short codes are easily susceptible to SPAM because carriers have no visibility into what is being sent through them. AT&T decided to take a stand against unsolicited messages in Q4 2018 to help protect consumers and minimize the amount of unwanted text messages being received. They revised their Code of Conduct, which governs their application-to-person (A2P) messaging, and as part of that revision AT&T is now phasing out shared short codes.

So, what now? The solutions for better protection in the U.S. are to only offer messaging through dedicated short codes and 10-digit long codes. Dedicated short codes, a 5-6-digit code that is used exclusively by one brand, have been around for a long time but haven’t been easily accessible to smaller companies due to budget. In comes 10-digit long codes.

10-digit long codes are more cost effective to lease and will soon be available for commercial use. Historically long codes have only been used for person-to-person (P2P) messaging but now AT&T is opening up these 10-digit long codes for application-to-person (A2P) usage. For similar reasons as AT&T, other carriers will be offering 10-digit long codes too.

Why is this important? It’s important to know that even though shared short codes will be phased out, companies still have options to reach their consumers effectively. Understanding which type of code to lease for your campaigns can be tricky but Kaleyra is at the forefront of this change and ready to help your company make the transition from shared short codes. We will help you to better understand the pros and cons of current messaging options and implementing these for your customers.

The anticipated timing for 10-digit long codes to be available for commercial use is coming in late Q1/early Q2 of this year. As a Tier 1 aggregator with direct carrier connections, Kaleyra will be one of the first to know when the carriers are ready, and we are poised to help.

Contact us to learn how to make the transition from shared short codes.