So you’re ready to launch your first SMS campaign on a virtual number. Before you do, you’ll have to go through The Campaign Registry, or TCR. It’s one of the third parties chosen by major US cell carriers to review registration information. This is to ensure that businesses using a virtual phone number comply with emerging A2P 10DLC regulations.
If the mention of TCR leaves you with questions, good news: this guide covers what you need to navigate the registration process pain-free.
You’ll learn:
- What TCR is and the role TCR plays in A2P 10DLC
- What you need to register your campaign
- The two must-haves for proper registration
Let’s start by defining our terms.
Key TCR terms you’ll see during registration
- The Campaign Registry, or TCR. A third-party organization that reviews A2P 10DLC applications for businesses that use a virtual phone number to text US customers.
- Application-to-person, or A2P. Refers to a text message sent from a business entity through a virtual phone provider like Quo to an individual.
- 10-digit long code numbers, or 10DLC. A 10-digit phone number, including the local area code.
- Application-to-person 10-digit long code, or A2P 10DLC. A system that lets businesses send texts from a local virtual number after they register their business. This newer requirement occurred after the large US cell carriers pushed for more regulations to prevent their customers from receiving spam text messages.
- Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. A US government agency that regulates interstate and international communications, including the media and the telecom industry. This includes SMS compliance requirements.
- Brand. This is the name of the business that will be sending messages.
- Opt-in. A customer has given your business permission to text them about a specific subject.
- Campaign. Describes the type of messages your business plans to send. This includes your texting use case, message content, and sample messages.
- Campaign service provider, or CSP: They work with brands to register their messaging campaigns and submit the required information to TCR. Quo, formerly OpenPhone, is a virtual business phone system and a participating CSP with TCR.
What is The Campaign Registry?
The Campaign Registry is a third-party organization. It reviews 10DLC applications for businesses using a virtual phone service, like Quo. TCR was handpicked by mobile network operators — think T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon — to help vet businesses that want to send messages from virtual phone numbers. The goal is to filter out bad actors and prevent unwanted phishing and spam texts sent to customers.
When you register for 10DLC, you do so directly through your virtual phone number provider. Once you submit an application, your provider submits the information to TCR. TCR then reviews the information and provides an all-clear to text from your virtual phone number.
Keep in mind, there may be additional steps to register, depending on your messaging service provider. Quo’s process is intuitive and straightforward, as we’ll get into later.
What happens if you don’t submit anything to The Campaign Registry?
Without registration, most virtual phone providers won’t let you text US numbers at all. Don’t want to deal with TCR registration for any provider that allows this? Be prepared for hefty fines.
If you try to run a campaign without registering, you could face TCPA, or Telephone Consumer Protection Act, fines ranging from $500 to $1,500 per message.
You’ll also have poor, and possibly nonexistent, deliverability rates. There’s a good chance your messages won’t reach your clients at all. Plus, message throughput may be limited, meaning fewer texts can be sent per second.
The bottom line is you can’t bypass registration when texting US customers.
But it’s not as difficult as it looks. Here’s what you need for a successful registration.
What do I need to know about A2P 10DLC?
A2P 10DLC is simply a way of saying you’re sending business texts from a virtual phone application via a standard 10-digit number. Think something like 832-456-7890.
All business-related texts sent via A2P 10DLC require registration with The Campaign Registry. As mentioned earlier, TCR and other third-party entities review A2P 10DLC applications. This is to ensure your business is observing SMS compliance laws. If everything you’ve submitted is compliant, they’ll add your business to their database and ensure better message deliverability.
You’ll also be able to send a higher volume of messages than before regulations were in place.
Why is TCR registration required?
Mobile network operators, also known as MNOs, do their best to protect customers from unwanted spam. But with consumers reporting $470 million lost to scams that started with text messages in 2024, spam filters alone aren’t enough.
Three of the largest US carriers — T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon — teamed up with the FCC to find a long-term solution. In March 2023, the FCC issued an order to mobile carriers to block certain text messages that are “highly likely to be illegal.”
And thus, TCR registration was born.
2 must-haves for TCR registration
TCR’s registration process isn’t always the same between platforms. What you submit and where you submit it depends on your campaign service provider.
That said, a few fields stay the same — or at least look similar between application forms.
Let’s break down the most common fields so you can get a better feel for what to expect.
1. Brand information
Brand information is the company information you used when you registered your business. This can include your EIN or other business identification, your legal name, and your address.
If you attempt to complete registration after signing up for a Quo account, you can take one of two paths to validate business information.
The sole proprietor path is for you if:
- You don’t have a business EIN or other form of company tax identification
- You have a working cell number with a country code of +1
- You have a valid US or Canadian address
If this applies to you, you can follow our step-by-step guide to registration for solopreneurs.
If you have an EIN or other form of business tax identification if you live outside the US, you’ll take the second path: Low Volume Standard.
Here’s what you’ll need if you register a business through Quo.
Business registration ID
You’ll need your EIN, BN-9, Company Number, ACN, Corporate Identity Number, VAT Number, VAT Registration Number, Registration Number, or Other Registration Number.
Business details
You’ll also need to provide your legal business name and business address, exactly as they appear in your official tax paperwork.
Additional business details
TCR requires the following details about your business:
- Business type. Select from Sole Partnership, Partnership, Corporation, Co-operative, Limited Liability Corporation, or Non-profit Corporation.
- Company type. Select from Privately held, Publicly traded, Non-profit, or Government.
- Industry. Choose the category that best describes your organization.
- Website, business listing, or other online presence. Include the full URL of your website.
If you don’t have a business website, you can include your business’s official Facebook, Yelp, or Instagram page instead.
Make sure the page is live. It should explain what your business does and the products or services you offer. It should also include contact details, like your address, phone number, or email. - Regions of operation. Select the primary region you do business in: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, or USA and Canada.
- Employee count. Share roughly how many people work at your business.
- Estimated daily call volume. Estimate how many calls your business receives or expects to receive every day.
Point of contact
Finally, you’ll need to provide the name, email, phone number, job position, and job title of the best business contact.
Note: This isn’t the billing contact for the TCR registration fee. Quo will bill you directly based on the credit card we have on file.
2. Messaging details
After providing details about your business, you’ll need to provide TCR details about how you plan to message customers.
Business messaging use
How will you use text messaging? Be sure to select the type of messages you plan to send to customers. Then, we’ll generate message examples required for your registration.
Quo gives you the space to share as much as you want about how you plan to message your customers.
Forbidden message topics
Certain topics are not permitted over SMS or MMS in the United States or Canada. Activity related to these topics may result in your messages being blocked by carriers.
Here’s a list of forbidden topics you should be aware of as part of your registration process:
- High-risk financial services: Payday loans, short-term high-interest loans, etc.
- Third-party lead generation: Leads for high-interest loans and similar services
- Debt collection or forgiveness: Messages regarding debt collection or forgiveness
- Prescription drugs: Advertising prescription-only medication
- Illegal substances or articles: Promotion of illegal drugs or prohibited items
- Gambling: Betting or gambling services
- S.H.A.F.T, or Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco: Adult content such as distribution of sexually explicit materials; advertising or facilitating the sale of alcohol, tobacco, vape/e-cigs, or firearms; promoting hate speech, abuse, or harassment
As part of your registration process, you’ll need to select the checkbox confirming that you won’t send messages related to these topics.
Confirm registration fees
Review and pay the required registration fees. This includes a $19.50 one-time carrier review and setup fee and a $1.50 to $3.00 monthly messaging fee to keep your registration active.
Associated fees with A2P 10DLC registration
You should know A2P 10DLC registration involves a few fees, including:
- Carrier review and setup fee: TCR collects a one-time $19.50 manual review fee to evaluate submitted text samples, text messaging campaign information, and other registration details you provide in your carrier registration application.
- Messaging fee: If you have Low Volume Standard status with major US carriers, TCR will charge you $1.50 per month. Sole Proprietors pay $2 per month, and non-profit organizations pay $3 per month.
- Resubmission fee: If your application is rejected, a $15 fee goes to the carrier partner of your virtual number provider. Read our guide on how to register for A2P 10DLC.
Keep in mind 100% of these fees go to TCR and its related third-party entities. This enables them to fairly review your application so you can stay in good standing with major US cell carriers.
How Quo can help you comply with The Campaign Registry
Registering SMS campaigns with TCR can seem overwhelming. The good news is Quo helps you with our in-app carrier registration process. Whether you’re a solopreneur or a growing small business, Quo makes the registration process easier.
But most of the benefits come after TCR brand registration — our features keep you compliant without even trying.
For example, you can:
- Save and send compliant messages, like opt-in, opt-out, and opt-in confirmation texts, with reusable snippets.
- Add additional local numbers to your workspace after successfully registering with TCR. You won’t need to register again.
- Complete toll-free verification straight from the Quo app if you have a toll-free number in your Quo workspace.
- Schedule texts between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. to comply with TCPA requirements, without needing to press send at a specific time.
- Use Sona, Quo’s AI voice agent, to send SMS messages during live calls, like texting a booking link while the caller is still on the line.
Interested in seeing how Quo works? Check out our product demo.
Explore other helpful texting resources
FAQs
TCR for texting is a process that reviews 10DLC applications so businesses can text US customers. When you apply through your virtual phone provider, they submit your registration to TCR for review. Once the TCR and other third-party entities approve your application, US customers will be able to receive your texts from your 10DLC numbers.
Yes. If you want to send business texts to US customers from a virtual number, you need to complete TCR registration.
Yes. You can use an existing business phone number for 10DLC registration.
If you’re moving your number to Quo, you can set up and register your workspace first. Then port your number once your 10DLC registration is approved. That way, you can minimize texting delays.
TCR registration requires details about your business and the types of messages you plan to send. Using a provider like Quo makes the process easier. You can complete the registration step-by-step directly in the Quo web or desktop app.
No. Most providers require your TCR registration to be approved before you can send business texts to US numbers.
If your application is rejected, it usually means some information needs to be corrected or clarified. It could also mean that your business is doing something that violates S.H.A.F.T guidelines. If your business isn’t attempting to do something that goes against the provider’s guidelines, you can resubmit your application once you’ve verified what caused the registration to be rejected.
If your campaign registration is rejected, Quo lets you fix it and send it again for a $15 fee.
TCR registration with Quo usually takes 24–48 hours.
No. Toll-free numbers require a different registration process to text US and Canadian numbers.
The Campaign Registry requirements include submitting your business details, messaging use case, and confirming you won’t send forbidden message topics.
This process is part of TCR’s business SMS registration and helps carriers confirm your messages follow SMS compliance rules.
There isn’t a single fixed TCR registration deadline, but you need to complete registration before sending business texts to US numbers. Without approval, most providers won’t allow messaging, and your business won’t meet TCR compliance requirements.
