Most of us know that text messaging has become the preferred method of communication. How many of us don’t answer our mobile phones if it is from a number that we don’t know? If someone sends you a text message, you are most likely going to read the message within a few minutes of receiving it.
There are two classifications of text messages, first P2P (Peer-to-Peer or Person-to-Person) which is typically from a mobile phone to another mobile phone. The other classification is A2P (Application-to-Peer or Application-to-Person) which is when a message comes from an application or a platform.
A lot of people don’t realize that bulk texting or A2P texting on a standard 10-digit number (Long Code) was technically never approved or sanctioned by the mobile carriers. Now, mobile phone carriers are cracking down on what they categorize as SPAM text messages. Like an email spam filter, sometimes messages make it through and sometimes they don’t. Maybe your messages go through to all your subscribers on Gmail, but they are blocked by Outlook. So, for mobile, you might send a message out to 500 people on your list and Verizon might block it, but AT&T might let it go through. However, the next time every message may get blocked as it is considered spam to the mobile carriers.
Why are mobile phone carriers cracking down on text messaging?
In December of 2018, the FCC released a new ruling that classified SMS messages as “information service” rather than telecommunication service under the Telecom Act, which essentially granted wireless companies more power with how they handle text messages.
This move makes it possible for large mobile carriers like Verizon to block users from receiving texts that are classified as A2P. This is especially true for mass marketing SMS from local numbers which are much more likely to get blocked now if they are not registered for 10DLC (Read more about 10DLC here).
This all may sound confusing because there are a lot of customers and providers that are sending traffic from an A2P application. Unfortunately, the mobile carriers are enforcing this issue now because they are saying they want to cut down on abuse and protect their users; however, they are also doing this to add new fees for A2P messaging so that they can increase their earnings.
How should I send bulk messages?
SendHub offers toll-free numbers that can be used for high-volume text messaging and branding purposes. Read more about our voice and text-enabled toll-free numbers here. You can also check out our frequently asked questions about toll-free numbers here.
Please talk to a sales representative to see if toll-free is the right solution for your business. Call 844-736-3482 and choose option 1 for sales or send an email to [email protected]. We are happy to help you find the right plan for your needs.
