Before You Begin
How Vetting Works
What is vetting?
In the US, any business or organization wanting to send A2P messages via 10DLC must go through a process that includes registering your brand (your business) and submitting your campaign. These processes give the mobile network operators (MNO) a way to control message traffic on their networks.
The major US MNOs work differently in terms of how they work and what they require. Verizon does not distinguish between messages sent from a 10DLC or a short code and does not require vetting at all. But AT&T and T-Mobile/Sprint do, and each has created its own mechanism for determining the throughput you receive. AT&T limits transactions per second (TPS) based on what they call "message class," while T-Mobile/Sprint limits how many messages you can send in one day. For more details on these two mechanisms, see Mobile network operator policies below.
Brand registration
When you register your brand using our Numbers application, the automated process assigns a status to your company. The status is generated by an organization called The Campaign Registry (TCR). There is no charge for this.
When you register your brand successfully, TCR assigns a Verified status and you can then start submitting campaigns tied to the brand. If TCR is unable to verify your brand and assigns a status of Unverified, you will not be able to submit any campaigns until your brand is successfully verified.
Your brand status is based on the accuracy of the information you submit in the registration process. To help ensure success, make sure the legal name and the tax ID (e.g., EIN) you submit are accurate. For example, even omitting "Inc" or "LLC" can result in TCR returning an Unverified status. You cannot edit a brand that's already been submitted to TCR. You'll need to contact your account manager to do it for you.
Status types
There are four possible statuses your brand can be assigned:
| Verified |
Means TCR successfully verified the brand information you submitted. You can submit campaigns and are eligible for one of these levels of throughput:
|
| Unverified | Means that TCR could not verify your brand because the information in your registration, most likely the EIN (tax ID) and/or legal name, was incorrect. These two pieces of information must match exactly with what is on file with the IRS. |
| Vetted Verified | This status is reserved for companies that have been vetted externally and then have been migrated together with their score to Numbers. |
| Self-Declared | Means that the company belongs to a sole proprietor and there's no verification needed at this point. Such companies should request additional vetting; otherwise, AT&T will automatically assign them classes E/F (1 TPS), while T-Mobile will allocate them by default into their Low tier (2,000 messages/day). |
Important: If you are a non-US company or a company that’s not listed in the Russell 3000 index, but you want to get a throughput higher than what's been assigned to you by default, we recommend that you request third-party vetting and that you do this before submitting any campaigns to ensure that the higher throughput is automatically associated with your campaigns.
Requesting third-party vetting
If you aren't satisfied with the AT&T throughput or T-Mobile threshold you receive, you can request third-party vetting through the Brand Registration feature.
Vetting is performed via a third party, which offers two levels of vetting:
- Standard vetting is a quick, automated process that returns a score of 1-100, a classification verification, and an indication of any problem categories. You will be charged $40 for this check.
- Enhanced vetting is the standard automated process plus an evaluation performed by a vetting specialist. The process can take up to three business days. This vetting results in a score and classification verification, and provides you with a summary report. You will be charged $95 for this vetting.
If you want, you can request standard vetting first and then, if you're not satisfied with the results, you can request enhanced vetting. Note that you must do this within 30 days of receiving the score. If you upgrade from standard to enhanced you'll be charged $55.
For instructions on how to request third-party vetting and view the scores, see Register Your Brand.
Note: There is no guarantee that additional vetting will improve your throughput or max threshold, and should additional vetting results in a lower score then that will be used instead of the original score.
Mobile network operator policies
Here's what you need to know to know about how AT&T and T-Mobile work with respect to vetting and throughput.
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AT&T has devised a 'message class' system to determine throughput. Based on which class your messaging campaign falls into, you'll be assigned a TPS. If you exceed the limit that's been assigned to your 10DLC number(s), you'll receive a 541 response code. You may retry sending the message but you may encounter the same outcome.
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T-Mobile (including Sprint) is assigning a threshold (total messages/day) based on your brand score. The range is large, from 2,000-200,000 messages per day. If you exceed the threshold that's been assigned to your 10DLC number(s), you'll receive a 542 response code. You won't be able to retry sending the message.
The following tables give you an idea of how to interpret scores in terms of throughput and daily message volumes. If you have questions about your score, contact your OpenMarket account manager, or use Numbers to view the Mobile Networks section that shows what throughput your live campaign is getting.
AT&T message classes, fees, and throughput
This table provides information about AT&T's message classes and how they influence throughput. Note that the example use cases are examples only; you may receive lower or higher throughput for your particular use case and campaign type. Also note that AT&T does charge pass-through fees on all SMS MT messages. For details see the US Supplier Fee Sheet.
Customers are encouraged to read AT&T's Code of Conduct, which you can find on our Industry Guidelines page.
| Message Class | Use Case Examples | Campaign Type | Transactions / Minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
2FA Authentication |
Declared Use Case | 4,500 |
| B | Customer Care | Mixed/Marketing | 4,500 |
| C | Marketing | Declared Use Case | 2,400 |
| D | Mixed/Marketing | Mixed/Marketing | 2,400 |
| E | Operations | Declared Use Case | 240 |
| F | Higher Education | Mixed/Marketing | 240 |
| T | Low-volume Mixed | Low Volume Mixed | 75 |
| G | Group Messaging | Special | 60 |
| P | Charity | Special: non-commercial | 2,400 |
| S | Social Engagement | Special | 60,000 |
| K | Election Campaigns | Special | 3,000 |
| X | Emergency Services / Public Safety | Special | 4,500 |
| Z | Large CSP Free Trial Offers | Special | 6 |
| Y | Exemption by Carrier (trusted) | Special | 720 |
| W | Exemption by Carrier (less trusted) | Special | 15 |
| N | Agents, franchise, local branches, CSPs by vertical | 60 |
T-Mobile/Sprint scoring and throughput
The following table shows how T-Mobile (including Sprint) determines your maximum daily message volume based initially on your brand registration status. If you request third-party vetting then your message volume will be based on the score you receive via that process. The daily volume applies to messaging for all campaigns for the registered brand.
Customers are encouraged to read T-Mobile's Code of Conduct, which you can find on our Industry Guidelines page.
| Risk Score | Risk Assessment | Vetting Type | Maximum Daily Message Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | High-Performance | Default | 200,000 |
| 0-24 | Low-Performance | Default | 2,000 |
| 75-100 | High | 3rd Party | 200,000 |
| 50-74 | Upper Mid | 3rd Party | 40,000 |
| 25-49 | Lower Mid | 3rd Party | 10,000 |
| 0-24 | Low | 3rd Party | 2,000 |
| Discretionary | Special | — | Discretionary |