Can I Use Short Codes To Give My Prepaid Phone Service

Obtaining a short code for sending text messages to U.s. recipients – Part i

Many of the customers that I work with use short codes for their SMS use cases. This is especially true in the United States, where brusque codes are a common fashion to transport letters to recipients. Curt codes offer loftier throughput and high deliverability rates. They're also easier for your customers to retrieve and place, because they only incorporate v or six digits.

This post is the first in a 2-part series. In this post, I'll discuss the things that you lot must plan for earlier you asking a short code. In the second mail, I'll provide guidance and advice for completing the short code application process itself.

Annotation: Short codes are available in many countries other than the United states. However, the procedure of obtaining a short code in the U.s.a. can be more difficult than the process of obtaining i in many other countries. For this reason, I'yard only focusing on US curt codes in this mail.

Exercise I demand a short lawmaking?

One of the most common questions I hear from customers is "am I required to utilize a brusque code?" Curt codes aren't a strict requirement for sending messages to recipients in the US, just they are useful for meeting specific needs. For example, if you plan to send several letters per second, you probably need to employ a brusk lawmaking. Short codes in the The states support 100 letters per second by default, and can scale to the tens of thousands of letters per second for an additional monthly fee.

Additionally, short codes offer high deliverability rates for SMS messages. The mobile carriers are far less probable to filter letters sent from short codes than they are to filter letters from other types of telephone numbers.

Finally, short codes besides have the benefit of being hands recognizable telephone numbers. Price-complimentary and 10DLC numbers consist of ten digits, whereas brusque codes are five or six digits. You tin can fifty-fifty get a specific short code (known as a vanity code) for an boosted monthly fee.

Fifty-fifty if your utilize case doesn't crave all of these capabilities, you can all the same use a short code. However, you could also save time and money using another solution, such every bit a toll-gratuitous number or 10DLC number.

At that place are a few drawbacks to consider when thinking about whether to use a brusque code. Starting time, brusque codes tin only be used to deliver SMS messages. Other number types, such as 10DLC telephone numbers and cost-free numbers, tin be used to send both SMS and vocalism letters. Second, carriers consider short codes to be a premium production. For these reasons, some prepaid plans (such as the prepaid plans offered past T-Mobile in the US) don't allow their users to receive messages from curt codes.

If you've decided that your use case requires a short code, you have to practise some planning earlier y'all request i. The next few sections guide you through some of the requirements that must be in place in order to obtain and use a brusque lawmaking.

Understanding consent requirements

The United states of america mobile carriers have strict policies for gathering consent during the opt-in process. The CTIA, a trade organization that represents the U.s. wireless industry, provides additional guidance about the requirements for obtaining a brusk code. You tin can find more information almost the requirements for several types of short code messaging programs in the CTIA's Brusque Monitoring Handbook. Still, proceed in listen that the CTIA guidelines are recommendations. Carriers impose their own requirements beyond the minimum requirements of The states law, and across the minimum requirements of the CTIA.

The carriers and the CTIA require several specific pieces of information to be in place and presented to the client. This section discusses these requirements. If these requirements aren't met, the carriers won't accept your brusque code application. It's of import to plan carefully and design your opt-in workflows effectually these requirements.

Annotation: These requirements are defined by the mobile carriers and by the CTIA. These requirements are not defined by AWS, and we can't grant exceptions to whatever of these carrier requirements.

As far as the carriers are concerned, there is no such thing as blanket or global consent, regardless of your use case. You're required to collect consent for each blazon of message that yous send—fifty-fifty one-time password and multi-factor authentication messages. Nor is at that place a concept of implied consent. Consent must be detailed and explicit. When you collect consent, you lot must show your customers several things so that they tin can make an informed decision about whether they desire to opt in. Specifically, all of the following must be present:

A description of the types of messages that y'all will transport through your curt lawmaking.
The phrase "Bulletin and data rates may apply."
An indication of how often recipients will get messages from y'all. For example, a recurring messaging program might say "one message per week." A 1-time password or multi-cistron authentication use case might say "message frequency varies" or "1 message per login attempt."
Links to your Terms & Atmospheric condition and Privacy Policy documents. Later on in this mail service, nosotros'll talk virtually the specific Terms & Weather that are required.

In that location are a few additional things to keep in heed about the consent gathering process:

You can't send a unmarried message to the recipient until you've explicitly nerveless their consent to do so.
Using a curt code requires you to adopt a use-example-specific consent model. When a customer provides consent to receive one type of message from y'all, they aren't giving y'all consent to ship them other types of text letters. For example, if your customer opts to receive multi-cistron authentication messages from you, you don't have their consent to send promotional SMS messages.
You can't make receiving text messages a requirement for signing upward for or using your service. If your use instance requires that you verify your client's telephone number, provide them an culling to receiving text messages. For case, provide the choice to receive a voice telephone call or an email.
The consent you lot gather only applies to your company or brand. You can't transfer consent to another company. Never sell your list of opted-in customers, and never use purchased or rented lists.

Design your opt-in workflows

With these considerations in mind, yous tin begin to design your opt-in process or change your existing opt-in process. The carriers require you to provide high-fidelity mockups of your entire opt-in feel. In this case, "high allegiance" ways that the mockups closely resemble the opt-in experience that your customers will consummate. Your mockups must include all of the required disclosures listed earlier in this department. You'll utilize these mockups later in the application procedure.

The following image shows an instance of an opt-in mockup that doesn't comply with the carriers' standards. The carriers will pass up this mockup—along with the residue of the brusque code awarding—adding time to the short code request process. See if you can identify the problems with this instance.

At that place are several issues with the preceding example. First, the image isn't a faithful representation of what customers would really encounter during the opt-in process. It contains placeholder text, and information technology plainly doesn't reflect a production utilise instance. Second, information technology appears that a message will exist sent to the recipient, simply no consent is explicitly gathered before doing then. Third, information technology appears that receiving a text message is required to sign up. The form doesn't provide any alternatives to receiving a text message. And finally, none of the required disclosures (listed earlier in this section) are presented to the recipient at all.

Compare the preceding example to the post-obit example, which complies with the carriers' requirements for a multi-factor authentication use case.

Even though it might not be a pixel-perfect representation of the final design, this instance is a compliant mockup. Information technology contains finalized text and images, and it shows the entire opt-in flow, complete with annotations. In the opt-in flow, the customer has to accept distinct, intentional actions to provide their consent to receive text messages. And finally, the call-to-action contains all of the required disclosures.

Ane of import matter to note: if there are multiple methods for opting in to your messaging program, include mockups of all of them. For instance, if customers can opt in to your messaging plan by sending a keyword to your brusque code, describe how customers learn about that keyword. If you send them an electronic mail that mentions this method of opting in, include a mockup of the email. Note that all of the methods of capturing client opt-ins must include the disclosures that I mentioned before.

Other use cases may require slightly different workflows. For example, if you send recurring promotional messages (such as daily bargain alerts), yous should abide by the same guidelines shown in the preceding case. Withal, your call-to-action should also state the number of messages the recipient volition receive when they subscribe (such as "Up to 30 messages per month" or "2 messages per 24-hour interval"). For this utilise instance, y'all should besides use a double opt-in process. In a double opt-in, y'all ask the recipient for their phone number, and then ship them a message asking them to reply with a keyword (such as "YES") to confirm their subscription. If the recipient doesn't answer, then don't send any further messages.

Create an SMS-specific Terms & Conditions page

The mobile carriers also crave that you lot make a specific gear up of SMS Terms and Conditions available to your customers. The following terms and weather condition comply with the carriers' requirements. Y'all tin can copy these terms and modify them to fit your use instance:

When yous opt in to the service, we will transport you lot {clarification of the letters that you programme to transport}.
You can cancel the SMS service at any time by texting "Finish" to {brusk code}. When you send the SMS message "Terminate" to us, we reply with an SMS message that confirms that you lot accept been unsubscribed. Subsequently this, you lot won't receive SMS whatsoever additional letters from us. If you want to bring together once again, sign up as yous did the offset time and we will beginning sending SMS messages to you once again.
You tin can get more information at whatsoever fourth dimension past texting "HELP" to {short code}. When y'all transport the SMS message "HELP" to us, we respond with instructions on how to utilize our service and how to unsubscribe.
We are able to deliver messages to the post-obit mobile phone carriers: Major carriers: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, U.s.a. Cellular, Alltel, Boost Mobile, Nextel, and Virgin Mobile. Small-scale carriers: Alaska Communications Systems (ACS), Appalachian Wireless (EKN), Bluegrass Cellular, Cellular One of E Cardinal IL (ECIT), Cellular I of Northeast Pennsylvania, Cincinnati Bong Wireless, Cricket, Coral Wireless (Mobi PCS), COX, Cantankerous, Element Mobile (Flat Wireless), Ballsy Touch (Elkhart Telephone), GCI, Gold Country, Hawkeye (Conversation Mobility), Hawkeye (NW Missouri), Illinois Valley Cellular, Inland Cellular, iWireless (Iowa Wireless), Keystone Wireless (Immix Wireless/PC Homo), Mosaic (Consolidated or CTC Telecom), Nex-Tech Wireless, NTelos, Panhandle Communications, Pioneer, Plateau (Texas RSA iii Ltd), Revol, RINA, Simmetry (TMP Corporation), Thumb Cellular, Union Wireless, United Wireless, Viaero Wireless, and Westward Central (WCC or 5 Star Wireless). Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to y'all from us and to us from you. You will receive {bulletin frequency} letters per {time period}. Contact your wireless provider for more information virtually your text plan or data plan. If y'all have questions nigh the services provided by this short code, email us at {back up email address}.
If you have whatsoever questions regarding privacy, read our privacy policy at {link to privacy policy}

If y'all copy the preceding text, be sure to replace all of the items in {curly braces} with the appropriate values for your use case. Your Legal department might also want to review these Terms before y'all publish them, so plan accordingly.

Important: If you don't provide your customers with a copy of these terms, the carriers won't approve your curt code application.

One time these terms have been reviewed, plan to host them in a publicly attainable location. A URL that links to these terms is a required part of every short code application. If this URL isn't live when you submit your short code request, determine what the URL will be, and include a copy of the Terms & Atmospheric condition in a file that you include with your asking.

Create your message templates

Your brusk code application must include all of the bulletin templates that you lot plan to utilise. If you take multiple templates, include all of them. If your messages will include variables, it's fine to use either placeholder values or variables. For example, both of the post-obit are adequate: "Hello John. Your quondam countersign is 654321" and "Hello <offset name>. Your sometime password is <OTP code>."

It's OK to make minor edits (such as correcting typos or clarifying text) to these bulletin templates afterwards you receive your curt code. However, if you make substantial changes to these templates after you receive the short lawmaking, you should submit your updated message templates to the carriers. Short codes are periodically audited, and deviating from the utilise case in your application could lead to your brusk code being suspended. Substantial changes could include the following:

Changes to the brand name that appears on your messages (for example, if your visitor rebrands under a new proper noun, or is acquired by another visitor).
Changes to the use case (for example, if your application specified a one-fourth dimension password use example, but you start sending account notifications through the same short code). This type of change might crave you to re-collect consent from your customers before yous start sending the new type of messages.

In these situations, you should open up a case with AWS Support. We will work with the carriers to have your brusk lawmaking registration information updated.

What happens if I don't complete these steps?

Customers sometimes inquire me what would happen if they didn't implement all of the requirements that I mentioned in the preceding sections. If your application for a new short code doesn't encounter these requirements, the answer is simple: the carriers volition reject your request for a short code. These carrier-imposed requirements are non optional.

If y'all submit an application that meets all of the carrier requirements, merely your real-world production apply case doesn't come across those requirements, there could also exist consequences. The carriers periodically perform audits of short codes to ensure that they are being used in a compliant manner. If they observe that your opt-in process differs profoundly from what you showed in your curt code application, they could pause your brusque code'south ability to send messages on their networks. When this happens, the carriers typically provide some time to remedy the consequence. The CTIA Short Code Monitoring Handbook describes the components that are reviewed during these audits, and lists the consequences for violations that are uncovered during the audit process.

Wrapping upwards

In this mail, we looked at the items that the US mobile carriers require you to have in place earlier you lot request a short lawmaking. These requirements were implemented past the carriers to protect their customers. As a effect, these requirements are strict.

If your employ example requires you to use a short code, I recommend that you kickoff thinking near these requirements equally presently as possible. These requirements might mean that you have to alter your planned designs and workflows. Meeting these requirements can shorten the amount of fourth dimension that'due south required in order to obtain a brusk code.

In function 2 of this series, we'll look at the process of actually requesting the brusk code. That postal service volition look at the application process, and the process of working with AWS Back up to runway the status of your short code request.