United States
Here, you can compare the various features of each number type and determine which number is the best fit for your use case.
Short Code | Toll-Free Number | 10DLC - FAQ | |
How to order | via Dashboard | via Dashboard | via Dashboard |
Type of Number | Five/Six digit Short Code | Toll-Free Number | Geographical Number |
Example | 12345 | 18885555555 | 13458674329 |
SMS enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Voice-enabled | No | Yes | Yes |
MMS enabled | No | Yes | Yes |
2-Way Possible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Suggested Use Cases | High volumes, Marketing, 2FA, Alerts | Low - Medium volumes, 2FA, Non-Marketing & Marketing, Customer Service, Alert Notifications | Low - Medium volumes, All Use Cases |
Mixed Use Cases | Yes | Yes | Not advised |
Unicode | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Concatenated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Service Restrictions | Content pre-approved by CTIA. Content must follow CTIA Guidelines* and local regulations | Content pre-approved via Use Case Verification form. Content must follow CTIA Guidelines* and local regulations | Content must follow CTIA Guidelines* and local regulations |
Daily Send Limit | N/A | N/A | Yes see 10dlc page. by operators on case by case basis after 10DLC registration |
Throughput Limit |
|
| Yes see 10dlc page. by operators on case by case basis after 10DLC registration |
Pass-through fee** | Yes, depending on the recipient's operators | Yes, depending on the recipient's operators | Yes, depending on the use case and recipient's operators |
Inbound Charge | No | Yes | No. Only carrier pass-through fees |
Setup Time | 8-12 weeks | 1 business day Use case verification can take up to 1 week | 3-5 days |
Minimum Subscription Period | 3 months | 1 month | 3 months |
*Find here the current CTIA Guidelines **Passthrough fees are determined by the operators and are subject to change. This is out of MessageBird's control.
Additional Carrier Pass-through Fees
There are additional Carrier Pass-through fees per message on top of MessageBird message rates. These are determined by the operators and are subject to change. *Note: These additional costs will be added to current MessageBird message rates. Message charges will continue to be: Base MessageBird message rate + Surcharge to destination carrier = Total message cost.
Find the current US Carrier Fees here.
Throttling & buffering
The traffic towards the USA and Canada may need to be throttled if you exceed the sending rate your number allows. Bird will buffer any message (SMS or MMS) above the applicable limits at no extra cost and send it only when possible. We will try our best to prevent your message from failing.
T-Mobile daily cap is currently excluded from buffering, all messages exceeding the cap will fail (see here)
Because throughput limits vary according to number type, carrier, and type of number, the bird throttling mechanism should be considered a best-effort feature; we advise our clients to enforce their own limiting. If a message were to fail to be buffered by bird it will fail at a carrier level and would be charged; that message will be recognizable with source
sms-messagebirdand code107: EC_CAMPAIGN_THROUGHPUT_EXCEEDED
OPT-IN and OPT-OUT Compliance
MessageBird will monitor standard OPT-IN and OPT-OUT keywords (see list below) to ensure compliance with the applicable regulations. If an opt-out request is received, MessageBird will process it and block future communications between the Sender and the Recipient (opted-out number) until this same Recipient (the end-user) OPT-IN again by sending the appropriate keyword. Personalized opt-out acknowledgment, non-standard opt-out words - for example, in different languages - as well opted-out number tracking can be set up by customers using Flow Builder or, if you use Contacts, activating the Automatic SMS Subscriptions (Opt-in/Opt-out).
Standard OPT-OUT keywords used by MessageBird are (all case insensitive)
stop *
* No personalized opt-out confirmation is allowed for Toll-Free Numbers. For those keywords, the carriers will send a standard opt-out message as acknowledgment and block traffic immediately. This restriction does not apply to Long codes and Shortcodes.
Standard OPT-IN keywords used by MessageBird are (all case insensitive) are
unstop
start
yes
Support to HELP keyword for Opted-Out end-users
Each MessageBird customer must support the HELP keyword and send required HELP messages to end-users. HELP requests should be supported at all times, even when it is requested by opted-out end-users. To prevent abuse and unsolicited content delivery, Messagebird will allow only pre-approved HELP templates to be sent to OPTED-OUT end-users. Customized messages remain available for OPTED-IN end-users. To avoid blocking, please ensure your HELP answer to OPTED-OUT end-users matches the following template:
Manage your preferences. Reply STOP to opt-out or START to opt-in. Msg&Data rates may apply.
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