DEDICATED SHORT/LONG CODES
Choosing a Mobile Messaging Partner
Choosing an SMS platform is a high-stakes decision. You are not picking a software tool. You are picking the company that will represent your brand in your customers' pockets, on the most personal screen they own.
💰 Price matters. Features matter. Reputation matters. Deliverability and compliance matter more, because carriers actively filter, throttle, and block programs that cut corners or skip registration. The CTIA's messaging best practices define the standard for consent, content, and opt-out handling across the entire ecosystem.
🚫 The first trap to avoid
Treating SMS as an afterthought. That mindset leads to sloppy execution, and carriers punish sloppy execution. In 2026, the path of least resistance is usually the fastest route to getting filtered.
If a vendor tells you they can "blast" marketing messages from a standard 10-digit number with no registration, walk away. US carriers have moved all business messaging to sanctioned routes: 10DLC, verified toll-free, and short codes. Anything outside those lanes is gambling with your brand's deliverability.
The three number types that actually matter:
10DLC (10-digit long code)
A local 10-digit number used for A2P (application-to-person) business messaging in the US. Every 10DLC sender must register their brand and messaging campaigns through The Campaign Registry (TCR), which gives carriers visibility into who is sending and why.
10DLC works well for ongoing marketing and loyalty programs, two-way conversations that mix sales and service, and brands that want local-number presence without short code costs. It can perform very well, but only when your vendor handles registration correctly and stays on top of compliance. That "only when" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
Dedicated Short Code (5 or 6 digits)
A short code is a 5- or 6-digit number built for high-volume, high-trust messaging. Short codes are provisioned through the US Short Code Registry under the CSCA framework and carry strong carrier trust because they go through a rigorous approval process.
Short codes are the right call for high-volume promotions where you cannot afford filtering, time-sensitive campaigns that need to reach everyone fast, and list-growth programs where a memorable number matters.
Leasing typically runs $500/month for a random number or $1,000/month for a select or vanity number, with additional setup and aggregator costs depending on your provider. Approval can take several weeks because carriers review each program closely.
SMS was developed in 1984 by inventors Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert as part of their work on the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard for telephone communication.
Toll-Free (Verified) 8XX
A toll-free number that supports SMS and MMS, with solid throughput and national consistency. Deliverability improves significantly once the number is verified.
This works well for customer care, appointment reminders, confirmations, and operations teams that want one number for both voice and text.
One important update: as of January 1, 2026, all new toll-free verifications require additional business identity information, including your Business Registration Number (such as a US EIN), your entity type, and your country of registration. Previously verified numbers are not affected. If you plan to register a new toll-free number, have that documentation ready or your submission will be rejected.
How to vet an SMS vendor
Not every platform is built the same way underneath. Some use direct connections to carrier-approved upstream aggregators. Others don't, and some won't tell you which category they fall into. That matters because throughput, deliverability, and compliance all depend on how traffic actually moves from your platform to the carrier.
🔏 Before you sign anything, get clear answers to these questions:
On registration and compliance:
Do you handle TCR brand and campaign registration for 10DLC, or is that on me? How do you manage toll-free verification submissions and updates? How do you enforce CTIA opt-in and opt-out standards within your platform?
On deliverability:
What happens when a carrier starts filtering my traffic? What monitoring do you have in place, and what does your remediation process look like? Can you provide message-level delivery reporting I can actually act on?
On throughput and infrastructure:
Do you use a carrier-approved upstream aggregator for message delivery? Which one? If a vendor cannot or will not answer that last question directly, treat it as a red flag. Platforms that bypass approved aggregators often can't guarantee throughput, have less leverage when filtering occurs, and leave you with fewer options when something goes wrong.
On program design:
How do you handle opt-in language, keyword flows, HELP/STOP responses, and message frequency disclosures? How do you make sure my message content and use case align with what carriers allow?
Matching the channel to your use case
If you need to reach a large list fast with no tolerance for filtering, a short code is your safest option. If you need two-way conversations that combine sales and service at meaningful scale, 10DLC usually wins. If you need one national number that handles both operations and marketing, verified toll-free can be the right fit.
The channel matters. The vendor running it matters just as much.
7 Media Group Provides the Solution You Need
Dedicated Short Code
With a dedicated short code no other business in the world will have this number besides your group. The cost is below and is my actual hard cost with no mark up whatsoever.
One-time carrier set-up cost of $2000.
Monthly short code lease: $1000.
Monthly maintenance of short code: $250.
10 Digit Phone Number (Long Code)
We've been handling 10 digit long codes (10 DLCs) for well over a year now. We have a number of clients with them already in use. We can provision a toll-free number or we can provision your existing dealership phone number if you so choose.
We acquire a Toll-Free number for you:
$20 upfront / $5 month
OR We text enable your existing number:
$55 upfront / $15 month