Long code
What is Long code?
A long code is a standard 10-digit phone number — the same format used for regular voice calls — that can also send and receive SMS and MMS. In the US and Canada, application-to-person traffic from a long code falls under the A2P 10DLC program and must be registered with a brand and campaign before carriers allow it through at full throughput; unlike a short code, a long code can also make and receive phone calls.
More detail
Long codes are the everyday phone-number format most businesses already use for voice, which makes them convenient for two-way texting but subject to lower per-number throughput than a short code.
An unregistered long code sending A2P traffic in the US or Canada is typically filtered or blocked outright once carriers detect the pattern, which is why 10DLC registration precedes any production send.
Frequently asked
- Can a long code be used for voice calls too?
- Yes — a long code is a standard 10-digit number in the same format as any regular phone number, so the same number can carry both SMS/MMS and voice calls, unlike a dedicated short code.
- Do all long codes need 10DLC registration?
- Any long code sending application-to-person SMS or MMS traffic in the US or Canada needs a registered brand and campaign under A2P 10DLC; person-to-person texting between individuals is not subject to the program.
See also
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