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A2P 10DLC & SMS Overage FAQ's
Emily McClendon avatar
Written by Emily McClendon
Updated over a month ago

1. What are the recent updates on A2P 10DLC and SMS messaging fees?

Introduction of A2P 10DLC fees and enforcement of SMS overage fees due to industry-wide changes.

2. What are the updated fee details from November 2023?

  • A2P Recurring Monthly Campaign Fee: $10 per location.

  • SMS Overage Cost: $0.01 per message after 5,000 messages per location

3. How are fees managed for established customers until October 2023?

Fees were absorbed for established customers until October 2023 to facilitate a smooth transition.

4. What is the best way to use SMS text to optimize expenses?

Keep messages under 160 characters to avoid additional charges. Ensure clarity and brevity in content.

5. How many characters should an SMS message contain?

Limit to under 160 characters, including all letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces. For example, a 161-character message will be sent as two messages, one with 153 characters and the second with 8 characters.

6. How much content should be in each SMS segment per message?

Each SMS segment should ideally contain no more than 153 characters to prevent splitting into multiple segments.

7. Can you include links in an SMS?

Yes, but links can consume a significant portion of the 160-character limit, possibly resulting in your message being split into two segments.

8. Do test text messages count toward limits?

Yes, test messages count toward your SMS limits.

9. How can I avoid overages in SMS usage?

Monitor the number of characters in your SMS. Unintentionally sending more than one segment can lead to overages.

10. How many characters does an emoji use in SMS?

Emojis vary in character count and can risk exceeding the limit, causing the message to be split.

11. What is an SMS segment?

An SMS segment is a batch of characters used by phone carriers to measure text messages, limited to 160 7-bit characters.

12. What is the SMS Segment breakdown?

A single SMS segment is limited to 160 characters. Messages exceeding this are segmented into batches of 153 characters.

13. Why is testing SMS messages important?

Testing helps avoid going over limits, which may result in additional charges.

How can I learn more?

For more detailed information, please consult:

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