Short Code
Short codes buy maximum throughput and deliverability for a premium monthly lease. They skip TCR registration but face strict CTIA program audits and identical TCPA consent duties.
Short codes are the heavy machinery of SMS: 5-6 digit numbers (like 55555) leased through the Common Short Code Administration, supporting throughput in the hundreds of messages per second.
They bypass 10DLC registration entirely — but not compliance. Short code programs are audited against the CTIA Short Code Monitoring Handbook, which enforces the same disclosure, opt-in, and STOP-handling standards, often more aggressively than 10DLC review.
The economics only work at scale: expect $500/month (shared with no one — shared short codes were banned), plus provider fees and a 4-12 week brand approval process. Most businesses under several hundred thousand messages per month are better served by vetted 10DLC.
Frequently asked questions
Related glossary terms
10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is the US carrier-mandated framework for sending Application-to-Person SMS from local 10-digit numbers, requiring brand and campaign registration with The Campaign Registry.
A long code is a standard 10-digit phone number. Businesses may only send A2P SMS from long codes after 10DLC registration; unregistered long-code traffic is filtered by US carriers.
SMS throughput is the rate (messages per second) at which carriers accept a sender's traffic. Under 10DLC it is determined by brand trust score; short codes offer the highest fixed throughput.