“Here comes a trailer truck out on the open highway, miles from the nearest town,” says the narrator of the short film above. Suddenly, it becomes “important for someone to get in touch with the drivers of this outfit. How can it be done?” Any modern-day viewer would respond to this question in the same way: you just call the guys. But Mobile Telephones dates from the nineteen-forties, well before the eponymous devices were in wide use — about four decades, in fact, before even the massive Motorola DynaTAC 8000X came on the market. The idea of calling someone not at home or the office, let alone a trucker on the road, would have seemed the stuff of science fiction.

Yet the engineers at Bell had made it possible, using a system that transmits conversations “partway by radio, partway by telephone lines.” This necessitated “a number of transmitting and receiving stations connected to telephone lines,” installed “at intervals along the highway so that one will always be in range of the moving vehicle.”
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Continue reading.

In 2021, mobile carriers imposed new restrictions on business SMS traffic sent from text-enabled phone numbers, known as “10DLC,” in line with industry requirements set out in the CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices.

The mobile carriers have extended these restrictions to all business SMS, including conversational texting. All customers using SMS must now self-register with The Campaign Registry (TCR) or their SMS traffic will be blocked by the mobile carriers.

To simplify this process, RingCentral will be adding the ability to self-register inside of the admin portal. We expect this feature to be available February 10, 2023 at which time we highly recommend you register. Please note carriers and TCR impose registration and other fees. Read more about these fees here.

After March 31, 2023, SMS will be automatically disabled for all existing numbers that have not been registered. If you have already registered via the manual PDF form process, your registration will automatically be added to the admin portal for you to manage moving forward. You can learn more about these changes here.

RingCentral is making every effort to support our customers using SMS, as we react to constantly changing requirements from the mobile carriers over which we have no control. If you have any questions, please reach out to your representative and we are happy to help. We appreciate your understanding of this required registration process by the carriers. 

What is a brand ID?
A brand ID is a collection of information to identify the business sending an SMS. A brand identifies the company or entity the end-user believes to be sending a message. For example, if an HVAC company, Acme HVAC, sends SMS maintenance reminders to its end customers using RingCentral, the brand would be identified as Acme HVAC.

What is a campaign ID?
A campaign denotes your phone numbers and how you’ll use them for SMS. A company will typically have only one brand ID but may have several campaign IDs, depending on its SMS usage. For example, if the medical facility Acme Healthcare wants to send appointment reminders to its end customers via SMS, the campaign ID for that usage would be “appointment reminders.”

How much does registration cost?
Registration costs vary depending on business classification and SMS usage. Costs include one-time registration fees and monthly registration fees. RingCentral is currently covering standard registration costs for our customers until February 10, 2023, at which time any new registration fees will be the customers' responsibility. Customers who register prior to February 10th will continue to have their TCR costs covered by RingCentral until April 3, 2023, at which time the recurring monthly maintenance fees charged by TCR will be added to their bill (customers should expect a new charge typically between $1.50 and $10/mo). Please note that certain cases may require additional information and incur costs that RingCentral will not pay. We will notify you before charging any registration fees.

Can I opt out of registration?
If you want to opt out of registering with TCR, you may do so, but you will be unable to use SMS messaging on RingCentral’s network.

RingCentral can’t allow unregistered message traffic across our network. You can, however, port SMS capabilities to another provider, allowing you to utilize RingCentral for message, video, and phone while using a third-party provider for your SMS messages.

To opt out, contact RingCentral support and ask for SMS capabilities to be disabled on your account.

How does CTIA relate to the FCC?
The FCC adopts what CTIA sets as regulations as valid policies. CTIA publishes Best Practices and Principles for Messaging every quarter.

Is opt in/out/help required for non-marketing messages?
Yes, US carriers require these options for any kind of message. This includes two-way conversational messages, marketing, informational-only messages, customer care, etc.

Can I get business SMS messaging without an EIN/Tax ID?
No, at this time US carriers only allow business messaging from companies registered with the applicable federal agency (e.g. IRS in the United States). For businesses outside of the US and Canada, additional proof of registration may be required.

Do I need to list all my phone numbers on the TCR form?
No, the form only requires your main business and support numbers. RingCentral will move all of your existing numbers under your new TCR brand ID and SMS campaign. Please note that when adding additional numbers, you may need to submit a support request to have these numbers registered under your TCR campaign. This will be a temporary step as beginning early next year, you will be able to manage campaign assignments through the Admin Portal.

How do I get updates about my TCR registration?
RingCentral’s TCR registration service level agreement (SLA) allots 10 business days for completion. You can contact Support for an update.

What is vetting?
Along with registration, some companies will be required to undergo additional vetting to determine business trustworthiness. This will apply to specific industries or use cases, as well as companies that need to send more than 2,000 SMS/mo. Once vetted, a trust score is assigned to your company that impacts deliverability - the higher your trust score the greater the deliverability of your messages will be. RingCentral uses a third-party TCR-approved vendor to manage the vetting process. Please note there is a $40 charge for this vetting service that may be assessed to you by RingCentral. You can request vetting by opening a case.

Do I need to register every time I add a new number?
No, we only require one registration per business. However, new numbers may not automatically be assigned to your existing campaign. We recommend contacting support to ensure new numbers are properly assigned until our self-service solution in the Admin Portal is released in early 2023.

How can I expedite my TCR registration?
RingCentral handles hundreds of submissions every day. We do our best to complete TCR registration as quickly as possible, typically within ten business days. To help us, please ensure you correctly fill out the form as outlined above. Rejections due to an incorrect submission start the process all over again.

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will put down 3G for good this year. Even if you don’t have a 3G phone anymore (and chances are you don’t), the technology most certainly changed your life 

The history of the world is divided into two eras:
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B3G (Before 3G): During this time, cellphones were primarily used for talking and texting. Sure, you could load a website but you could also snowshoe from New York to Alaska in the same amount of time.

CBE (Cellular Broadband Era): Once the heavens opened and the cell towers ushered in 3G, we got it all: speedy mobile web browsing, apps that let you summon a car (or burrito) to your door and an endless stream of selfies. And it only got faster as time went on.

Starting next month, the third-generation wireless networks that served as a rocket booster for the smartphone will be turned off forever.

Remember how technology was supposed to make our lives easier? Jet packs, flying cars and a sweet little robot to bring us our coffee--ahh, memories of a future that hasn't happened, yet!

Anyone working from home right now is realizing the power of technology, and its severe limitations.

We've compiled some tips to ease your day-to-day relationship with your cell phone, specifically the phone being used for business purposes.

• Simplify your Purpose:

List the top purpose for your phone, and include a list of things your phone is NOT intended for (distractions on social media, checking the stock market, Identifying your cellphone's purpose will allow you to load it with necessary apps, and give yourself and others the right expectations.

• Simplify your Boundaries:

If you have a phone for personal use, and a separate phone for business, it can be fairly easy to establish boundaries. But if you have one phone for all your communications, it may be next to impossible to set boundaries with your Mom (who calls repeatedly during meetings), or your Favorite Client (who texts big, urgent ideas on the weekends).

• Take advantage of Unique Tools:

Take advantage of the unique tools your phone offers that your computer and other devices don't do as well. Voice technology and quick photos are easiest from your cellphone.