RingCentral Guide: How to enable SMS and set up TCR Registration

Business SMS traffic is on the rise, resulting in an increase in scammers sending fraudulent messages. To ensure you are able to continue sending messages, you’ll need to register your business through RingCentral with The Campaign Registry (TCR), a third-party organization. This process verifies you’re a legitimate SMS/MMS messages source. To register, we require you to use the registration form we've provided on our website.

Failure to register will result in SMS being disabled for your account, or any non-registered numbers. To make registration easier, RingCentral will allow self-registration through the admin portal starting February 10, 2023. All RingCentral customers are required to register by March 31, 2023.

Does this apply to me?

As of January 6, 2022, the following carriers require TCR registration:

AT&T 
T-Mobile 
Verizon 
ClearSky 
Interop 
US Cellular 

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Restrictions on business SMS traffic

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. 

Registration Guide

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.

Need help?
We are happy to simplify this process and ensure your SMS communications are not interrupted. 

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