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How to Submit Your Carrier Registration with MessageDesk

Carrier registration is built into MessageDesk’s phone setup flow. When you configure phone lines, you’ll provide your business details, choose how you want to connect numbers, and submit registration—all in one place.

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What You’ll Need to Complete Carrier Registration (Quick Checklist)

• Valid payment method
• Legal business name (exactly as filed, incl. LLC/Inc)
• EIN (you can provide your EIN via email; tax documents are only required if manual verification is needed) and business address (or sole-prop info if no EIN)
• Website or public listing (Facebook, Yelp, etc.)
• Use-case description (what you’ll send)
• Three sample SMS messages (include “Reply STOP to opt out” in at least one)
• Consent method (web form checkbox, written/verbal, keyword)

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How to Begin Carrier Registration in MessageDesk

You can begin the carrier registration process in several ways when logged in to MessageDesk:

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1. Start from the Inbox Welcome Screen

Click “Add number” or “Get Registered” in the bottom left corner of the inbox.

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2. (Alternative) click on Account -> Settings

Navigate toPhone Management → click “Add Phone Number” to begin .

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3. Select your phone number type

You have several options for connecting phone numbers to MessageDesk. The type of phone number you choose to connect dictates your carrier registration pathway and timeline. Option 1. Twilio If you’re connecting a Twilio phone number to MessageDesk, then we automatically assume you’ve completed a carrier registration through Twilio’s platform. _In this case, you DO NOT need to complete a second carrier registration through MessageDesk. _ Twilio will handle all of the delivery and administration of your text messaging. MessageDesk will only act as the front-end inbox interface that you and your team will use to send and receive Twilio messages. If you have not yet completed carrier registration through Twilio, you may consider hosting an existing number or purchasing a text-only line through MessageDesk and completing a carrier registration through us. Option 2. Host existing phone number (landline, VoIP, or business line) Select “host existing phone number” if you’d like to bring your existing business landline numbers and VoIP-connected lines or toll-free phone numbers to MessageDesk. MessageDesk works with all business landlines and VoIP providers. Option 3. Purchase a “text-only” phone number from MessageDesk You’re also free to purchase “text-only” phone numbers through MessageDesk. We support all North American area codes.

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3. Start your 30-day free trial

Select a monthly or yearly MessageDesk plan. This is required to begin carrier registration and to start your 30-day free trial.

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4. Enter your payment details

MessageDesk will then redirect you to a standalone secure payment portal where you can enter your payment details. You’ll automatically get redirected back to MessageDesk once you successfully select your plan, add a payment method, and create your subscription.

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5. Complete the Carrier Registration Questionnaire

Option 1. Return to the inbox and click “Add Number” to continue with the carrier registration process. From the welcome page, select your number type. Choosing Host existing phone number or Purchase Phone Number will redirect you to the Carrier Registration Questionnaire. Option 2. You can also visit this link to complete your Carrier Registration Questionnaire directly: https://messagedesk.typeform.com/to/bBBLwZXX.

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Part 0: Have You Previously Completed Carrier Registration with MessageDesk?

Answer Yes: if you’ve already completed a carrier registration through MessageDesk, AND you’re connecting additional phone lines to your account. Answer No: if you have NOT already completed a carrier registration through MessageDesk. Answer Not sure: if you’re not sure what your carrier registration status is.

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Part 1 of 3: Enter Your Business or Organization Information

The first step in the carrier registration process helps us understand who you are and what your organization is all about.

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Enter your contact information

Enter your first name, last name, mobile phone number, and email address.

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Enter your website URL and business/organization name

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Select your industry or vertical

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Upload your IRS Form W-9 or CRA doc with BN number

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Part 2 of 3: SMS Opt-in & Privacy Policy Check

The second part of the carrier registration process helps us establish your current SMS opt-in policies, methods, and documentation in your privacy policy.

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Question 1: Does your website have a privacy policy?

A privacy policy is a document (usually published in a website’s footer) that explains, among many things, how your organization collects and uses data and information. How you collect and use contact information is especially important for carrier registration. Here’s an example privacy policy from the MessageDesk website: https://www.messagedesk.com/privacy Select Yes, if your organization publishes a privacy policy. Select No, if your organization does not publish a privacy policy or if you’re not sure. Once you select yes, please provide the URL of your published privacy policy.

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Question 2: Do you use forms on your website to collect phone numbers and other details from contacts?

How you collect contact information and data is equally important to how you use it. Select Yes, if your website has publicly accessible web forms that collect contact information, including phone numbers. Select No, if your website does not publish web forms that collect contact information, or if you collect contact information in other ways, like paper forms, by phone, etc. Once you select yes, please provide website URL(s) for all forms that collect a phone number. Example: “contact us page”. If you don’t use forms to collect contact info on your website, please enter “n/a”.

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Part 3 of 3: How You Use SMS Text Messaging

This section of the carrier registration form helps us establish your messaging volume, the types of messages you intend to send/receive, and your overall messaging use case.

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Question 1: How many text messages will you send per month?

Example: You text your contacts twice each month and have 10,000 contacts. That would be around 20,000 monthly text messages.

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Question 2: Who will your organization be texting?

Selecting the types of people you will receive/send messages to helps us establish your messaging use case with the carriers.

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Question 3: How do you intend to use SMS in your organization?

Selecting how you intend to use text messaging (i.e., the purpose of your messages) helps us further establish your messaging use case with the carriers.

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Question 4: (1 of 3) Please provide an example of a text message you send.

Carriers require us to submit examples of the types of messages you intend to send. They ask this to help verify your messaging use case and intent.

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Question 5: Will you ever include a URL or link to a webpage in the body of your text messages?

This question is important because it affects how we register your campaign with carriers. If you do send links in your text messages, but you DO NOT mark yes, then your messages may fail to deliver.

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Question 6: Will you ever send a phone number in the body of your text messages?

This question is also important because it affects how we register your campaign with carriers. If you do include phone numbers in your text messages, but you DO NOT mark yes, then your messages may fail to deliver.

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Carrier Registration Phone Number Options

For all A2P 10DLC carrier registrations, you have two phone number options:

1. Purchase a new text-only phone number from MessageDesk.
2. Host an existing landline, VoIP, or non-mobile business phone line.

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Purchase a new phone number

MessageDesk makes it easy to purchase text-only 10-digit North American phone numbers (with any area code of your choosing). To purchase a new number, let us know:

1. How many phone numbers you’d like to purchase.
2. Your preferred area code(s) for these numbers.
3. The closest city/town related to these area codes (sometimes this matters for larger urban areas).

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Host an existing phone number

MessageDesk makes it possible to:

1. Text-enable existing business landlines or VoIP numbers.
2. Text-enable existing phone numbers already tied to a business texting provider.

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Enter all phone numbers you’d like to connect to MessageDesk

Separate multiple entries with a comma and space or add a line break
Example: (555)123-4567, (552)987-6543).

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After You Submit Your Carrier Registration

• Status updates: Our team will contact you directly within 24-48 hours once you submit your registration request.
• Connect with Support: Questions? Email [email protected]
  or text (775) 313-9465 for faster response.
• Estimated completion time:
  • Normal business/organization registration with an EIN: ~1–3 business days (sometimes within 24 hours)
  • Sole proprietorships without an EIN: ~7-10 business days
  • Toll-Free carrier registrations: ~1–2 weeks
• Sending while pending: Until you complete carrier registration and configure your phone numbers, you are unable to send or receive text messages.

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Tips to Speed Approval

• Make sure your website shows the same legal name and address you submit.
• Include opt-out language (“Reply STOP…”) in at least one sample message.
• Describe exactly what you plan to send (e.g., “appointment reminders and service updates”).
• For toll-free, submit one form per number to verify each line.

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Frequently Asked Carrier Registration Questionnaire Questions

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If You’re Rejected

• Our Team will let you know, and we’ll help resubmit on your behalf. We’re here to help you fix it once and get approved.