Author: Noah Rafalko • Updated: 2025-08-25
The Campaign Registry (TCR) is a centralized platform where businesses must register A2P SMS campaigns before sending via 10DLC routes. Its role is to authenticate senders, categorize message types, and enable carrier vetting and auditing. While it doesn’t filter spam, it brings much-needed transparency.
Before TCR, sending A2P SMS was chaotic. TCR established one registration path, standardized throughput policies, and enabled shared accountability—drastically improving the system’s reliability.
With KYC and KYCC requirements, intent disclosure, and near real-time enforcement, TCR improves platform integrity and helps block bad actors using grey routes.
TCR doesn’t stop spam directly—it makes campaigns auditable. Challenges include enforcement gaps, SMB overhead, and education needs. Still, like milk pasteurization, it sets a safety baseline.
"I always called it milk, like going to get fresh milk... And now everybody’s yelling at the TCR. It may not do what everybody thinks it can do, but it put those carriers in the same playbook."
"With the short code registry, that was unified. All the carriers used it and it worked... So you wonder why Twilios and all these people beat up the telcos? Because they did telco better than telcos."
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