A2P 10DLC Consent and Phone Validation Checklist

Consent and Recipient Quality Are Separate Controls

Consent proves the person agreed to receive a specific type of message from a specific sender. Phone validation proves the number is reachable, normalized, and eligible for the channel. One does not replace the other. A consented landline still cannot receive an SMS. A valid mobile number still needs a consent record before marketing outreach.

The safest operating model puts both controls in the same workflow. When a number enters your business, save the consent context and validate the phone number. Before a campaign launches, revalidate the list, remove invalid and non-mobile records, and export a clean segment plus a suppression file.

This is not legal advice. It is the operational checklist marketing, compliance, and engineering teams can use so campaign review and send readiness do not depend on scattered screenshots and stale CRM fields.

The 2026 A2P Readiness Checklist

Build the Workflow Before Campaign Submission

SMS Suppression Rules for Validated Lists

A clean list is not just a list with duplicates removed. For SMS, a clean list means every recipient has consent metadata and a current phone validation decision. The suppression file matters because it prevents bad rows from returning through the next CRM import or paid-lead sync.

API Example: Pre-Send Eligibility Guardrail

The send decision should check both consent metadata and phone eligibility. If either side is missing, route to review instead of pushing the recipient into the campaign.

type SmsRecipient = {
  consentSource: string;
  consentTextVersion: string;
  phone: string;
  policyVersion: string;
};

type SmsEligibility = 'send' | 'fallback' | 'review' | 'suppress';

async function checkSmsEligibility(recipient: SmsRecipient): Promise<SmsEligibility> {
  if (!recipient.consentSource || !recipient.consentTextVersion) {
    return 'review';
  }

  const url = new URL('https://api.phone-check.app/v1-get-phone-details');
  url.searchParams.set('phone', recipient.phone);

  const response = await fetch(url, {
    headers: {
      accept: 'application/json',
      'x-api-key': process.env.PHONE_CHECK_API_KEY ?? '',
    },
  });

  if (!response.ok) {
    return 'review';
  }

  const phone = (await response.json()) as {
    isDisposable?: boolean;
    type?: string;
    valid?: boolean;
  };

  if (!phone.valid || phone.isDisposable) {
    return 'suppress';
  }

  if (phone.type === 'MOBILE') {
    return 'send';
  }

  if (phone.type === 'LANDLINE' || phone.type === 'TOLL_FREE') {
    return 'fallback';
  }

  return 'review';
}

Where Bulk Validation Fits

Real-time checks are best at capture: lead form, checkout, signup, demo request, or account creation. Bulk validation is best before campaign launch. Upload CRM exports, stale segments, partner lists, or multiple CSV files, then download a clean mobile audience and a suppression file.

That workflow supports the exact filtering sequence SMS teams need: validate, detect line type, check carrier, identify timezone, filter out invalid and risky records, then remove those records from the send file. It protects spend, improves delivery reporting, and keeps A2P operations aligned with the campaign purpose.

FAQ

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