Common Short Code (CSC)

Short Code at CellTrust

Any mobile program and specifically SMS must be run over a short code. The process to register and activate a short code with carriers is complex and time consuming. For that reason, CellTrust provides this service as part of its SMS Gateway offer to lease, provision and activate short codes with all carriers in North America and Europe.

Week 1Week 2 & 3Week 4Week 5Week 6
Submission to carriers

Registration of short code with CSCA		 Review and approval by carriers In provisioning with carriers Activation of short code for testing

Testing by carriers		 Production launch


What is Short Code?

CSCs are five-digit numbers that can receive Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages, just like normal 10-digit numbers. But they are far more user-friendly, easier to remember, and compatible across all participating carriers, i.e. customers of Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless can send text messages to the same short code. Long popular in Europe, CSCs — short strings of numbers to which text messages can be addressed — allow wireless subscribers to access applications on all participating wireless carriers' networks and give content providers access to 150 million SMS subscribers. The possibilities are endless: voting and polling, contests, surveys, direct marketing, chat, games,etc., can all benefit from CSCs. Each short code requires registration with all national carriers if you are planning to run a national program. This enables all users, independent of thier respective carrier, to send a message to the same number or receive a message on thier handset. To avoid many of the pitfals of the internet (spam and unsolicited messages), the registration requirements of a mobile initiative and the short code to support it are strictly regulated. In the USA, each short code should be approved by CSCA. In Canada CWTA is responsible. The Mobile Marketing Association is a mobile industry association currently at the forefront of reviewing rules and regulations with carriers and application providers.

What is Dedicated Short Code?

A short code can be registered to be dedicated to only one program, a popular example is American Idol. In this case, the number of parameters that recipients enter is one or two. The recipient types the name of thier favorite singer and sends it to the short code. With shared short codes,'Keywords' are defined for different purposes. For example, if you look for a pizza in a given area, you start your text with 'pizza' followed by your zip code, but if you use a dedicated short code you would only enter the zip code and the program by default, will search for pizza stores.

What is Premium and Standard Short Code?

With Standard Short Codes, users won't be charged for sending messages (MO: Mobile Originated Messages) or receiving messages (MT: Mobile Terminated Messages). With Premium Short Codes the user is charged on thier cell phone bill for the message sent or received. The amount of each message will be defined with carriers and carriers normally charge a commission to invoice the user.

Short Code Set Up and Provisioning

Companies who have established their connections with carriers are called aggregators. They send a request to carriers' gateway and carriers push back an MO upon arrival. CellTrust's gateway is connected to all carriers in North America and hundreds of carriers globally, so independent of country or carrier, you can reach most cell phone users around the world. In order to register a short code, you must follow specific rules and regulations. Experts in short code registration, CellTrust, has streamlined the complex registration process reducing the average process time to 6-8 weeks.