Toll-Free Verification and Hosted Messaging
Two compliance paths that aren't the TCR/10DLC track.
- Toll-Free Verification — required before any toll-free number can send SMS. Separate process, separate aggregator, no TCR involvement.
- Hosted Messaging — keep voice with your current provider, host messaging on SignalWire. Useful for migrations where you can't move voice yet.
Toll-Free Verification
Verifying a toll-free number means your business and use case have been reviewed and your message templates have carrier approval. Verification reduces (not eliminates) spam filtering on toll-free traffic to all major US mobile carriers, plus Fido, Rogers, Telus, and Videotron in Canada.
There is no charge for the verification process. Verified does not mean whitelisted — deviating from your approved content can still result in filtering.
Requirements
- Clear opt-in consent.
- Easy opt-out.
- No public URL shorteners. Use full branded URLs.
- No snowshoeing (multiple TFNs to bypass throughput). Carriers prohibit it. Increase throughput via Sales.
Verification form fields
Submit via the Toll-Free Verification form in the dashboard. All required:
| Field | Description | |---|---| | Business Name | Legal name of the business | | Company Website | Official company website | | Business Address | Primary physical address | | Compliance Contact | Someone who can respond to compliance questions | | Requested Throughput | Default 3 MPS | | Toll-Free number(s) | Justify if multiple | | Use Case | Description of the use case | | Message Content | Sample messages reflecting the planned content | | Opt-in Description | How recipients give consent | | Opt-in Details | Link, image, or scan of the opt-in page or process | | Business Registration Number | Government-issued business identifier | | Issuing Country | Country of business registration | | Entity Type | Public Profit, Private Profit, Non-Profit, Government, Sole Proprietor (requires extra vetting) |
Effective Sept 30, 2025: Business Registration Number, Issuing Country, and Entity Type added to the form. Optional until Jan 1, 2026, then mandatory.
Turnaround
- Standard: 3-5 business days for SignalWire processing.
- Upstream peer current turnaround: 1-2 weeks (or longer if info is incomplete).
Canada notes
Canadian carriers have stricter requirements driven by anti-spam law. Brand websites must include legal language about messaging — provide links to your terms and conditions and privacy policy.
Bulk verification (ISVs)
If you're an ISV verifying many customer numbers, download the SignalWire bulk template (File → Download → Excel from the linked form), fill it in, and email to support@signalwire.com.
FAQs
| Question | Answer | |---|---| | Is TCR involved? | No. A separate Toll-Free Aggregator handles it. | | Is there an API for submission? | No. Dashboard form only. | | Is legal language on the website required? | Yes — link to terms and privacy policy. | | Does verification guarantee deliverability? | No. Content that's flagged as spam after verification can still be blocked. |
Hosted Messaging
Hosted Messaging lets you send and receive SMS/MMS via SignalWire on numbers that remain with your existing voice provider (PBX, VoIP). Use case: migrate messaging now, keep voice infrastructure intact.
Not supported on mobile (wireless) numbers. To move a wireless number, you port both voice and messaging to SignalWire.
Prerequisites
- Letter of Authorization (LOA) signed and dated within the past 30 days by the authorized user/admin. Download the LOA from the Port In form's "Letter of Authorization" section.
- Recent invoice from the current voice provider showing the number in service.
- Permission from the current voice provider to split messaging away from voice.
- Active TCR campaign (not required for toll-free).
Process
- Verify ownership — complete the LOA.
- Submit the request via the Port Requests area in the dashboard. Under Services to Port, select Messaging Services Only. Standard hosted-messaging requests outside this flow won't be processed. No API for porting.
- Order processing (sequence):
- SignalWire reviews docs and adds the number to your account.
- SignalWire submits the messaging-enablement order. Minimum 48-hour turnaround for enablement.
- You configure Inbound Message Settings on the number in your dashboard (won't be testable yet — still pending).
- For US numbers, 10DLC Campaign provisioning kicks off after enablement. 10-30 minutes; outbound messaging won't function during provisioning.
- Test inbound and outbound once SignalWire confirms enablement.
After activation
- Keep voice services active with the current provider — releasing voice releases the whole number and breaks hosted messaging.
- Maintain valid TCR campaign provisioning for 10DLC numbers.
- For toll-free: complete the toll-free verification path above.
Full port-out later
If you eventually want to move voice too, follow the standard port-both-services guide. Don't try to release voice while hosted messaging is in place.
Anti-patterns
- Submitting toll-free verification without legal language on the website — Canada carriers reject.
- Snowshoeing across multiple TFNs to dodge throughput limits — banned.
- Releasing voice from the old provider before completing a full port — breaks hosted messaging immediately.
- Skipping the LOA refresh — old LOAs (>30 days) get rejected.
- Trying to host messaging on a wireless number — not supported.
- Treating "verified" as "whitelisted" — content can still be filtered.