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10DLC, toll-free and Canadian rules for alert texts

Welco sends alerts from verified toll-free numbers, not 10DLC local numbers, to phones in both Canada and the US. Every phone that gets a Welco text belongs to a person who opted in themselves. Every business is checked before it sends. Here is how the US rules and the Canadian ones apply.

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How a person joins: Your Company invites them by email and no text is sent. They open their own join page, enter their own phone and tick an unchecked box. Their phone gets the text “Welco: You asked to get Your Company system alerts at this number. Reply YES to confirm. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.” They reply YES, get “Welco: You're confirmed for Your Company alerts. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.” and show as Joined.

Animation: a staff member opens their join page, ticks the consent box, replies YES to one text, and starts getting alerts.

What US carriers require from any business that texts

US mobile networks let a business text only when they know who it is and that each person agreed. Two sets of US rules sit behind that.

  • The CTIA Messaging Principles are the US carriers' shared guidelines for business texts. They cover consent, opt-out words and what a text must say.
  • The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is the US law on automated calls and texts. It makes consent a legal duty, not a courtesy.

Welco uses toll-free numbers, not 10DLC

Welco does not send from 10DLC (local, 10-digit) numbers, which is a US-only system. All Welco texts in Canada and the US come from verified toll-free numbers.

The approval path differs between the two, but the consent rules are identical. That is why the opt-in steps for your staff are the same either way.

The Canadian picture: CRTC, CWTA and CASL

In Canada, the CRTC regulates telecom. The CWTA, the wireless carriers' industry body, runs the country's common short code program at txt.ca.

Short-code programs in Canada must answer STOP, ARRET, HELP, AIDE and INFO. Welco doesn't send from short codes. It handles the English keywords such as STOP, HELP and INFO, and does not handle ARRET or AIDE today.

CASL, Canada's anti-spam law, covers commercial electronic messages. Welco alerts tell your own staff about your own systems, and they never sell or advertise anything. For how CASL applies to your business, ask your own legal adviser.

10DLC and toll-free texting compliance side by side

Both rows are US carrier programs. Read 10DLC explained and toll-free verification explained for the full detail on each.

How a sender is approved

10DLC (local numbers)
Brand and campaign registration
Toll-free numbers
Toll-free verification of the business and its use

Consent rules

10DLC (local numbers)
CTIA Messaging Principles and the TCPA
Toll-free numbers
The same CTIA principles and the same law

Who must agree

10DLC (local numbers)
The person who owns the phone
Toll-free numbers
The person who owns the phone

Opt-out words

10DLC (local numbers)
STOP and similar words must work
Toll-free numbers
STOP and similar words must work

Sample texts

10DLC (local numbers)
Filed with the campaign
Toll-free numbers
Filed with the verification

Used by Welco

10DLC (local numbers)
No
Toll-free numbers
Yes, for every Welco number, including texts to Canadian phones

How Welco checks every phone before the first alert

Each phone passes the same six checks, for every business on Welco, in Canada and the US. Our SMS compliance page shows the full opt-in record.

  1. The business sends an invite

    An admin invites a staff member by email or shares a join link. An invite puts nothing on anyone's phone.

  2. The person opens their own join page

    They type their own cellphone number. The admin screen has no place to enter it for them. See an example join page.

  3. They tick a box that starts empty

    The box shows the consent wording below, word for word. Only the phone owner can tick it.

  4. Welco sends a single text asking for YES

    That one text explains STOP and HELP. If the person stays silent, the phone gets nothing more.

  5. Alerts begin after the YES reply

    Welco confirms the YES by text. Only from that point can alerts reach the phone.

  6. The person can leave or ask for help any time

    STOP ends texts from every Welco business to that phone. HELP gets help, and START rejoins. Consent and opt-out records are kept for 4 years.

Join page consent box
I agree to receive alert text messages from Welco for [Company] at the phone number above. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. See our SMS Terms and Privacy Policy.
Confirmation text
Welco: You asked to get [Company] system alerts at this number. Reply YES to confirm. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

What each reply word does

The replies are the same for every business, so carriers see one consistent answer. They are in English only.

YES

Result
Alerts start
Welco answers
Welco: You're confirmed for [Company] alerts. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

STOP

Result
All Welco texts to the phone end
Welco answers
Welco: You're unsubscribed and will get no more texts from Welco. Reply START to rejoin.

HELP

Result
The person gets help
Welco answers
Welco Alerts: system alert texts for your team. Help: hello@welco.ai. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

START

Result
The phone rejoins after a STOP
Welco answers
Welco: You're subscribed again. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

Invite staff who opt in on their own

Verify your business, send invites, and let each person confirm their own phone.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

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Why every text starts with Welco and ends with STOP

Every Welco text opens with Welco: and closes with Reply STOP to opt out. US carriers expect each business text to name who sent it and say how to quit. Welco uses the same format for Canadian phones.

Those two parts also match the sample texts carriers approved for Welco numbers. Real traffic has to look like the approved samples, or carriers can block the number.

Welco adds both parts to every text on its own, whatever your alert email says. You can't remove them. Together they take about 30 of the 160 characters in one text.

Those characters count toward message credits like any other part of the text. A trim rule cuts long alerts down, which keeps most of them to 1 credit.

  • A server alarm, as the phone shows it: Welco: [Server] Host DOWN - db-01 (10.5.160.9) at 3:12 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Why staff have to opt in themselves

Consent only counts when it comes from the person who owns the phone. An employer can't agree to texts for an employee, even work texts.

Carriers turn down filings where an admin switches on texts for somebody else. A self-service join page is what lets Welco numbers pass review.

There is a human reason too. An alarm can land at 3 a.m., so only people who asked for that should get it. And each person can walk away with one word.

  • The account owner's sign-up box covers only the owner's own phone.
  • No admin, rule or sender can override a STOP.
  • A staff member who left the company can reply STOP without asking anyone.

What Welco checks on every business

A Welco number is shared trust. One spam sender can get a shared number blocked for everyone, so we vet each business first.

  • Verified before sending

    We check each business before its first alert goes out. That means a work email on its own domain, its legal details, a card and a short intro call. In Canada, the legal details include your Business Number. No verification means no texts.

  • Approved senders only

    Welco turns mail into texts only from senders the account has approved. Mail from any other address is dropped.

  • Alerts only

    Alarms, outages and urgent voicemails go to staff. No spam, no marketing and no texts to the public.

  • Blocked words held back

    A text with a blocked word or phrase is held and never sent. See the list of stop words and blocked words.

  • Numbers kept for alerts

    Welco numbers are never lent to marketing senders, so a promo campaign can't drag your alarms down with it.

What happens when a business breaks the rules

A breach of the acceptable use policy or SMS terms brings a written warning by email to the account owner. On the third warning, Welco closes the account on its own.

Some breaches skip the warnings. Fraud, phishing, illegal content, or an order from a carrier or regulator can suspend the account straight away.

Trying again and again to send blocked content also counts toward warnings. A business closed or paused for a violation gets nothing back, including unused credits and credit packs. Our terms of service hold the billing rules.

Frequently asked questions

Does Welco send alerts to Canadian phones over 10DLC numbers?

No. 10DLC is a US system, and Welco doesn't use it anywhere. Welco sends from verified toll-free numbers in Canada and the US. Toll-free verification follows the same CTIA consent principles and the same TCPA law as 10DLC.

Does a Canadian business have to register anything before using Welco?

No 10DLC brand or campaign, and no short code application with the CWTA. You verify your business with Welco when you sign up, using your Business Number. We then check that your account sends alerts only, to staff who opted in themselves.

Can an admin switch on alert texts for a staff member?

No. An admin can invite a person by email or with a join link, and that is all. The staff member enters their own number, ticks the box and replies YES. Carriers reject setups where someone else gives consent for the phone owner.

Can our account drop the Welco label or the STOP line from texts?

No. Welco adds both to every text, because carriers expect the sender's name and the opt-out wording each time. They take about 30 characters and count toward message credits. Trimming long alerts keeps most texts to 1 credit.

Which sample texts did carriers see for Welco numbers?

Alert samples such as a well level alarm, a server down alert and an urgent voicemail notice. One reads: Welco: New voicemail on Tech Urgency Line from (231) 555-0100, 0:36. Reply STOP to opt out.. Each starts with the Welco label and ends with the STOP line, and real alerts must look the same.

How long are opt-in and opt-out records kept for Canadian phones?

For 4 years, the same as every other phone. That period matches the time limit for claims under the TCPA, the US law. Other account data follows our privacy policy. You can ask about your records at hello@welco.ai.

Send alerts from carrier-verified numbers

Sign up, verify your business and invite your team. Each person confirms their own phone with YES.

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