What is TFN (Toll-Free Number)?

[David_Schwind]

Toll-Free numbers are telephone numbers with distinct three-digit prefix codes that can be dialed from US and Canadian landlines with no charge to the person placing the call. Toll-Free numbers begin with one of the following three-digit codes: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833. Such numbers allow landline callers to reach businesses and individuals without being charged a long-distance fee for the call. 

Toll-Free numbers are particularly common for customer-service calling. Toll-Free service has traditionally provided potential customers, and others, with a free and convenient way to contact businesses. Wireless callers, however, will be charged for the airtime minutes used during a Toll-Free call unless they have an "unlimited calling" plan. Customers can also send text messages to Toll-Free numbers, so long as those Toll-Free numbers are "text enabled," and businesses can reply as well.

Today you’re probably used to sending text messages to and from your family and friends.  You might also receive messages from businesses over short codes (smaller phone numbers, for example: 12345) about package deliveries or banking updates.  Toll-Free messaging is just like using these other types of numbers, it’s just using a ten-digit Toll-Free telephone number instead. 

You might also ask; how does this affect my voice traffic on that number?  Will it impact my contact center if I enable toll-free text messaging?  The answer is no, it won’t have any effect on your voice services on that number. Voice and Messaging on a Toll-Free number run completely independently from one other; thus you can enable voice via one provider and messaging via another provider. 

With Sinch, you can enable both Voice and Text or enable them independently as well - Learn more about Toll-Free Numbers from Sinch.

[#2]

Unverified TFNs and Pending Verification TFNs are subject to industry-wide messaging limits or blocking. Unverified TFNs are toll-free numbers that have not completed the toll-free sender verification process. Pending Verification TFNs are toll-free numbers where a verification request has been submitted, but the request is pending review and approval.

UPDATE: As a result of industry-wide changes, all messages from Unverified Toll-Free numbers will be blocked, effective November 8, 2023. On this date, all Unverified Toll-Free numbers will require a pending verification request or to be in a verified state in order to originate traffic. All messages from Pending Toll-Free numbers will be blocked, effective January 31, 2024. On this date, all Toll-Free numbers, regardless of the use case, must be verified to originate traffic.

UNVERIFIED Toll-Free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide blocking, effective November 8, 2023.

PENDING VERIFICATION Toll-Free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide U.S. messaging limits per TFN*:

• Daily Limit: 2,000 messages per day per pending TFN 
• Weekly Limit: 6,000 messages per week per pending TFN 
• Monthly Limit: 10,000 messages per month per pending TFN 

*Pending verification TFN traffic will be blocked beginning January 31, 2024. 

Unverified TFNs will be blocked with  Sinch error code 64 “Blocked due to exceeded quota”. Pending Verification TFNs that exceed messaging limits will be blocked with Sinch error code 64 “Blocked due to exceeded quota”. Please see Toll-Free Delivery Report Errors for a full list of Sinch Toll-Free error codes. 

Pending Verification TFNs are subject to more stringent message filtering than Verified TFNs. Daily volume limits reset at 12am PT, weekly volume limits on Sundays at 12am PT, and monthly volume limits at the end of each month at 12am PT. All messages, regardless of being successful or not, will count towards daily, weekly and monthly volumes limits. Beginning January 31, 2024, all traffic originating from pending verification TFNs will be blocked.