Managing Use Case sending limits


At GetThru, we know how important it is for an organization to ensure a timely and reliable texting outreach. While we have put in place a speedy and precise system to ensure that your messages are delivered to your contacts in a timely manner, it's essential to consider your 10DLC throughput limits. 


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What is 'throughput'?

Throughput refers to the capacity of providers to deliver messages (SMS and MMS) at any given time. If the message load exceeds the available throughput, messages will be queued and delivered as throughput becomes available. For example, throughput can refer to how many segments per minute you can send to a particular carrier, or how many segments you can send per day to a particular carrier.


A message's segment count directly affects a campaign's throughput. Shorter SMS can move through the queue more quickly than longer messages. If possible, sending messages earlier in the day is helpful because some of your messages may not be delivered immediately. To manage potential delays, it's also recommended to have designated sweepers who can respond to replies that may come in later. MMS have different throughput limits, but each MMS only counts as one segment. If you plan to send a long text message, you may want to make it an MMS.


How does ThruText manage throughput?

As 10DLC is here to stay, we have rebuilt ThruText's message-sending "engine" in the SuperCollider for maximum efficiency under the guidelines.  With the improved message-sending engine, we've implemented a sophisticated system that proactively manages rate limits to ensure your messages reach their intended recipients as soon as possible. Our system processes each use case's throughput limits, which is more precise than assessing a brand's trust score.

NOTE - The SuperCollider system, including upgraded messaging queues, is available to limited accounts at this time. Please write to [email protected] with any questions about your account.

Different mobile carriers have different throughput limits per second (e.g., AT&T), while some have a maximum amount of messages that can be sent to their subscribers per day per EIN (e.g., T-Mobile). Our system identifies hundreds of subcarriers and applies the maximum throughput limit for each message, making the system incredibly fast and efficient.


Limits per second

Some carriers limit the number of segments delivered to their subscribers per second per use case. With ThruText, if messages encounter a use case's throughput limit, they will be continuously re-queued until they are sent. If a message is queued for too long and encounters the campaign close time, the messages will be sent the next time the campaign opens. If the messages are initial messages, they will not be sent if the campaign's initial message sending window has passed. By following start and end dates for initial messages and open and close times for all texts, ThruText prevents campaigns from sending messages to a contact after the text is useful (e.g., after a voter registration deadline) or too late at night. You can see which messages errored by running a message export on your campaign. 


T-Mobile brand caps

Additionally, ThruText tracks messages per EIN for T-Mobile, ensuring that ThruText does not send messages that T-Mobile will block. If an organization encounters its T-Mobile "cap," those messages will be queued up to be sent the next day.


Large organizations with brand caps may be interested in applying for a Special Business Review to increase their cap.


How do I know if a message has encountered a queue?

Message exports show each message's status. If a message is waiting to be sent by our system, it is "unsent." Messages that are "unsent" will move through the system and change status. If the system attempts to send the message but the carriers refuse it, the message is "rate limited." "Rate limited" is a terminal status. Accounts are not charged for "unsent" or "rate limited" messages. 


Use cases and throughput

Choosing the appropriate Use Case is vital to achieving the highest throughput for your messages. Special Use Cases, such as Political and Charity use cases, have higher sending rates than other Use Cases and are treated preferentially by the carriers. On accounts with CV tokens, Political use cases are considered "uncapped" by T-Mobile. Being "uncapped" means that there is no daily limit for messages sent to T-Mobile subscribers.


Use case throughput math

For these examples, we will measure sending rates in throughput per minute (TPM), where "throughput" equals a segment. 

  • An organization's Political use case can send 4500 TPM for SMS messaging. This is applied to all campaigns sent on this use case. 
    • If a campaign has a 4-segment initial message and 5,000 contacts = 20,000 texts, it would take 5 minutes to send. 
    • If a campaign has a 3-segment initial message and 60,000 contacts = 180,000 texts, it would take 40 minutes to send.
  • An organization's Political use case can send 2400 TPM for MMS messaging. This is applied to all campaigns sent on this use case.
    • If a campaign has an MMS initial message and 20,000 contacts/texts, it would take 9 minutes to send. 
  • An organization's Charity use case can send 2400 TPM for SMS messaging.
    • If a campaign has a 2-segment initial message and 25,000 contacts = 50,000 texts, it would take 21 minutes to send.
    • If a campaign has a 5-segment initial message and 25,000 contacts = 125,000 texts, it would take 52 minutes to send.
  • An organization's Charity use case can send 1200 TPM for MMS messaging.
    • If a campaign has an MMS initial message and 25,000 contacts/texts, it would take 21 minutes to send.


Other use cases do not have a set number because they are based on a vetting trust score applied per Brand that ranges from 1-100. 

  • For SMS, a vetting score of 75-100 is considered top tier and receives 4500 TPM, a vetting score of 50-74 is considered mid tier and receives 2400 TPM, and a vetting score of 1-50 is considered low tier and receives 240 TPM. Limiting segments to 2-3 is strongly encouraged if a brand has a low vetting score.
  • For MMS, a vetting score of 75-100 is considered top tier and receives 2400 TPM, a vetting score of 50-74 is considered mid tier and receives 1200 TPM, and a vetting score of 1-50 is considered low tier and receives 150 TPM. 
A brand's "Trust Score" can affect its use case's throughput limits. The best way to improve an organization's trust score is to compare the information in your Brand Registration to what is in your organization's tax filings. If you have any concerns or want to update any information, please reach out to [email protected].


Understanding the impact of Use Cases and their approval on your sending rate is crucial for ensuring that your messages are delivered promptly. By considering your campaign size, segment count, and time of sending, you can manage potential delays and successfully deliver your messages to your contacts.