Breaking Down T-Mobile's Non-Compliance Fines: What You Need to Know

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Recently, T-Mobile has implemented fines for non-compliance with A2P (Application to People) messages containing restricted content in the US . If T-Mobile identifies any messages that breach their policies, they will impose a non-compliance fine, and the offending messages will be blocked. This policy pertains to all commercial A2P messaging utilizing the T-Mobile network.

This guide aims to clarify T-Mobile's recent policies and assist you in sending messages successfully, avoiding potential blocks or fines.

Break down T-Mobile's Policies


If you send messages to a client who is using T-Mobile's service, this message will be subject to T-Mobile's review. When a message contains the following restricted content, T-Mobile will impose fines corresponding to the severity level. The offense tiers and their respective fines are outlined below:

  • Tier 1: $2,000: phishing (including simulated phishing sent for security testing or similar purposes), smishing, and social engineering
    • Social Engineering is a technique used to manipulate someone into sharing private information, like passwords or credit card numbers. 
  • Tier 2: $1,000: illegal content (such as Cannabis or gambling. Allowed content must be legal federally and in all 50 states)
  • Tier 3: $500: all other violations in commercial messaging including but not limited to, SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco) that do not follow federal and state law and regulations (e.g. age-gate).

Please note that T-Mobile reserves the right to permanently suspend any company's access to the T-Mobile Network in the event of excessive violations.

For more information, review T-Mobile’s Code of Conduct Section 5: Prohibited Campaign Content.

Best Practice to Avoid the T-Mobile Fines

We understand that some common words used in the grooming industry are unfortunately filtered by telecommunications companies that have not updated their policies according to the current landscape. These commonly filtered words include "CBD" and "anal gland." To avoid any issues, we suggest using substitute terms such as "pain relief oil" for "CBD" and "gland expression" for "anal gland expression." Alternatively, you can send these terms via your own email, which is not restricted by T-Mobile.

Please note that using evasive language to conceal restricted words, such as using "C.B.D" for "CBD," can still be detected by the carrier and may result in a fine or suspension.

There are also other restricted contents that you should keep in mind. These include gambling, illegal drugs, SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco), political campaigns, and high-risk financial services such as payday loans. For more information about best practices in SMS messaging, please refer to our SMS Best Practice Guide.

FAQ

Q1: If I send any restricted content by mistake, will I be fined immediately?

A1: Our SMS service provider, Twilio, has established a set of guidelines for acceptable messages. Hence, most restricted words will be filtered by Twilio before being sent to T-Mobile. However, to avoid any penalties, we highly recommend that you review this guide and remove any sensitive words from your messages.

Q2: Do other carriers have similar policies for imposing fines?

A2: As of now, we have not heard of any similar policies from carriers other than T-Mobile. Nonetheless, the message filtering standard is shared among all major US carriers. Restricted content will still be filtered by other carriers. We strongly advise you to follow our guide to ensure that your messages get delivered without any issues.