Number Pool

T-Mobile has implemented a limit of 49 numbers per campaign in an effort to combat snowshoeing and ensure brands and campaigns are registered as intended (see note about ISVs below). If more than 49 telephone numbers (TNs) are legitimately required on one campaign, a Number Pool must be assigned to the campaign.

Note: Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are customers that support many brands (e.g., an ISV can support hundreds of dental offices). All of the individual brands the ISV supports are required to be registered individually on their own campaign, as opposed to creating a Number Pool.

What is a Number Pool?

• A Number Pool allows you to apply more than 49 TNs to a campaign.
• You must have campaigns registered in order for Bandwidth to assign a Number Pool to the campaign.
• You can only request a Number Pool for an approved campaign. Number Pool submissions for pending campaigns will be rejected.
• You can assign TNs to a campaign before your Number Pool request is approved, but can't add more than 49 TNs until it is approved.
• Number Pools are for T-Mobile only. AT&T has a limit of 5,000 TNs per campaign for Class N, insurance agents, franchises, and banks.

Note: There's a limitation with 501(c)(3) entities that makes assigning number pools to those campaigns more involved. If you have a need for a Number Pool for a 501(c)(3), please open a support ticket to discuss options.

If you have a use case that has a legitimate need for >49 TNs per campaign, please create a ticket under the reason "Number Pools" when asked "What do you need help with today?". Please use subject "CAMPAIGN ID Number Pool Request" as the subject line. An example would be: "C7GH42I Number Pool Request."

This will open a support ticket in which we will communicate a decision on the request. If approved, the number pool will be applied on Fridays and we will follow up in the ticket once the number pool is assigned to the campaign.

Important: Checking the box for Number Pooling in TCR or Bandwidth's portal DOES NOT constitute a Number Pool approval. The application must still be submitted and approved by Bandwidth.

Number Pool best practices

Providing detailed form responses will give Bandwidth a better picture of your traffic and help process your request in a timely fashion. We also advise providing detailed campaign descriptions and sample content, as this is what the carriers will be reviewing if there's ever an issue with your campaign.

Specify your use case(s)

This should mirror the campaign type from your campaign registration. If the campaign is Mixed Use, please identify all appropriate use case categories, not just one. 

👎 Not recommended: "Mixed: “Account Notifications”."

👍 Recommended: “Mixed: Account Notifications, 2FA, Customer Care, Marketing.”

Explain how opt-in is collected

List the steps a consumer takes to agree to receive SMS messages for this campaign, and provide a screenshot of the opt-in method, copy of a flier with a keyword, or any other proof of opt-in used.

👎 Not recommended: "Consumer can opt-in via SMS."

👍 Recommended: “Consumer can opt-in to receive SMS messages by texting SUBSCRIBE. They also have the option to text HELP for help or STOP to opt-out afterward."

Confirm that this Campaign ID has been vetted and approved

Please only submit a number pool order for campaigns that have gone through vetting and have been approved. Number pools cannot be assigned to campaigns that are currently in pending or declined status.

Provide a Test Phone Number

Please assign and provide at least one number to the campaign in order for our aggregator to test if the number pool is properly provisioned when approved.

How many phone numbers are requested for the number pool?

Please provide us with your best estimate of how many TNs you anticipate you will need to assign to this campaign. If you already have numbers on the campaign please provide us the total you expect to need.
If you do not need more than 49 TNs you do not need a number pool.

Explain why you need more than 50 numbers

We need a clear picture of why more than 49 numbers are needed for a single campaign.

👎 Not recommended: “More than 50 Agents/locations.” 

 👍 Recommended: “We have 50 agents working on a personal basis with the customers, who expect that number to be associated with their agent.”

Explain how the phone numbers are assigned

Provide as much detail as possible so it can be confirmed as a valid assignment (e.g., one number per agent, one number per store location, etc.)

👎 Not recommended: "Each employee has their own phone line."

👍 Recommended: We have 25 locations in the US and each employee (~100 employees per location) has a dedicated line."

Total Messaging Traffic for Campaign (Max Daily Volume)

Please provide your best estimate of how much total messaging traffic you plan on sending from this campaign each day.

SMS Traffic Distribution (Percentage of Total Daily Volume)

Please provide the percentage of traffic coming from your campaign that will be SMS.

MMS Traffic Distribution (Percentage of Total Daily Volume)

Please provide the percentage of traffic coming from your campaign that will be MMS.

👍 Recommended: If you add together your SMS Traffic Distribution to your MMS Traffic Distribution, they should total 100%.

Please reach out to your Account Manager if you have any questions not listed above. Not sure who your Account Manager is? Open a ticket with your Bandwidth Support Team or hit us up at (855) 864-7776!