Getting messages to the intended recipient can be complicated. The types of numbers you use to send text messages can have a critical effect on their deliverability.
Let’s take a look at the difference between application-to-person (A2P) vs. person-to-person (P2P) messaging.
What is P2P messaging?
Person-to-person, or peer-to-peer, text messaging is simply when two or more people have a conversation via SMS or MMS.
Think about P2P messages like traveling on a two-way street. Traffic moves more slowly allowing roughly one message per second.
P2P messaging types
Local, ten-digit phone numbers are best for this type of traffic.
Sending more than one message per second on a P2P route is a major cause of deliverability issues. When you need to send messages at higher volumes…you need A2P Messaging.
What is A2P messaging?
Think of A2P messages like a highway. You can send and receive high-volume messages from one location, like a contact center or central application, to multiple recipients at once. This type of messaging is used for notifications, alerts, PIN numbers, coupons and more.
A2P number types
A2P messages allow you to send high-volume traffic, and are sent using:
A2P vs. P2P: Use the road that’s right for you
Which road your message travels on can affect whether it gets to its destination. Make sure you are on the right path for your use case. Want to learn more about the rules of the messaging road? Check out our Messaging Deliverability page today and stay tuned for parts 3 through 5 of our series.
Learn more about message deliverability here.
- Part 1: It’s not as simple as hitting “send”
- Part 2: A2P vs P2P Messaging
- Part 3: The 3 types of A2P messaging
- Part 4: The do’s and don’ts of business text messaging
- Part 5: How to measure your SMS delivery
Ready to get your messages delivered?
Now that you’ve found the right messaging product, let’s get those messages delivered!
