SMS Authentication Service

Hi Duo,

Hope you are doing well! I have a few questions about the SMS Authentication Service update that we received through the OSS Service Notification system.

As a OneSpan Sign account owner/admin, below is the update in regards to the SMS Authentication service which we received recently.

In August 2022, a new directive was put in place by CWTA (Canadian Wireless Telecom Association), obliging Canadian carriers to deprecate shared “branded” short codes. A shared short code is a 5-6 number managed by a service provider, that carries traffic from multiple customers. Carriers are now requiring that if organizations want to add their branding to the message, to obtain their own dedicated ID using a dedicated short code. If organizations wish to remain on the same code, no branding will be allowed.

What do customers need to do?
1.If you do not require branding customization for SMS messages, there is no action required on your part.
2.If you do require branding customization for SMS messages, we recommend you use your own Dedicated Short Code. By doing so, your customers will receive branded SMS messages originating from your organization.

In reference to point #2, can you please elaborate more on what it means?
a. What is a ‘Dedicated Short Code’?
b. How do we obtain a ‘Dedicated Short Code’?
c. How do we apply ‘Dedicated Short Code’ to our existing accounts?
d. How does this impact accounts that are used in multiple regions?

Please advise.

Thank you & Regards,

Rajiv