What is UK KYC?
If you have built an A2P communications solution, you will be familiar with Know Your Customer (KYC) data. Originating from the banking industry, KYC is essentially customer information that is required to identify and verify an individual or business is who they say they are and commonly consists of name, address, and date of birth for Individuals and company name, registered address, business verification documents, etc for businesses. Over the past decade, carriers and regulators around the world have been working hard to create a more trusted and verified messaging and voice ecosystem for businesses to engage with consumers to protect consumers from spam, fraud, and bad actors.
The first step the global communications industry is taking to protect consumers is requiring businesses and organizations to submit their KYC information and become verified by the local authorities before they can begin texting or calling their customers.
This is for Medallia Concierge Services that use a UK phone number to text other UK phone numbers.
KYC Requirements in the United Kingdom
Given the rise in scam and fraud over the last few years, the UK regulator issued updated Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines that is implementing in 2024.
These new requirements will be put in place to protect consumers from fraud, spam, and bad actors by requiring businesses to submit and verify their businesses with carriers.
What do you need to know?
UK carriers have implemented restrictions on messaging traffic originating from international long codes to UK phone numbers; they consider the use of international long codes for Application-To-Person (A2P) SMS as an abuse of Person-To-Person (P2P) routes.
Due to these restrictions, in 2023, Twilio began blocking all SMS messaging traffic sent from international long codes to UK phone numbers on the BT and Sky Mobile networks.
Essentially, the only way to message a UK number would be with another UK number moving forward.
What do you need to do?
By August 31, 2024, complete our form so that we can submit your information to be verified by carriers. You can access this form in the link below:
You can look up your company information in the UK Company Houses Database
What if you don’t take action?
If you do not submit this information for us to get your business/number verified, all SMS messages sent to the UK from international long codes will be blocked starting August 31, 2024.