P2P (Person-to-Person) Messaging refers to SMS messages between individuals, as opposed to A2P (Application-to-Person) business messaging. Carriers treat P2P differently, with higher allowed volumes and less filtering than unregistered A2P traffic.
P2P vs A2P
| P2P | A2P |
|---|---|
| Person to person | Business to consumer |
| Conversational | Often automated |
| Less filtering | Requires registration |
A2P Misuse
Using P2P-intended phone numbers for A2P messaging results in heavy carrier filtering. Businesses should use properly registered 10DLC, short codes, or toll-free numbers.