Is that new? I tried it out for fun once and it only took a few minutes and I don't recall any major hoops.
I think it's different if you're applying for a shortcode vs a regular or toll free number though. There are different regulations governing all of those.
There's only hoops to jump through if you want higher send rates from a number. The CTIA figured out a new cash grab was registering businesses as legit senders on TFA's but it doesn't promise delivery, just gets you a nice logo/name on SMS apps.
Having been on the purchasing end for wholesale marketing SMS I can tell you most of sales people will suggest the 'correct' way and happily sell things that let you do it the 'wrong' way.
Pretty sure that’s no longer the case. You need to register your “campaign” to send any SMS messages. I put campaign in quotes because the process seems to ignore the fact that people might have use cases that are unrelated to marketing.
Earlier this year I think? I have a Twilio number that I setup just so my Home Assistant system could message me about things like water leaks. They stopped delivering any of those messages (while still charging me to send them!) and I have to register as a business and provide proof I have an opt-out, etc, etc.
The only phone number I ever texted was my real cell number, it's no longer worth having a Twilio number for a hobby project.
I think it's different if you're applying for a shortcode vs a regular or toll free number though. There are different regulations governing all of those.