instant messaging apps for ‘a2p’ communication – the problem and the solution

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INSTANT MESSAGING APPS FOR

‘A2P’COMMUNICATION

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Receive Push notifications even when the Mobile Application is not active

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‘A2P’ COMMUNICATION

‘A2P’ (Application to Person) communication is currently undergoing the customary generational shift. The leading channel for ‘A2P’ communication ‘the old guard SMS’ is slowly gaining the legacy status. It (SMS) is still relevant and being used as a primary channel for ‘A2P’ communication but the challenge has started and the decline will accelerate in the coming years as it has happened in the ‘P2P’(Person to Person) communication space.

associated with a behavioural change. We have seen this in the case of ‘P2P’ communi-cation. People suddenly discovered they can share images, videos and ‘Rich Text’ based content apart from plain text with additional ability to communicate to groups and broadcast the same, this led to the explosion of this space.

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Wide Range Adoption of OTT (Over the top) Adoption of Replacement Technology

What will be the behavioural change that ‘A2P’ communication is waiting for? Simply sending the same message which is being sent on the ‘SMS’ channel through another channel (OTT) will not cut ice with users. They need more than an alternate channel story to switch and adopt a new option to receive structured communiction. Here lies the problem.


The alternatives that have emerged out there (based on OTT channel) have addressed the issue from a one way commu-nication point of view. That is enabling communication from the application side to the person (mobile device). Which takes care of the current day requirement of notifying people with transactional reference information, event notifications, etc.

This is only half the problem solved. Wide range adoption of OTT (Over the top) channel for A2P notification is on the anvil of accelerating. But, there are always challenges and teething problems when it comes to wide range adoption of any new technology, can these contemporary OTT channels support bi-directional structured communication? This would be a game changer. The jury is still out there.

History has shown us that any wide range, game changing, market defining adoption of a replacement technology will have to be

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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Should the contemporary ‘A2P’ channel support bi-directional messaging which can lead to the user being able to avail services and customer support in a ubiquitous fashion?

Publishers could state that they are switching to the new contemporary (OTT) channel based messengers.

Should the contemporary channel offer more security for messages in terms of password protection, encryption on the communication channel?

Should the contemporary channel support ability to initiate and consume transactions?

Should the contemporary channel support messages with more intelligence built into them like a ‘button’ which can initiate a response?

Should the contemporary channel support solicited communication which would lead to elimination of unwanted unsolicited communication?

What will be the behavioural change that ‘A2P’ communication is waiting for? Simply sending the same message which is being sent on the ‘SMS’ channel through another channel (OTT) will not cut ice with users. They need more than an alternate channel story to switch and adopt a new option to receive structured communiction. Here lies the problem.

The answer is not too far away, we should see this shift from SMS to OTT channels for ‘A2P’ communication starting to take shape in the next few quarters.

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SOLUTIONSPROBLEMS

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OTT Messaging is winning over ‘SMS’

Problems of A2P Communication through SMS

SMS does not work if mobile

SMS is not very elegant when it

communication

High cost of SMS$

SMS is Limited to 140 characters per message

SMS does not have the features like text chat, voice chat, video +

SMS does not support Rich Text communication

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SMS does not support Images and Videos

connectivity is not available

comes to broadcast or group

chat, etc

Today ‘SMS’ is the predominant channel when it comes to ‘A2P’ messaging. All of that is going to change in the near future. A2P messaging is on the anvil of getting more OTT (Internet Based-Over the top) based messaging options.

As more contemporary OTT messengers emerge in the market, ‘SMS’ is slowly being relega-ted to legacy status. ‘SMS’ is losing significant ground when it comes to ‘P2P’ messaging. But it is still clinging on the ‘A2P’ (Application to Person) messaging space.

In the past few years we have seen OTT (Internet based – Over the Top) based messengers becoming very popular as an alternative to ‘SMS’, and also in the same period we have seen multi-fold increase in ‘P2P’ (Person to Person) communication. The underlying points could be the reasons why ‘SMS’ could be losing out to the more contemporary OTT based messengers.


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CAPABILITIES OF OTT MESSAGING

Our prediction is that the SMS as a communication channel has served its purpose and has reached its peak in terms of patronage. Starting 2016 it would start stagnating in term of message growth and will slowly start its long drawn decline.

‘A2P’ messaging at present is in the transformational process/stage to keep pace with changing life styles of people, which could result in people transacting securely and reliably through messages. This behavioural change will revolutionize the way ‘A2P’ messaging will be perceived and used in the future.

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Rich Text content

Bi-directional structuredmessaging capability

Ability to invoke transactions through commands

Larger Message size

Ability to embed transactionalbuttons in messages

Password protectionfor Messages

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