Displaying items by tag: SMS

On Monday the 13^th of May 2019, Whatsapp admitted yet to another breach in their security system: enabling targeting spyware to be installed on phones through voice calls. An Israeli spying firm indeed has been accused of using that security hole in Whatsapp used by 1.5 billion people.

The average monthly cost of mobile services in Central and South American countries dropped approximately 20 percent between 2014 and 2017, according to Strategy Analytics Latin America Emerging Markets report. In addition, the level of data included in mobile plans in Latin America has doubled to an average of 3.4GB.

The report takes into account SIM only, prepaid and postpaid plans for individuals and businesses among more than 55 suppliers in 19 countries. A summary of the report says, “The implementation of 4G LTE technology in South and Central America has resulted in easier and better access to mobile telephony and internet services throughout the region. We have seen a strong shift from voice and SMS based services to data-based services.”

The report highlights that the number of free minutes included in monthly services was 26 percent higher in 2017 compared to 2014 in Latin America. Also, the average published maximum download speed increased from 12Mbps in 2014 to almost 40Mbps in 2017.

“We have seen a strong change in terms of minutes, SMS and free data included, with a big increase especially in the amount of data included in the plans during the period from 2016 to 2017,” said Strategy Analytics analyst, Pawel Kmiec. “They linked in the reduction of cost by surplus for all types of calls and data.”

Smart Axiata Co., Ltd. (Smart), the leading mobile telecommunications operator in Cambodia, has partnered with 365squared, an international managed services provider specialized in revenue assurance and managed solutions, to remove the effects of spam for Smart’s subscribers and monetize its application-to-person (A2P) SMS traffic through the 365secure service. This service was successfully deployed for Smart in Cambodia in October 2016 to help deliver a better service for more than 8 million Smart subscribers and provide new revenue opportunities.

Fraudulent SMS messages delivered through grey routes damage mobile network operators’ (MNOs) reputation by delivering spam messages to end user subscribers. The innovative 365secure service monitors and filters SMS traffic from any source on a 24/7 basis.
365secure ensures that Smart has peace of mind that SMS traffic is under control, subscribers are fully protected and that monetization of SMS traffic terminating on the network is guaranteed.

“The addition of Smart to our client portfolio is proof that 365squared’s managed solutions guarantee mobile network operators monetization of SMS traffic terminating on the network,” commented Tonio Ellul, CEO, 365squared. “This partnership highlights our strong organic growth as a key player in the market, especially in Asia. We are very excited to be working with Smart.”

Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart Axiata said: “Spam messages are disliked by everyone. The partnership with 365squared stands on our desire to strengthen customer relationships based on trust. By filtering intrusive and uninvited messages we provide to our customers peace of mind and therewith step up our customer experience efforts further.”

The fully comprehensive 24/7 managed service provided by 365squared ensures that Smart subscribers are fully protected from unwanted spam and potential security threatening application-to-person (A2P) messages. The 365secure service also provides Smart with detailed traffic analytics and reporting thanks to the proprietary 365analytics software.

Global use of SMS as a channel for business communications will continue to grow over the next 10 years as more organizations adopt A2P (Application to Person) services and integrate them into their digital communications, according to a report released today by Telefónica.

The report, an investigation into the enduring success and economy drivers of the SMS market in 2015, investigates the development of SMS and its application for business, finding that the ability of SMS to reach 99.99 per cent of mobile devices globally with a 90 per cent read rate[i] in minutes, makes it perfectly placed for businesses to reach customers regardless of geography and demographic.

The exponential growth in popularity of digital and mobile services, especially in developing markets such as Latin America and Asia, has created a worldwide market where 8.3 trillion text messages are sent annually. As businesses embrace the opportunities of this market and integrate mobile into their digital services, SMS has emerged as a valuable tool for 1-to-many business messaging, providing a simple, effective and ‘on the move’ way of updating customers.

James Lasbrey, Global Head of Messaging at Telefónica, said the report shows that despite the enormous popularity of the app economy for P2P (person-to-person) communications, the size and scale of opportunity in the SMS market has solidified its position as a valuable and attractive market for businesses, evidenced by 22 per cent global growth in the A2P or bulk SMS market in 2014-15.

He continues: “The value of 1-to-many business messaging has hit its stride in a big way. Text messaging has been part of our lives for more than 20 years, making it an intuitive, trusted and effective form of communication for most people. While the market has developed with the success of free apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, the potential of SMS for business is unrivalled.  I expect to see wide scale adoption of A2P by businesses worldwide looking to communicate effectively with customers to 2025 and beyond.”