A2P services via SMS and RBM are a significant revenue stream for enterprises, operators, and service providers, so assuring performance and security across the lifecycle requires end-to-end A2P testing and active monitoring. Emblasoft Evolver provides the solution.

The increasing use of A2P messaging for enhanced customer engagement, transactional alerts, and security features such as One-Time-Passwords (OTPs), among other things, is driving the utilisation of SMS and RBM services by enterprises that are looking to optimise engagement with their customers. In turn, it represents a significant and important revenue stream for operators and service providers, and will do for some years to come.

In addition, the introduction of RBM services to iOS devices, expected later this year, will not only boost the number of active global RBM users to 2.1 billion by 2025, but it is also set to increase the value proposition for enterprises even further^[1]. That’s why an increasing number of operators and service providers are keen to roll out, or expand, their A2P service offer.

SMS and RBM – already a success story

Application-to-person (A2P) messaging – through SMS and RBM – has become a highly effective tool for businesses to improve customer experience, engage customers, and improve security through features such as Two-Factor Authentication, OTPs, and SMS authentication. For MNOs and service providers it offers a significant revenue generator.

The reasons for its popularity are clear. According to Simple Texting, for example, over 80% of consumers check a message within 5 minutes, while 71% have subscribed to receive messages from businesses in the past 12 months. From a business perspective, 86% of businesses have used SMS marketing to text their customers in the past year^[2].

The success of SMS and RBM means that operators must act now to protect this important revenue stream from competitor services, such as WhatsApp. In turn, this means that service providers must ensure the highest QoE, performance, reliability, security, and quality for enterprises looking to interact with their customers.

Full-stack SMSC testing is imperative for assuring SMS and RBM performance and security

It means that full-stack SMSC (short message service centre) testing is imperative throughout the lifecycle of the service. It involves not just the SMSC itself, but also all the other components, such as short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) interfaces used by messaging partners to connect to operator-owned SMSCs for onward delivering into networks and to mobile subscribers. So, how can operators and service providers ensure optimum levels of security and performance for their A2P customers?

The SMSC handles all text messaging operations, such as receiving, storing, routing, and forwarding messages from mobile devices. It is, therefore, the central component of A2P services. It means that in order to maintain performance, QoE, and security for SMS and RBM services it’s imperative to perform end-to-end testing. Further, it also requires active monitoring throughout the lifecycle of the service to assure revenue for enterprises, operators, and service providers.

It means that any test and active monitoring solution must be able to collect and confirm SLA-backed A2P services, assure security on an on-going basis, and perform active monitoring to ensure that if there is any dip in the performance of the service, the correct person is alerted to the issue so that it can be rectified before impacting service performance or security.

Emblasoft Evolver provides end-to-end A2P testing

Emblasoft Evolver provides a single platform that can perform end-to-end, full-stack SMSC testing and active monitoring throughout the lifecycle. Evolver can emulate realistic end-user behaviour, traffic loads, and scenarios – and inject traffic into live networks for continuous active monitoring – at the protocol level throughout the entire SMSC technology stack.

Different scenarios can be tested including:

• Simulating all SMS MAP interfaces (local as well as inbound and outbound roaming).
• Simulating large customer accounts for SMPP and HTTP.
• Simulating OCS for all billing interaction.
• Simulating HLR for full control of message handling.

Evolver can also handle all error scenarios (particularly significant when it comes to transaction authentication and security validation). It provides comprehensive testing and validation of the performance, reliability, scalability, and security of SMSCs, end-to-end and throughout the entire technology stack.

To find out more about how Emblasoft Evolver can help you to assure SMSC reliability, scalability, QoE, and security download our latest paper by clicking here.

^[1] https://www.juniperresearch.com/press/apple-s-rcs-support-to-grow-rcs-business-messaging-revenue-by-500-globally-in-two-years/

^[2] https://simpletexting.com/blog/2023-texting-and-sms-marketing-statistics/