SMS and RBM have become one of the most popular channels for communicating with consumers, and provide a significant revenue stream for MNOs. However, fraud is a growing threat. How can service providers ensure the integrity of these important services?

The importance of SMS and RCS (Rich Communication Services) business messaging traffic, also known as RCS Business Messaging (RBM), is highlighted by a recent report from Juniper Research, which forecasts that the market will grow from $1.3 billion in 2023 to $8 billion in 2025^[1].

RBM represents an MNO success story

It notes that much of that growth will be accelerated by Apple’s announced entry into the technology in late 2024, with support for iOS devices boosting the number of global active users by 900 million over the next two years to reach an estimated 2.1 billion users. In turn, the report predicts that this will enhance the value proposition for enterprises.

However, it is already an undoubted success story. RBM is one of the most popular communications channels for consumers, offering multimedia communication, rich, interactive features, commerce, video, analytics and metrics, and more. For example, according to a survey of 1,000 US consumers by Cloudli Communications, 94% of respondents said that they wished they could communicate with businesses through SMS.

For MNOs it adds additional revenue streams. According to the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), organisations spend nearly $18 billion annually on messaging their customers^[2]. It means that there is a rich ecosystem of providers, including MNOs, messaging providers, enterprises and their customers, and third-party vendors such as antivirus companies.

Are we losing trust in SMS and RBM?

However, one of its best-selling points – as a trusted business messaging platform for consumers – is under threat from growing incidences of fraud. For example, a Crime Survey of England and Wales found 3.7 million incidents of fraud in 2022^[3], but it estimated that 86% of fraud instances go unreported. Likewise, an analysis by the US Federal Trade Commission found that consumers reported losing $330 million to scam text messages in 2022^[4].

The problem is significant for both consumers and providers. For example, a report from XConnect, performed by MobileSquared, found that in 2023 traditional channels (SMS, email and voice) accounted for 70% of trust, but by 2025 this will drop to around 50% – SMS was the top channel for 2023, with its usage almost double that of the next channel (email), and almost three-times greater than voice and WhatsApp. However, it noted that trust in RCS will jump to 75.1% in the same period^[5].

Such figures highlight the importance of ensuring the trust and security of SMS and A2P messaging. Like all forms of fraud and security breaches, the complexity of SMS and RBM frauds is evolving. It means that operators and service providers must find ways to always remain one step ahead.

How Emblasoft Evolver can help to mitigate SMS and RBM risk

Emblasoft Evolver is a comprehensive platform for testing, validifying, and actively monitoring and assuring networks, network slices, and SMS traffic. Evolver can emulate real-world traffic prior to launch and post-launch to test specific scenarios to protect against fraud. Importantly, it can provide active monitoring, that emulates UEs in the network, to continuously protect against threats.

It can also be integrated with real devices for end-to-end testing and to provide real-device-simulation, real-to-simulated device verification, and SMPP-to-real-device verification (A2P).

Emblasoft Evolver supports multiple SMS testing features, including a continually updated URL phishing database, fake DLR detection, Sender ID (to verify the validity of message-sending accounts), test scheduling, message content transparency, and SMPP or REST API integration to ensure integration with existing business and legacy solution processes, to name a few.

To find out more about how Emblasoft can help assure your SMS, RCS, and RBM service security, and ultimately eliminate fraud costs, download our latest paper by clicking here.

^[1] https://www.juniperresearch.com/research/telco-connectivity/messaging/a2p-research-report/

^[2] https://mobileecosystemforum.com/enterprise-mobile-messaging-fraud-framework/

^[3] https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/fraud-and-economic-crime

^[4] https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/new-ftc-data-analysis-shows-bank-impersonation-most-reported-text-message-scam

^[5] https://www.xconnect.net/resources/news/cpaas-providers-trust-in-sms-will-drop-by-nearly-25-between-2023-and-2025-according-to-research-from-xconnect-and-mobilesquared