MEF’s Nick Millward is joined by Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO of Dotgo, Abhinav Jha, Head of Business Development at Communications Partnerships at Google, and Sethumadhav Bendi, Wireless Solutions Architect at Verizon Wireless, to explore how the telecom industry is responding to shifting messaging dynamics. The session examines emerging strategies, technologies and opportunities shaping the future of business communication.
The telecommunications industry is facing an unprecedented messaging challenge. As over-the-top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp continue to dominate the business messaging landscape, mobile network operators are searching for innovative ways to retain their messaging revenues. RCS for business is the strategic answer to this evolving challenge.
The MEF and Dotgo co-hosted this webinar to discuss the situation with insights from the following speakers – Abhinav Jha from Google, Sethumadhav Bendi from Verizon and Inderpal Mumick from Dotgo and moderated by Nick Millward of the MEF.
The Current Messaging Landscape Challenge
Carriers face a “brutal reality”: SMS market share is projected to drop from 90% to 50% by 2027, while SMS revenue share is expected to fall 45% to 32% by 2029. This represents a staggering 13% market share loss in just a few years.
RCS: More Than SMS Evolution
RCS represents a comprehensive solution to counter OTT dominance. The platform delivers rich media capabilities, interactive buttons, branded messaging with logos, and verified sender information directly within the native messaging inbox. Advanced features include PDF sharing, web views, Google Wallet integration, and sophisticated multimedia content.
Apple’s recent RCS support has dramatically expanded the platform’s reach, particularly in markets with substantial iPhone usage, creating new opportunities for unified messaging experiences across all devices.
US Telco Strategy and Trust
Major US operators are approaching RCS with trust, security, and customer benefit as core priorities. They view RCS as a natural evolution that places network operators at the center of next-generation mobile messaging rather than ceding control to third-party platforms.
The focus centers on creating unified messaging experiences where conversations from friends, family, and businesses coexist seamlessly in one inbox, with carriers maintaining control over the customer relationship and network infrastructure.
Monetization Challenges and Solutions
RCS faces practical monetization hurdles when competing with aggressively priced OTT alternatives. Success requires differentiated pricing strategies that distinguish between utility and marketing messaging while developing comprehensive business support systems for scale.
Automation becomes critical for managing thousands of brand verifications and maintaining service quality. The challenge lies in balancing competitive pricing with the enhanced capabilities that RCS offers over traditional SMS.
The Path Forward
RCS represents more than defensive positioning against OTT competition – it’s an opportunity for telecommunications operators to reclaim their central role in business communication. The platform serves as a foundation for deploying AI-driven customer service agents and expanding rich business communication capabilities.
Success ultimately depends on delivering unified, trusted, and engaging messaging experiences that serve both business needs and consumer preferences while maintaining the security and reliability that telecommunications networks provide.
Dotgo has a proven track record of helping Telcos do just this with successful deployments in partnership with Vodafone, Orange and many other major operators across the globe.
