The Month in Telecoms - Oct 2024

It has taken me a bit of time to get back to writing after taking a few months off over the summer (plus Oktoberfest). The telecoms industry has definitely not taken the same break as new announcements and developments have been coming thick and fast over the past few months so it is a good time to put pen to paper.

Rich Messaging on the move

RCS (Rich Communication Services) has been a hot and cold topic for some time and things really went to another level this summer as Apple finally announced their decision to enable RCS messaging (along with business messaging) in the latest iOS software update. This sent shockwaves around the industry as it finally creates a widespread, ubiquitous alternative to the classic OTT applications that includes the mobile operator in the revenue flow.

For more up to date details, insights and updates on the RCS make sure you follow Bernd Heinen and his Newsletter here:

One of the go-to-market leaders when it comes to RCS is nativeMsg . The Chicago based business are leading the way when it comes to enabling enterprises in the USA and are now stepping into the big European markets. NativeMsg know what is needed to take advantage of the new, rich world of RCS. They have recently launched the Creator’s community which I urge anyone to join if you are trying to work out how RCS could impact your business and the scope of what is possible.

Apple have been relatively coy about the full plan, but we have already seen handsets across core markets be enabled for both RCS (P2P) and RBM (A2P) with the latest software rollout.

Capacity Europe

In the middle of October, I was in London for Capacity Media - a techoraco brand Europe. The show has become a staple of the conference trail, and this year was bigger than ever. The major takeaways from the keynote speeches are the impact of AI on the industry, how satellite technology is enhancing connectivity and as always, the impact of fraud.

Wholesale Redefined

One of the major announcements during Capacity Europe was from Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier . The newly launched Global Carrier Services platform is an all in one platform designed to support carriers to manage users, API credentials, tickets, invoicing and documents. There is a wide range of services available via the new platform including CPaaS Edge Cloud, Numbers and Workflow automation. New SVP Dimitrios Rizoulis outlined his plan? to turn Deutsche Telekom into the worlds leading Digital Carrier in the face of declining legacy revenue.

Messaging Pulse

Another major announcement came from Nick Lane and James Lasbrey . Messaging Pulse is a new product combining the consultancy experience of Global Telco Consult (GTC) and the precise data intelligence of Mobilesquared Ltd . Both businesses are market leaders in their respective fields and this new partnership is harnessing the strengths of both companies.?

The idea is to provide detailed insight and strategic support to telecoms businesses all over the world with a customised approach depending on business goals and objectives.

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Cleaning up

Artificially inflated traffic is an ongoing topic across the messaging ecosystem. Despite recent efforts by enterprises and aggregators to reduce the impact of the issue it is clearly still a major problem for the A2P SMS industry.

Augnet have been working hard for a number of years on a solution to ensure quality communications. Lead by the very experienced Daniel Gill (ex-Microsoft), Augnet have developed the first quality assurance platform for SMS messaging. They use real data insights from a globally distributed device pool to ensure quality of service. Get in touch with Daniel to find out more.

Up and coming events

I will be in Berlin for the Twilio RCS & Conversational Messaging Day next week (6th November). Get in touch if you are around.?Thanks to Alex Klose and team for the organisation.

The Mobile Ecosystem Forum have a busy month with a meet up in Cape Town to coincide with the Africa Tech Festival plus the Omnichannel event in London on 19th November. The Omnichannel event is both in person and online and is always a great source of industry insight. Tune in for sessions from Nick Lane , Robert Gerstmann and many others.

Africa Tech Festival (Africacom) comes to Cape Town for the 27th year this month. Make sure you reach out to local legends Deon Carstens and Simon Nainkin for insider tips.

Carrier Community is in Muscat for the GCCM Middle East event. Get in touch with Vasim Solanki and Amine Abou-Jaoude who are both experts in the region.

Movers and shakers

Alex Nikolaichuk joins VX Telecom as Head of SMS Department

Aymeric BLAZY is now Senior Product Manager at Deutsche Telekom

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