Tyntec proposes new framework for global messaging ecosystem

Tyntec, a global cloud communications company, announced today a new proposal to build a framework in North America that bridges the gap between person-to-person messaging (P2P) and application-to-person (A2P) messaging over short codes.

The current U.S. messaging framework is under pressure to fulfill consumer demand for new mobile messaging use cases, including appointment confirmations, customer care dialogues, fast sharing of news updates, among others, explained Marco Lafrentz, Tyntec’s director of P2P and Cloud Services:

Currently, the SMS messaging framework in North America is over-complicated for operators and enterprises plus lacks being scalable, user-friendly and flexible for the different needs of enterprise-to-consumer communication. It also lacks transparency and choice for A2P services. From case approval requirements to non-standardized interconnection layers, enterprises have little visibility into their A2P services.”

The industry currently offers two options for enterprise messaging, including five-to-six digit short codes and 10 digit long codes. Neither short nor long codes are ideal. Short codes are unable to meet enterprise demands, whereas long codes are tailored for P2P messaging. Consequently, A2P messages sent over long codes are often blocked, resulting in a surge of unknown caller ids in the US.
Tyntec’s proposal centers on helping companies connect to consumers and integrating telecom operators into the global messaging ecosystem. The framework addresses the demand for two-mobile messaging without having to rebuild everything from scratch.
“This framework provides a common, interconnected global messaging ecosystem that will fill the gap between P2P messaging and short code,” said Lafrentz. “New kinds of mobile messaging have emerged, such as OTT channels like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but they cannot deliver the ubiquity that enterprises need for broader customer conversations.”

Tyntec’s idea consists of a single web dashboard for enterprises and mobile operations. The system would use a graphical user interface. Within the dashboard, the enterprise would create a company profile and register phone numbers to be used for two-way texting. A neutral third party would handle interconnection that would abide by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and CTIA rules and guidelines.

“This new approach will give all participants one trusted place to go to,” said Lafrentz. “It will provide enterprises the ability to integrate A2P messaging easily and operators the ability to support enterprise-to- consumer messaging beyond short codes and long code workarounds. It will also allow end consumers to verify the origin of messages by looking up the phone numbers of the enterprise senders.”
Tyntec’s proposal offers a global messaging ecosystem that can, in principle, fill the gap between P2P messaging and short codes. The ecosystem makes messaging fast, simple, safe and affordable for enterprises. The neutral third parties that host the services carry the bulk of the cost. Moreover, it opens up new revenue streams for operations and satisfies consumer expectations for communication with brands.
“Tyntec’s new messaging framework will allow enterprises to easily provide real-time, two-way
interaction through A2P messaging and embrace new use cases to interact with their customers and employees,” said Lafrentz. “These use cases include: conversational commerce; chatbots; dialog with service reps; communications with sales forces and suppliers; appointment scheduling and more.”

Ref : http://www.rcrwireless.com/20170725/tyntec-proposes-new-framework-for-global-messaging-ecosystem-tag27

Jats and police clash over protesters trying to march towards Delhi

CHANDIGARH: As the Jat-agitation entered the 50th day on Sunday, a clash erupted between the protesters and the state police near Fatehabad in Haryana with the agitators trying to march toward Delhi on the call given by the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) to gherao the Parliament.

The clash started when the jats, moving in their tractor-trolleys, were stopped by DSP Gurdayal Singh. When the agitators were told to leave their weapons behind, a young protester threw a wooden log at Singh, thereby injuring him.

The police resorted to lathi-charge and used tear gas while the protesters pelted stones leaving around 25 people injured in the incident.

n a matter of minutes, close to twenty tractor-trolleys full of protesters reached the spot and the situation spiralled out of control with the agitators setting fire to police buses. Security has been heightened in Jhajjhar following the clashes.

The state government had imposed a ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys in districts bordering Delhi. Director General of Police of Haryana, KP Singh said state police and security forces were on high alert in all the districts of the state bordering Delhi and a tab is being kept on the movement of Jat protesters. On Monday, there will be complete ban on the movement of tractor-trolleys.

The state government had already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in 15 districts (Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat, Hisar, Kaithal, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad, Jind and Sirsa) of the state.

The government had also issued instructions to petrol pump owners in the state asking them not to fill more than ten litres of fuel in tractor-trolleys. They have also been asked to note down the driver's name, registration number and the number of people travelling in the vehicle. Ban has also been imposed on open sale of petrol, diesel and other inflammable materials.

Mobile internet services and bulk SMS services have been banned in all these districts and liquor shops have been closed till March 21. Besides, all hotels, dharamsalas and restaurants have been directed to maintain records of guests.

Pitching of tents along the state and national highways has also been prohibited.

The Jats have been holding peaceful demonstrations in several parts of the state since the end of January demanding reservation, jobs to the next of kin of those killed in last year’s Jat-agitation, compensation to the injured, withdrawal of cases besides other demands.

A meeting is currently underway between leaders of the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) lead by Yashpal Malik and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi to resolve the stand-off.

Khattar, who was to go to Lucknow to attend the swearing-in of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has called-off his visit.

 

Ref : http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/mar/19/jats-and-police-clash-over-protesters-trying-to-march-towards-delhi-1583188.html

Residents band together to keep safe

Criminals beware - the Viber Tree is growing branches.A Turangi neighbourhood is using people power to stop crime from happening, drawing praise from local police.It all started about two years ago, when some Turangi residents got together to set up the the network. It is called Viber Tree, because members use the web-based instant messaging service Viber.At the start, there were only half a dozen people on the tree. Now there is 40.The point of the Viber Tree is alert neighbours of suspicious activity in the area and it has had some good results.In May, a young man was seen acting suspiciously and was followed by residents over the Viber Tree.He was soon apprehended by police, after being found in a property where he shouldn’t have been. He has been charged with burglary and aggravated burglary and is currently before the court.Another man was also spotted by members of the Viber Tree and he, too, has been charged with burglary.The Viber Tree allows residents to send a bulk message to everyone on it. They, in turn, keep an eye out in their area for suspicious activity and then contact the police if something happens.“All we, as a community, can do, is be eyes,” Viber Tree member, Eric Wilson, said.Someone 500 metres away can spot something not quite right and then alert others in the street.“The Viber Tree runs from State Highway 1 up to the river.The Viber Tree has been praised by the Turangi Police and they are hopeful other residents around the Turangi area see the same benefits of the Viber Tree."It really is new for security measures which is great,” senior sergeant Tere Morunga, said.“Soon, our criminals won’t be able to walk the street."Morunga would like to see something similar in the Tauranga-Taupo area too after a spike in burglaries recently."We are going to increase our presence there with local security guards,” Morunga said.A public meeting will be held in Tauranga-Taupo to speak with locals about the rise in criminal activity.“We will also go over other preventative measures that people can take, like the Viber Tree, which we would like to see replicated in other areas."The meeting will cover community patrols and neighbourhood support in the area and will start at 6pm on Wednesday August 2 at The Store.

Ref: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/95122082/Residents-band-together-to-keep-safe

SMS: Our Rescue Or Ruin?

When the SMS became commercially available in 1999 the prevailing atmosphere wasn’t one of elation as you might have expected, but trepidation.
Much like today, many individuals railed against the technology’s supposedly harmful effects, citing the damage it might wreak upon thousands of years of human communication; their concerns weren’t so far-fetched either, recent studies reveal that nowadays most teenagers use texting as their main method of sustaining and invigorating their social relationships.
Others however aren’t just scared of a decline in communication, but of its complete reversal. As texting has gained traction we’ve increased our inventiveness with it, resulting in fonts such as Emoji. Whilst some herald the two byte ideograms as the new height of communication, others see Emoji’s as society slowly back-pedalling towards hieroglyphs and symbols.
I would urge companies not to dismiss SMS as something that’s outdated and irrelevant, but rather to see it as a technology that is continuing to support, benefit and revitalise a businesses marketing strategy.
For those in mobile and telemedia SMS has long been a cornerstone of the industry. To everyone working in the business, SMS has been the backbone in initial carrier billing efforts, media interaction, voting and all sorts. According to recent research 37.2 million consumers have opted to use SMS and mobile communications as their preferred choice for receiving notifications from businesses. This number is predicted to rise to 48.7 million in 2020, making SMS the fastest growing marketing channel in the UK.
The growing influence of the medium is also highlighted by the fact that 98% of branded or business-related texts are opened by mobile users, with 90% being read within 3 minutes of receiving them. The report goes on to highlight that 23.5m people will respond to a business text message in 2017 and that 7bn texts will be sent this year alone.
So why is SMS such a brilliant tool?
It is because of its immediacy. An ignored email or lost letter, can easily be shrugged off as a colleague being too busy or Royal Mail being inefficient, but the speed and reliability of the SMS leaves no room for excuses. With SME you can deliver very timely and personalised messages. You only have to look at your own mobile and behavioural habits to understand the stark differences between SMS and email engagement. So whether you are looking to acquire new customers or engage more with existing ones, nothing beats the direct and personal connectivity of SMS. From simple marketing campaigns to personalised customer service notifications or identification authentication, SMS provides a quick and easy way to add value and deliver a great experience.
Confusingly however, the positive aspects of SMS are still rarely publicised. Great examples of these include the story of British tourist Rebecca Fyfe, who upon becoming stranded on a sinking ship in the Lombok Strait whilst backpacking across Asia, sent an SMS message to her partner in Falmouth which saved both her own life and the lives of the other ten tourists and crew members aboard the vessel by sparking a coordinated search and rescue effort by the Falmouth Coastguard, Indonesian Authorities and Australian Coastguard. More topically, during the last US election, Bernie Sanders’ use of bulk SMS messaging has been cited as one of the linchpins of his campaign, allowing him to rapidly amass record numbers of the under-thirty voter demographic and maintain their enthusiasm and support. Sanders’ campaign went further however with his adoption of mobile payments, allowing him to amass not just political, but financial support also.
With an average donation of $27 per supporter, Sanders was able to use mobile payment services to accrue at one point almost $2 million in just one week, allowing him to elevate his grass roots campaign to the next level. We can only imagine how a business effectively using the same technology could drastically transform both its outreach and prospects.
The latest research however, reveals that only 50% of businesses are using SMS as part of their marketing strategy and the other 50% are still struggling to optimise the effectiveness of this dynamic direct marketing channel – and therein lies the opportunity – for the 50% who haven’t looked to SMS to do marketing and the 50% who have, but don’t exploit its full potential.
Sending out SMS marketing messages to consumers is a fantastic, largely underused and often misunderstood method of communication. Real opportunities lie in making each SMS count: making sure it turns up with content that the consumer wants to act on, a message that kills several birds with one stone, messages that enhance the overall brand experience for the consumer.
Whilst SMS can be unfairly represented in the press and people’s considerations, whether it’s use of mobile payments to fund change, bulk SMS to save lives or incite activism or the simple text message that keeps you connected on a daily basis; SMS is exceptionally relevant for marketers, constantly evolving and could make the difference between a campaign’s success or failure.

Ref : https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2017/07/27/sms-our-rescue-or-ruin

A2P SMS Market :Exponential Rise in Mobile Subscribers Escalating Demand

The global A2P SMS market reflects a fragmented competitive landscape with the presence of a large number of market participants in the messaging ecosystem. The three major players across the value chain of A2P SMS include bulk SMS providers or SMS aggregators and marketers or resellers and telecom operators. According to a recent report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global A2P SMS will have an opportunity worth US$70.32 bn by the end of 2020
The TMR report observes that this market witnesses intense rivalry among the leading and regional players across each domain of the messaging ecosystem to gain an edge over the competitors. The telecom operators such as China Mobile Communications Corporation, Vodafone Group plc, America Movil Group, The Telefonica Group, China Telecom Corporation Ltd., and Verizon Communications Inc. are the major players among the telecom participants in the A2P SMS market. Focusing on raising funds through venture capital investors and promoting sales, and building business horizons through conferences and exhibitions are two of the the most common strategies adopted by these players to maintain their stronghold over the market.
The A2P SMS market is classified on the basis of application as pushed content services, promotional campaigns, interactive services, customer relationship management (CRM) services, and others. The other application segment includes search and inquiry related services. Out of these, CRM services application segment is projected to reach US$23.52 bn in 2020. CRM services are used for a wide range of applications such as transactional messages, account balance notifications for e-commerce and BFSI industries, appointment reminders for the healthcare sector, and tickets and boarding passes for tourism. Banks and financial institutes are expected to record a rise transactions due to an increase in the number of account holders led by growth in the global economy.
Geographically, Asia Pacific dominates the global A2P SMs market and is likely to retain its leading position during the forecast period and is estimated to account for 43.4$ of the global market in 2020. Increasing number of mobile phone users and rise in marketing activities are the key factors driving the growth of A2P SMS technology in this region.
Compatibility to All Operating Systems Makes SMS Best Mobile Communication Mode
Increase in mobile subscriber base is the most prominent factor driving the market, as SMS is the most attractive form of mobile communication than other Over-the-top (OTT) messaging application, as it is supported by most handsets across all operating systems and networks. Proliferation in mobile payments, mobile banking, and mobile health services as well as escalating mobile marketing activities by marketers and application developers are some of the other factors that are helping the growth rate of the market. Conversely, the report examines factors such as technical limitations overshadowing bulk SMS, illegitimate routes denting telecom operators revenue, and increasing mobile messaging spam, phishing and malware. Each of these factors have been thoroughly analyzed in the report and eventual impact over the market have been estimated.
According to the author of the report, ?leveraging messaging exchange providers to connect enterprises and OTT application providers with customers and the combination of SMS with IP messaging solutions and emails will open new opportunities for the players in the global A2P SMS market. The author also asserts that innovative gateways that send SMS on the SS7 network than on traditional SMS hubs is gaining popularity, as it is essential to track the performance and profitability of the A2P SMS sent and decrease losses in revenue caused due to spam messages. Tracking regional and international SMS using traditional SMS hub is a challenge that is enticing the change.
The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, ?A2P SMS Market (Application – Pushed Content Services, Customer Relationship Management Services, Promotional Campaigns, Interactive Services, and Inquiry Related Services; End-use Industry – Retail, BFSI, Travel and Transport, Healthcare and Hospitality, and Entertainment (Gaming) and Media – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 – 2024.

Ref :  http://business.itbusinessnet.com/article/A2P-SMS-Market-:-Exponential-Rise-in-Mobile-Subscribers-Escalating-Demand-5029870