steven maseka 
Infobip, a global cloud communications platform, applauds and celebrates the new shared messaging framework for RCS messaging (Rich Communication Services) and business model introduced by Google and U.S. carriers.
Following its recent announcement that Infobip’s RCS Business Messaging would be available via the four leading U.S. carriers, today’s news further affirms RCS messaging as the next evolution of SMS messaging (Short Message Service) and the new standard for mobile messaging between businesses and consumers.
With the introduction of Rich and Rich Media messaging, RCS goes far beyond standard SMS, enabling visual content, interactive actions, and more; laying the foundation for more strategic, engaging messaging that puts the end-user experience at the center.
According to Infobip’s recent Messaging Trends Report, the last two years were significant for RCS for Business adoption, showing a 14x increase in traffic in North America and a 9x increase in traffic globally.
The new messaging framework and business model by Google and U.S. carriers further continues this momentum by boosting simplified RCS for Business messaging access for brands and consolidated delivery across carriers.
“The new U.S. RCS framework lays the foundation for richer, more strategic messaging, making it easier for brands to evolve from basic communication to truly engaging customer experiences,” said Craig Selby, Global Business Unit Director of RCS Strategy & Partnerships at Infobip.
“Adopting RCS messaging opens new opportunities for brands to grab attention from consumers in a major global market, using captivating visuals of new products,real-time customer support, easy capabilities to purchase or make appointments directly from their messaging apps, and branded and verified messages that inspire buyer confidence.
The result: more brand visibility, significantly higher engagement rates, and meaningful one-on-one engagement with customers.”
According to a new Omdia report commissioned by Infobip, the United States has the largest and most advanced market opportunity for RCS for Business,with revenue expected to reach nearly $2 billion by 2029 in part due to the versatility of its use cases across direct marketing, e-commerce and financial services,customer care, and analytics.
The collaboration between Google and U.S. carriers shows a clear path forward for continuing to launch and scale RCS for Business in the U.S., cementing it as the new go-to messaging channel for businesses to engage with their audiences with richer, more interactive content aligned with their omnichannel strategies.
The RCS framework and business model are slated to start on July 15 in the U.S.
