Messaging Revolution: What’s happening with messaging in 2019?

The new year is bringing with it a lot of changes to messaging. Changes to the way you use current technology, as well as the emergence of new ways to reach customers, will create a fundamental shift in how messaging works in 2019.

That sounds like a lot (and we’ll talk more about the details in future posts), but let’s take a brief look at the big changes coming to messaging in 2019.

The end of shared short codes

We’ll dive into detail in a future post, but one of the biggest changes is that shared short codes are being phased out. Starting in February, carriers will no longer allow shared short code traffic on their network. This is being done in an effort to eliminate bad actors, and add a layer of accountability to A2P traffic that shared short codes haven’t been able to provide.

Those that rely on shared short codes will either need to purchase a dedicated short code, or move to another source for their A2P traffic, such as Toll-free SMS or….

10 Digit Long Codes (10DLC)

Nobody could have predicted how popular A2P messaging would become, and that’s what’s spurring many of these changes. Among those changes will be the ability to use 10 digit long codes (or local numbers if you prefer) to send sanctioned local A2P messaging traffic.

This will be a big departure from the current standards, but will open up the opportunity for everyone from large enterprises to your dentist to use a local number to send high-volume messages, previous to this change, sending high volume messages over local numbers would mean unreliable deliverability and potentially even blacklisting since it goes against industry best practices.

Rich Communication Services (RCS)

This one is a bit more down the road, but it is coming. Messaging as a whole has seen a lot of changes since the first SMS was sent. Users now expect features like delivery and read receipts, as well as the ability to embed images, videos, and GIFs — all things they can currently do on platforms like Facebook Messenger.

RCS messaging will enable all that, but is going to take time, as carriers and phone makers both have to prepare to support the new standard. We’re excited to see what another year of progress towards our new messaging future will do for RCS!

The revolution has begun!

This is just the surface of what’s to come. Be on the lookout for a lot of information in the coming weeks and months as we help you get ready for the Messaging Revolution. If you have questions, or want to start making the changes you need, get in touch with one of our experts!

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