Tyntec announces way to bridge P2P and A2P messaging over short codes
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.”
