It is my pleasure to introduce Anand Tawari, a seasoned expert in telecom compliance and multichannel messaging with over a decade of experience in the industry. His expertise spans 10DLC, WhatsApp messaging and a wide range of communication technologies that help businesses stay connected and compliant in an ever-evolving landscape.

Anand is all about making sure we meet regulatory standards while also building great relationships with A2P carriers to boost growth and streamline our operations. He’s really talented at managing partnerships, negotiating contracts and handling carrier operations, bringing a smart strategy to improve messaging capabilities across various industries.

Join me as we explore Anand's journey of innovation, expertise and his commitment to shaping the future of telecom compliance and messaging solutions!

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Can you share your professional experience in the telecom industry? And what motivated you to pursue it as a career?

I have over 10 years of experience in the A2P messaging industry, specializing in Carrier Relationships and helping brands stay compliant with 10DLC regulations. I have extensive experience in handling customer escalations, working closely with telecom operators, and managing omnichannel messaging solutions, including WhatsApp, RCS, and more. My expertise allows me to streamline messaging strategies and ensure seamless communication for businesses."

My motivation to pursue SaaS as a career is networking with different people & businesses across the globe, Problem-solving & technology innovation.

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We are hearing a lot about RCS these days, what is RCS actually? And will it replace SMS on Users phones or will both co-exist?

RCS is a next-generation of SMS. It offers an interactive feature like sharing different types of media files like images, videos, GIFs & others.  Apart from media files, it also offers premium features like read receipts, group chat, and brand identification using logo, and company name. Features offered by RCS are similar to existing omni-channel apps such as WhatsApp and Viber.

Yes, RCS has multiple features that enhance the texting experience of the end users to the next level, but it is difficult to completely replace SMS. RCS is a good solution for branding & marketing in big cities where internet connectivity is stable, Users using the upgraded version of the handset but SMS will still exist for users where internet connectivity is a problem and handsets are not supporting RCS.

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How do you think consumers will adopt RCS in the presence of already existing competing tools like SMS, WhatsApp/telegram kind of apps on their phones?

One of the best advantages of the RCS is the Native Integration with the mobile handset. Being RCS is a Google product, it is enabled or pre-setup on Android devices. With Apple starting supporting RCS, it is expected to be available pre-installed on the IOS device by next quarter with an upgrade to the IOS18 operating system.

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What are the main highlights of RCS Business Messaging, which makes it a promising tool for businesses?

The salient features of RCS Business Messaging are:

1. No third-party App is required. RCS message terminates directly on the messaging inbox of the handset.
2. SMS Fallback: If the RCS message wont delivered then there is a mechanism available to convert the RCS messages into traditional SMS
3. Analytics: RCS provides the details of Analytics for the businesses to track back the campaign like delivery of the message, and read receipt of the users. One of the best case study of the RCS is Subway. “Subway tempts mobile customers with tasty sandwich deals via RCS Business Messaging

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How does RCS ensure trust in the business messaging, especially with the verified sender feature?

One of the core features of RCS is to protect the business trust & reduce spamming. When the RCS messages are terminated to the end user handset, it flashes the brand name, brand logo & verification badge. This way the end user confidently converses with the business using mobile messaging

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What challenges businesses are facing in adopting and expanding the use of RCS?

1. Currently the RCS mobile messaging is supported only on Android devices. For the business, it becomes difficult to split or analyze the campaign based on the device software.

2. Compatibility with the mobile operator. Every operator of a region must be signed/onboarded to get the RCS enabled. Considering the example of the Indian market, Here we have 3 big carriers (Jio, Airtel & Vi). For the business to get 100% coverage of their users all 3 carriers agree to support RCS mobile messages else it is terminated in the traditional messaging format.
3. Internet Connectivity: RCS is good for the geography where internet connectivity is stable but RCS delivery would be a problem where internet connectivity is not good. In this scenario, again the message will terminate in the traditional message

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With the popularity of OTT apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, how do you think RCS will gain the market share?

RCS will face huge competition from the existing Omni channel apps like WA, Viber & others. One of the key differences of the RCS mobile messaging is the native integration with the mobile handset. Native integration eliminates the need to install third-party apps like WA, Viber & others for Rich media conversation

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How do you think RCS will be adopted on Android and iOS devices? Will there be any difference in the RCS features?

RCS is available as a pre-installed application on Android devices. It supports all the Rich media communication on Android devices. Adoption of RCS on Android devices is not a big challenge. It is available on Google messaging

For iOS devices, it is expected to be live by Q!. The initial Beta testing of RCS messaging is available on iOS 18. The core ecosystem might be different for iOS devices from a security standpoint but the features would remain the same. There won't be a much differences

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What role do CPaaS players will play in the growth of RCS?

CPaaS player will play a vital role in the growth of RCS mobile messaging. One of the key reasons is operator connectivity with CPaas players. They have both direct & indirect connectivity with the mobile carrier network. Partnership with CPaaS players will help in improving the RCS mobile messaging coverage at a rapid rate.

Additionally, they have a platform available for onboarding the businesses to start using  RCS.

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For a business, what's the process for adopting RCS?

The  process for the businesses to start RCS services:

1. Sign a Partnership with a CPaaS player like SMS-Magic
2. Get the Brand verified with the CPaaS player
3. Campaign Setup includes the use case definition, templates & others
4. Approval
5. Testing & go live

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If any business is using SMS currently, what's the process for them to migrate to using RCS? Are there any regulatory hurdles?

The process of RCS adoption is the same for the new business & existing business using SMS. They have to follow the onboarding setup which is defined by the Google business.

1. Sign a Partnership with a CPaaS player like SMS-Magic
2. Get the Brand verified with the CPaaS player
3. Campaign Setup includes the use case definition, templates & others
4. Approval
5. Testing & go live

There is no regulation huddle to start with RCS. One of the key advantages of RCS over traditional SMS is the common regulation across the globe. Currently, there are no country-specific restrictions on RCS that apply to traditional messaging

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How will RCS be priced? Will businesses need to bear heavy costs?

If we compare only the price then yes, the pricing of RCS is higher compared to SMS.

If we compare the features offered by RCS like Rich media, no limit on message length (SMS is limited to 160 characters and an additional cost will be charged for a long message), the message read receipt  & others. The business can get better ROI of the RCS campaign compared to traditional messaging

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As you are working with Conversive, how is Conversive planning to support RCS?

Conversive is one of the known players in the CPaaS industry. We’re providing different communication channels like SMS, WhatsApp, Viber & others. Since RCS is the upgraded version of SMS, we’re committed to supporting RCS in conversive. Our integration for the RCS is completed. We’re testing the different features of RCS with our product. We’re planning to launch the RCS for our client soon.

Rapid Replies:

If you had to explain RCS to a non-tech friend in one sentence, how would you do it?

RCS messaging is similar to SMS. It uses a native messaging app to send rich media messages like images, videos, GIFs & others. No third-party app is required like WA, or Viber to send & receive multimedia messages.

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If you could add one dream feature to RCS, what would it be, and why?

End-to-end encryption of messages would be required to ensure the security & privacy of the end user

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If you could use RCS to solve one everyday problem at work, what would it be?

Native installation in the mobile device with interactive buttons, rich media message & others

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If RCS were a person, how would you describe its personality?

1. Reliable,
2. Adaptable

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If RCS could talk, what would its catchphrase be?

Connecting businesses with end-users without installing any third party app

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(Wow! Thank you, Anand, for such an insightful and inspiring conversation. Your expertise and dedication to telecom compliance and messaging solutions are truly remarkable. We look forward to seeing the impact of your work in the industry and can’t wait for our next conversation. Until then, we wish you continued success in all your future endeavors!)

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