SmarTone propels business results with messaging monetization

Maintaining a flawless customer experience is mission-critical for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Anything less than perfect service is not tolerated by subscribers who will look elsewhere if their mobile doesn’t work the way they need it to.  

Challenge: Protecting network from unwanted SMS traffic 

Back in 2013, SmarTone’s management saw a red flag: customers were raising more and more concerns about spam and fraudulent messages.  The Network Operations team was tasked with protecting customers from this bad traffic, as well as preventing illegitimate A2P messages from terminating on the SmarTone network. They needed a firewalling solution - and a good one!  Additionally, due to SmarTone’s business policy, they wanted to purchase the solution on an OPEX only basis.  

Solution: Finding the perfect partner

Not just any partner would do. SmarTone searched the market and compared the best vendors - and landed on Sinch.  Our feature-rich software, understanding of enterprise messaging, and integrated service updates for our SMS Firewall were key to SmarTone’s decision. They were also reassured by Sinch’s deep heritage, expertise, and reputation in the messaging industry. 

Sinch implemented the Firewall in a matter of months, and SmarTone quickly gained control of all the filtering needed.  

Results: An ongoing success story 

SmarTone’s satisfaction with the SMS Firewall product led to an easy purchase decision on Sinch’s A2P Monetization service in 2016.  With the firewall and A2P Monetization working side-by-side, SmarTone really started to reap the benefits. The increase in revenue extracted from A2P messages not only covered the cost of the firewall product, but also pocketed new revenue for SmarTone in enterprise messaging.   

To quote Tony Lau, again: 

“SmarTone could defy faked SMSC’s and block them when necessary.  Sinch SMS Firewall protects the network as no real customer identity is disclosed externally. Additionally, the Sinch A2P Monetization solution decreased A2P SMS traffic over grey routes. A2P Monetization drove a huge reduction in unauthorized messaging traffic, and we saw our revenues go up as a direct result. I highly recommend this Sinch capability!! 

A strong foundation to tackle skyrocketing A2P volumes 

The global COVID-19 pandemic drove a huge surge in digitization – and in A2P messaging. March 2020 vs July 2021, A2P messaging increased by 102% for SmarTone. The numbers don’t lie – this is a once-in-a generation business growth opportunity for operators.  

With a Sinch solution in place, SmarTone was able to cash in on this opportunity, harnessing the new demand on mobile network operators.  In the “new normal” world of digital communications, SmarTone has established a new stream of revenue.  

But the story’s not over! The partnership between SmarTone and Sinch continues to flourish. SmarTone is already capitalizing on their success in messaging, adding new solutions to consolidate their A2P SMS business, and exploring the additional roles their network assets can play in the millions of conversations each day.