A2P SMS means Application to Person Short Message Service. An answer tot he question, “What is A2P SMS?” is this is the service that used when messages are being sent from an application to a mobile user. This type of SMS is also known as enterprise or professional SMS. The message begins in a business application. This is unlike the Person to Person (P2P) SMS where the SMS originates from one person and is sent to another. Many technologists in the mobile telephony industry hail it as being the future of SMS. Analysts say that A2P messaging will take over from P2P messaging by the year 2016. They also say that A2P SMS will be a bigger revenue source for telecommunications companies than P2P SMS. Before being regulated, A2P SMS had been plagued by spam messages. However, over time the service has been regulated and incorporated into the digital services offered to customers. Moreover, there are bodies such as the ECT, the CPA and POPI that protect consumer rights as pertains to A2P.

Uses of A2P SMS services

There are many uses of A2P SMS. One of these is where one time passwords or two factor authentication can be implemented using A2P SMS. This increases the security of the consumers’ information while they are using the services of their telecoms providers. Another use of the A2P SMS is to notify customers about the success or failure of their transactions. The A2P SMS service also notifies customers once they have made bookings. This platform can also be used to remind customers of any appointments that they have made. Banks and other financial institutions can also make use of A2P to notify their customers of transactions and other updates.

A2P SMS can also be used to communicate time sensitive information to customers. This allows them to benefit from alerts that are critical to them in their homes or careers. Companies and businesses can use A2P SMS to market their goods and services. The customers can receive these messages once they get into a designated area where these goods and services are being sold. The A2P SMS service is also used to alert the occupants of certain institutions about the activities that are happening there. The occupants can get information about events, security alerts as well as other important information through the A2P SMS service. Clearly, A2P is very beneficial to businesses and companies at large. The solutions offered by A2P SMS have a greater impact on businesses and companies more than they do on the regular mobile phone consumer population.