Wholesale voice and payments provider IDT Corporation has launched a white label OTT messaging service combining IP and SMS messages.
The key feature of IDT Messaging is MagicWords, a technology that scans the content and context of a conversation and provides links to various sites.
IDT said the feature gives operators the ability to offer content discovery and distribution, as well as for them to explore the possibility of offering mobile advertising and monetisation options.
The messaging solution is being offered to companies using Android, iOS, Windows8, web and the mobile web. Contacts, messages and media are stored on the cloud and users have the ability to share videos, photos and location.
The solution can be integrated and connected with SMS, similar to what Google offers with its Hangouts chat and messaging app.
IDT Telecom’s Chief Marketing Officer, Ben Hirsch, said operators could use the solution to retain and grow their customer bases: “Mobile operators continue to lose customers and revenues to OTT messaging services. IDT Messaging gets operators back in the game by providing a more robust experience that integrates IP messaging and SMS, thus outperforming both OTT and SMS competitors.”
In February, Acision launched a similar white-label OTT messaging service called Fuze.
Operators’ revenues have been slashed by growing use of popular OTT apps such as Skype and WhatsApp. According to figures released by Informa last year, operators are set to see their revenues from SMS decline by almost 20 percent to €70 billion. In Western Europe, SMS revenues will drop by almost a third to €14.5 billion.