In brief

5G has the potential to usher in a new age of telco communications. With 5G messaging, telcos have an opportunity to blend legacy messaging services with innovative business models and refreshed service delivery platforms. Even though messaging apps are popular and have eaten into telcos’ SMS traffic and revenues, SMS has remained resilient and must be supported in 5G, both to deliver  continuity for consumer and enterprise messaging and for the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G messaging provides telcos the opportunity to bring SMS into the 5G era. Meanwhile, 5G rich messaging is positioned as a more compelling communications channel than SMS for consumers and brands, enabling richer interactions including rich messaging, rich cards and carousels, chatbots, and payments. Finally, IoT traffic and revenues are forecast to grow to 2025 and messaging will continue to play a key role in enabling connectivity between things and between things and people. Realizing the full potential of 5G messaging will require a strong ecosystem with committed partners across the value chain.