Bandwidth Introduces Enterprise A2P Messaging

Enterprise communications platform-as-a-service company Bandwidth today launched Enterprise Application-to-Person (A2P) Messaging, an alternative to short codes for business messaging at scale.

Bandwidth's A2P SMS product is built using toll-free SMS as its backbone. It offers the same send and delivery rates and the ability to make a phone call using the same toll-free number as standard short codes but removes the approval wait times that are commonly associated with five- or six-digit short codes.

"We believe that toll-free SMS is the new standard for business messaging," said Bandwidth Vice President of Messaging Services Jason Sommerset in a statement. "Businesses need more than what short codes are able to offer, and local phone numbers are not set up to handle the volume that enterprise use cases demand. We're able to offer the best of both worlds with our A2P product, delivering at scale for an even better customer experience. We're proud to pave the way for innovation in the toll-free messaging space with numbers that are both voice and messaging enabled with enterprise scale."

Enterprise A2P Messaging can also accommodate higher-volume use cases, like customer service notifications (alerts, appointment reminders). It also allows companies to switch from text messaging to phone calls at high volume.

"Bandwidth's Enterprise A2P Messaging is a great choice for businesses who have a need for massive scale and demand more than what a short code offers in delivering on omnichannel communications strategy," said Raul Castanon-Martinez, an analyst at 451 Group, in a statement. "Bandwidth's offering, built with toll-free SMS, offers the same level of deliverability and scalability as short codes, with added flexibility for two-way messaging and voice calling capabilities."

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