SMS has been used as the main messaging service since the days of 2G on mobile devices before different messaging apps on smartphones started taking over on the market. However, SMS is still the only service by which every mobile phone can be reached by default, irrespective of which of the different over-the-top messaging apps are preferred by the users. The phone number still enables the world's largest social network, and with a phone number you are also reachable via SMS. The SMS service is also evolving, with the Rich Communication Services Business Messaging (GSMA Messaging-as-a-Platform), to enable businesses to tap into new revenues, and chatbots and AI are also enabled to improve user experience.
SMS may still be used for verification purposes when installing a messaging app on a new smartphone, and SMS may be used to provide information about flight delays and community emergency alerts as well as other ”must have” types of information. However, there are also other SMS use cases more or less invisible for users. For example, the service provider may trigger smartphones and other devices to perform re-configuration. This means that SMS has to be supported on 5G smartphones as ”must have” functionality that is still available when needed - even if it is not the main contact point for users' messaging usage. So you need to consider how SMS is part of the overall network evolution when launching 5G smartphones.
Here you can learn more about where to start the 5G Voice evolution, the network evolution aspects of enabling communication services in 5G, deep-dive into a number of 5G voice brochures, all updated in January 2019 to provide our latest recommendations.
Do you want to know how to enable SMS in our network when you are deploying 5G?
The network infrastructure used for enabling VoLTE today will continue to be used to also enable 5G voice. So get your network ready and deploy VoLTE now. We have solutions that enable you to deploy in just weeks. Learn more here:
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