By Adedapo Adesanya
One of Nigeria’s leading telecommunication service, 9mobile, in collaboration Google and Kirusa, are set to revolutionize enterprise communication with Rich Communication Services (RCS) Business Messaging.
This came at a recent workshop held in Lagos for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Aggregators, and brands to introduce RCS, and showcase how through the RCS Business Messaging (RBM), companies are effectively changing how companies communicate.
RCS is a next-generation native messaging evolution better than SMS for Android users which allows enhanced smartphone messaging and contains other features such as high-resolution photo and video sharing, location sharing, group chats, read receipts among others.
This is considered a necessary tool for enterprises because it is an opportunity to engage with their smartphone customers using RBM and also applicable for business-to-consumer communication to provide a richer and interactive brand experience, complete with verified senders and brand logos.
The RCS app also opens possibility for individual use with any other mobile subscriber using the native messaging app on the phone.
At the workshop, 9mobile announced that it has chosen Google’s Jibe platform for offering RCS, and has chosen Kirusa for managing its RBM services in Nigeria, including directories, onboarding, verification, and APIs to send OTP’s over RCS.
According to Mr Bola Afuye, Head of Digital Media, 9mobile, “We are glad to be the front-runners not just in Nigeria, but in all of Africa to launch RCS and RBM. RCS opens up newer avenues for brands to communicate with their customers.
This workshop demonstrated how carriers can benefit from RCS and leverage it to offer innovative services to their subscribers and have engaging conversations with their customers.”
On the part of the Google, according to Ms Johanna Kollar, Partnerships Lead, Communication Products, EMEA, Google, noted that Kirusa and 9mobile were the first agents on the company RCS MAAP platform.
“We are excited to see Kirusa and 9mobile leading the way by launching the first RCS agents in Nigeria on Google’s RCS MAAP platform.
“Bringing modern messaging to everyone on Android is important to us and we look forward to supporting Kirusa and 9mobile further.” She said.
Google has been playing a significant role in organising the adoption of RCS across the globe. Taking the lead to transform enterprise messaging experiences on Android with RCS, Google launched its RBM Early Access Program in 2017.
The Program aims to help enterprises build agents that take advantage of RCS features and engage with their audiences better and it hopes it can get better with 9mobile as the first operator in the world.
Mr Inderpal Singh Mumick, the Founder, Chairman and, CEO of Kirusa noted that the company wants to enhance the adoption and spread of RBM by more brands.
“We are delighted to be a part of the workshop hosted by Google to showcase the possibilities of RCS for the Nigerian market. Through this workshop, we want to enhance the usage and adoption of RBM by brands in Nigeria, as it provides convenience and value to consumers.
“By providing RBM agents, brands are empowered to improve overall customer experience and satisfaction,” He said.
The workshop was attended by over 50 attendees, including representatives from MTN, Airtel, Glo, GTB, Zenith Bank, Unity Bank, Accion Microfinance, Interswitch, and Infobip, among others.
9mobile is the first operator in Nigeria to launch RCS, and the first operator in the world to provide an RCS bot, named my9mobile, for providing customer support, and also the first operator in the world to make missed call alert and voicemail available using an RCS Agent.
