30 December 2025
Jentje Umpleby, Sales Specialist, Openmind Networks
The suspension of Google’s RCS guest services in multiple African MNOs has created a peculiar dilemma, leaving consumers, brands, and operators highly frustrated.
RCS is an advanced form of SMS, offering interactive features such as images, buttons, carousels, verified senders, and read receipts. It operates directly within the phone’s native messaging application, eliminating the need for external third-party apps. RCS is widely supported on Android, and its availability on iOS is increasing.
RCS for business brings these same capabilities to business communication. It allows companies to send branded, interactive messages for promotions, service updates, and two-way conversations. For mobile operators, RBM provides a secure and reliable channel that gives them control over delivery, quality, and compliance.
While RCS has existed for a long time, the GSMA’s Universal Profile addressed fragmentation. Google’s pivotal role was to rapidly accelerate its adoption, turning it into a widely available service through its Google Jibe platform.
To increase reach and user adoption, Google enabled RCS via the Google Guest Cloud, allowing Android users to send P2P RCS messages, and enterprises to deliver Rich Business Messages to users on networks not yet in partnership with Google. Google has hosted this global federated service with the objective that carriers will partner with Google for RCS business services, as this is where Google monetises its investment, and the carrier can benefit from charging for RBM terminations within their network.
The provision of free, global RCS infrastructure via the Google Guest Cloud represents a significant, multi-million-dollar operational investment. To ensure the long-term sustainability and continued expansion of this infrastructure, Google is shifting to a partnership model that requires a revenue share with operators for RCS for Business.
As part of the transition to a sustainable, carrier-led model, Google has begun phasing out free RCS guest services in some markets. While this transition is necessary for the long-term health of the ecosystem, it has led to temporary service disruption and user frustration in affected regions.
Users having gotten used to RCS now find it getting switched back off again. This is causing a lot of frustration as no clear answers are given as to why they no longer have access to RCS, other than “your carrier does not support” notice. Although Google has not made public statements as to the reason for suspension, the message is clear: if a consumer wants RCS, it is up to the carrier to support it.
RBM will take time to establish and is still fragmented. In the US, 90% of users are RCS-enabled as it was one of the first regions where Apple has enabled RCS. Germany, for instance, primary carriers have joined forces in campaigning heavily on the features of RBM, partnering with large Enterprises to educate users on the security aspects of RBM resulting in user confidence in RBM as a trusted Telco native channel. The German consortium of carriers has a view that RCS has not replaced SMS necessarily, but that it has created a new revenue channel for them. On average, RBM campaigns, depending on the type of campaign, achieved 120-300% higher conversion rates for enterprises compared to SMS and email campaigns.
Some African operators have successfully adopted RCS and partnered with Google. For example, in Nigeria, user adoption is high, and they are beginning to monetise RBM. The key to RBM’s success lies in its reach: enterprises need to connect with a majority of subscribers in that market. RBM is most effective when most or all operators in a market have adopted RCS. However, large global enterprises, such as global retailers are embracing RCS for Business as the ROI is significant, buyer trust is there, whilst the secure nature of the channel appeals to hyperscalers and financial institutions for authentication OTP purposes.
Market Shift Statements
Drawing on Openmind Networks’ Future of Messaging Report 2025 and analyst outlooks commissioned to Mobilesquared, the data underscores a substantial and rapid global transition toward Rich Business Messaging. This is not a slow evolution, but a measurable shift that places early movers in a strong position to reclaim significant value previously ceded to OTT platforms. The financial projections alone are staggering, with the global RBM market forecast to explode from $190.8 million in 2024 to an estimated $4.5 billion by 2029. This acceleration is heavily influenced by cross-platform support, evidenced by the projection that Apple’s highly anticipated RCS support is expected to add a massive $1 billion in RBM revenue by 2029.
This growth is being actively pulled by enterprise demand. Over half of service providers (52.5%) report that their rich-messaging strategy is directly driven by the inherent limitations of traditional SMS and the rising threat of fraud. When it comes to strategic intent for rich communication, RBM is leading the way, cited by 30% as the main driver, marginally ahead of WhatsApp Business at 25%. The market confirms this trend: since Apple committed to RCS support starting in 2024, 36.1% of providers saw an immediate increase in enterprise inquiries, and nearly 40% report that this high demand has been sustained, indicating that the move to interactive, secure messaging is now mandatory for large-scale corporate communication.
The RCS opportunity for Africa
The current disruption in RCS guest services across parts of Africa is not the end of RCS — it is a call to action for operators. The frustration felt by users and enterprises alike underscores one simple truth: there is clear demand for rich, interactive, and secure messaging. The question is no longer whether RCS is viable, but who will take ownership of it in each market.
As Google transitions toward a carrier-led RCS model, operators in Africa have a unique opportunity to step up, partner strategically, and take control of their own RCS infrastructure. By doing so, they can capture new enterprise revenue, strengthen customer relationships, and restore consumer trust in native telco messaging.
The global data tells a compelling story — Rich Business Messaging is scaling fast, enterprise adoption is accelerating, and Apple’s RCS support will only add momentum. Markets that embrace RCS early are already seeing significant returns through increased engagement and monetisation.
The time to choose is now: to RCS or not to RCS — Africa’s next major messaging decision will define its digital communication landscape for years to come.
