• Introducing Dedicated & Share USSD Talk to sales.
HollaTagsHollaTagsHollaTagsHollaTags
  • Products
    • SMS
    • Voice
    • USSD
    • Carrier Billing
  • Customers
  • Pricing
  • Developer APIs
  • Company
    • About
    • Security
    • Clients & Partners
    • Blog
  • Contact
  • LOGIN
SIGN UP
Hollatags Blog - SEO
Winning with SEO for Marketing versus SEO for Public Relations
May 11, 2022
Leaveraging mobile communications for healthcare in Africa
Leveraging Mobile to Build a Better African Healthcare System
June 15, 2022
Hollatags Blog Banner (Whatsapp vs A2P)

Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging is a messaging system where texts go from a software application to an individual’s device. These applications by businesses and establishments are used for one-time passwords (OTPs), surveys, promotional codes, appointment reminders, pending transactions, and marketing communication.

WhatsApp Business, a business-facing variation of the highly popular over-the-top (OTT) messaging platform, also offers an A2P business model. For example, business owners can send promotional codes, reminders, etc. But unlike A2P SMS, which only supports text, this alternative allows businesses to send images to users.

Just as it transformed the P2P (Person-to-Person) messaging industry, experts are tipping WhatsApp to do the same with A2P and about 2 billion monthly active users; this does not seem to be out of its reach.

Despite all these, WhatsApp’s A2P model has not yet been fully embraced and here are some reasons why:

A2P, Old Reliable

  1. Ubiquity: A2Ps are sent via SMS, the most far-reaching messaging service with over 5 billion global users and rising. A number that more than doubles WhatsApp’s. It is not hard to see why businesses gravitate towards A2P, the platform that allows them to reach more people.
  2. No internet, no problem: A severe limitation to the WhatsApp model is the need for an internet connection. This automatically cuts off access to about a third of the world’s population, who do not have access to the internet. A2P, on the other hand, does not require users to have an internet connection. This is also useful for areas with low internet connectivity, like sub-Saharan Africa.
  3. Accessibility: WhatsApp is a mobile messaging application that can only be set up on an Android or iOS device–smartphone. A user without a smartphone or with one that does not meet the application’s minimum requirements will be unable to receive or respond to messages. Unlike WhatsApp, all users with a mobile phone can receive A2P SMS– a fact that businesses in low-income countries and societies cannot afford to ignore.
  4. Trustworthiness: With internet fraud on the rise and instant messaging apps the hunting ground for many fraudsters, consumers are more inclined to trust an OTP coming from a verified shortcode or name than from a WhatsApp contact.

Bonus: For businesses in Nigeria, and most of Africa, it’s way cheaper to send A2P SMS than send messages to their customers via WhatsApp.

Conclusion

OTT messaging (WhatsApp) may be the future, but A2P defines the present.

The WhatsApp A2P model is undoubtedly impressive, but it is unlikely to be the enterprise messaging service of choice anytime soon with these severe limitations. However, business owners looking to switch can instead combine both services, giving their users the option to receive these notifications via SMS or WhatsApp.

An example demonstrated by WhatsApp itself: During its user onboarding process, it provides the option to verify with an OTP sent via A2P SMS.

Are you looking to set up an A2P or 2-way SMS service for your business? HollaTags provides easy-to-integrate APIs and platforms for SMS, USSD and Voice messaging. Connect with your customers on mobile using HollaTags.

Share
0

Related posts

July 29, 2022

How mobile communication is key to accelerating agriculture


Read more
June 29, 2022

Edtech: The mobile phone is key to boosting access to education in Africa


Read more
Leaveraging mobile communications for healthcare in Africa
June 15, 2022

Leveraging Mobile to Build a Better African Healthcare System


Read more

HollaTags

21A, Oluwakayode Jacobs Crescent
Lekki Phase 1
Lagos - Nigeria

Questions? Talk to Sales.

Company

  • About us
  • Security
  • Clients & Partners
  • Contact

Products

  • Voice
  • SMS
  • USSD
  • Carrier Billing

Resources

  • Developer APIs
  • Customer Stories
  • Careers
  • Blog

Legal

  • Terms
  • Privacy
© 2014 - 2021 HollaTags. All Rights Reserved.

    Select Team / Department (required)

    SalesTechnical Support

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using this website you agree to our Data Protection Policy.Ok Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT