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Inter-operator connections were typically restricted to Person to Person traffic exchange and associated protection tools are designed to block both spam and Enterprise messaging but a relevant amount of genuine A2P traffic is still being sent through these links.   Sinch can help you identify Enterprise traffic in P2P connections and re-route it through enterprise routes. Learn more about our Messaging Proxy 365.   Read the 6 reasons mobile operators struggle with A2P monetization blog to learn more about to A2P monetisation.   ... View more

It strictly depends on resources and knowledge availability. Nowadays, Mobile Operators are under on 5G launches pressure and expert manpower is scarcely available. If a firewall is not tuned on efficiently, A2P revenues might fall by 80% after a few months from implementation.   Read more about Firewall use cases.   Learn more about the Sinch SMS Firewall solution.   ... View more

Enforcing control on traffic can prove more difficult than you may assume. In fact, even most efficient technical solutions might fail if not constantly updated: spam and cost bypass are moving targets with fraud techniques being continuously evolved.     A Firewalls performance over time, fully depends on the dedication of A2P and P2P experts that tune parameters and rules on a daily basis to capture new bypass and fraud scenarios.   With many Mobile Operators’ primarily focused on 5G implementations, only a few carriers have the necessary knowledge and resources to maintain a Firewall efficiently.   The potential impact on A2P traffic volumes of a poorly maintained firewall is shown below:   A2P volumes evolution after SMS firewall implementation: poor vs. efficient tuning     Case 1 depicts how traffic evolution could develop in case a firewall (even a high technology one) is not regularly tuned.   The launch of an SMS firewall normally coincides with a significant increase in A2P traffic: all bypass over P2P routes is stopped thanks to initial configuration that we assume to be ‘state of the art’. But fraud evolves over time and new fraud techniques find ways to bypass old filters. This reflects in a fall of A2P traffic that can be as low as 80% loss.   Case 2 shows the implementation of an efficient, vendor-based SMS firewall solution with managed services. Usually this solution includes valued add services such as threats prevention measures that cannot be provided in-house. For example, some reputable providers host a global threats database that automatically updates customers’ firewalls whenever an attack occurs worldwide. This can prevent fraud and bypass even before they occur on the network.   Software based SMS Firewalls with managed services are a recommended choice for Operators willing to fully monetize A2P, despite any manpower constraints.   Read my blog to learn more about anti-fraud features: 10 ways mobile network operators can combat SMS fraud.   Learn about Sinch SMS Firewall, which allows you to improve SMS security, combat fraud and monetize enterprise messaging in one easy solution.   ... View more

Industry studies* show that International connections are often the most exposed to A2P revenue leakages and cost bypass. Linked entities proliferate and are frequently subjected to ‘gentleman’ agreements so that SMS can be terminated even for free**.   * For example, https://mobileecosystemforum.com/fraud-and-a2p-sms-monetisation-report/ ** The so-called Roaming Agreement rule international relationships between operators, frequently allows free or low cost termination under the principle that such routes shall not be used for commercial purposes.   Protecting international traffic generally has a low impact on budget and manpower foremost if using a cloud based, third party solution.   Domestic traffic protection typically requires significantly larger systems and local set-up which has a major impact on budget and human resources.   Many operators, therefore, choose the first approach under the assumption that domestic connections, smaller in number and managed by account responsible, are more controllable.   The graph below summarizes the experience of two Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the same region and similar in size that implemented different solutions. Both operators had basic protection measures in place and suffered fraud, spam and revenue leakages.   A2P Traffic increase after SMS Firewall Implementation     MNO A implemented a fully-fledged SMS firewall with managed services, and international and domestic traffic control. A2P traffic increased during the first two months after implementation. By the fourth month traffic is subject to a normalization curve: where cost bypass is mostly eradicated and only legitimate traffic is being delivered.   MNO B opted for International traffic protection only and this resulted in some immediate impact but no further growth: In this case, as it frequently happens, domestic P2P routes were less expensive than Enterprise Messaging routes so that cost bypass migrated from international to domestic connections that were not filtered by the firewall. The resulting traffic leakage might be as high as the delta to Operator A traffic.   Now you would probably buy an SMS Firewall to cover both domestic and international traffic – but the question is: do you have the resources to operate and maintain it? I explore consequences of poor maintenance and advantages of managed services in my next blog: Do you have the feeling that your A2P revenues are leaking even if you have a top technology SMS firewall?   Learn more: Sinch SMS Firewall Challenges of A2P Monetisation 10 ways mobile network operators can combat SMS fraud.   ... View more

Watch the video to learn about the six reasons mobile operators struggle with A2P monetization:     Cost bypass is a common expression in the mobile industry; in a cost bypass situation, the creditor is not able to get paid part or the full amount due. This happens for example when message routing information is manipulated so that the party in credit cannot perform billing, or when a fraudulent entity uses free SMS retail bundles to send bulk enterprise messages (SIM Farms), or when roaming links with free termination are used for the same scope, the MNO in credit won’t receive payments for that traffic.   Analysts estimate that fraud and costs bypass result in over $6b A2P revenue losses per year. Full enterprise messaging monetization seems to become a moving target.   Click here to learn more. ... View more

Blocking function This is the ‘basic’ feature to be able to block unwanted traffic after pre-defined fraud patterns. Home routing Essential to prevent faking and provided by carrier grade SMS FW vendors. Senders receive Firewall associated routing information while real customer’s identity is protected. Content validation & fingerprinting Enabling automated checks after content of the message, for example, after regular expressions or after a specific message pattern. Full efficiencies can be gained only if the system is able to capture SMS morphing techniques and obfuscation (when parts of the messages are constantly changed, for example, with Cyrillic signs instead of Latin letters). IMSI querying IMSI of sending entity and actual customer data are crosschecked. In case the sender IMSI is not the same as the one(s) associated with customer, the probability of SIM Farm and/or identity theft fraud is very high.  Geo-location querying Customer’s geo location is compared to suspect sender ID location: If they differ, we’re facing a case of spoofing. Flexible filtering Operators must be able to tailor filtering down to route and each pre-defined rule (for example, for Rule ‘Block all messages containing ‘spam.com’ from Vodafone India to TIM Italy’). Grouping of single rules into policies without limitations should be possible and User Interface should be customer friendly. Pro-active routes testing Simulating A2P messages to most routes available on the market and collecting information on how SMS are terminated on own network, thus revealing cost bypass and fraud cases. This service can be provided by vendors that have a network of probes or direct connection to a large number of operators.   Usually MNOs will implement a mix of in-house and 3rd party solutions with different degrees of out-sourcing.   Learn more about Sinch's Fraud Prevention & Security solutions.   ... View more

Digital Interconnect is in a unique position in terms of experience and connections in both enterprise and mobile industry. Thanks to a mix of internal knowledge, in-house tools and 3rd party services Digital Interconnect provides protection to all traffic sent through the Digital Interconnect hubs. Blocking rules apply after pre-defined volumetric and content-based checks for an efficient mitigation of spam and costs bypass.   To protect their messages, our customers can add Messaging Proxy 365 service: it filters A2P traffic and ensure that it is routed through the right channels. Click here to learn more about the Messaging Proxy 365 solution.   Our parent company Sinch offers a fully-fledged SMS firewall solution available in the cloud or at customer’s premises - SMS Firewall, which enables advanced protection for both domestic and international traffic thank to sophisticated crosschecks of SS7 information and Home Routing.   Learn more about the Sinch SMS Firewall solution.   ... View more

The best practices for MNOs to monetize enterprise messaging are as follows:   Operational Implement SMS Firewall Managed services to enjoy proactive protection and updates on global threats Review filters configuration at list on a weekly basis. Commercial Mitigate costs bypass over fair pricing and small delta between international and domestic termination rates. Legal Don’t enable International messaging termination over domestic links Control IP links traffic by contractually limiting access to your network to a predefined white-list of originating addresses, for example, Facebook, 1234, etc. Define as ‘International’ all SMS from OTTs (Facebook, Google, etc. ..) and from Enterprises with legal address outside the OpCo’s country.   Operators recognize Grey routing and SIM Farms as the most popular ways to send A2P messages for free or at reduced rates but over 40% MNOs worldwide have not implemented the necessary cost-bypass preventing measures. Digital Interconnect can help you to structure your operational and business strategies to best monetize your A2P traffic and to provide you with the best tools.   Contact your Account Manager for more information.   ... View more

Grey Routes Use of Roaming Agreements to send A2P Messages. Faking Hiding the identity of submitting SMSC with a faked SMSC address. The destination network cannot track who sent a message, and messages cannot be billed correctly. Spamming Unsolicited MT messages sent to the operator´s subscribers. Often include premium rate number, e-mail address or URL. Flooding Large number of messages delivered to one or more of the operator´s subscribers, creating a denial of service attack to the operator network with loss of revenue, and costs related to fraud and spam. SMS Spoofing Fraudulent messages (MO) with a fake MSISDN are sent via the operator´s SMSC, causing lost revenue and negative impact on image. SMS Malware Illicit software download to mobile phones, via OTA or WAP push, may for example generate excessive traffic or send premium messages without the user’s knowledge. SIM modem farms Application traffic that is originated in the operator´s network, appearing to be P2P traffic, typically to take advantage of cheaper P2P bundles for sending application messages. Mobile Number Portability dips-only Routing information queries being made without any forward SMS for MNP dip purpose, providing information to external entities and consuming SS7 bandwidth for no valid reason.   Sinch can help you address the above challenges. Contact your Account Manager for more information or if you have any questions.   ... View more

The MO and MT P2P SMS imbalance can be caused by number of factors, for example: Asymmetrical routing (direct vs hub1 vs hub2) A2P or Spam SMS MT SMS grey or unauthorized routing. It is important to first understand why the imbalance exists so that the right action can be taken to address it.   Asymmetrical Routing This can often happen when customer maintains direct and SMS hub path, sometimes with two SMS hub connection. MO SMS is routed via one path and MT SMS is received via another path. Digital Interconnect’s Intelligent Hubbing 365 solution can help to control this by allowing customers to easily select which path MO should be routed to match the MT path. Click here to learn more about the Intelligent Hubbing 365 solution. A2P or Spam SMS When P2P SMS traffic is analysed, we often find A2P or spam traffic in the mix. It is important to have spam protection for SMS traffic and ensure A2P traffic is identified and routed via correct A2P route. Digital Interconnect’s Messaging Proxy 365 solution is designed to classify message category so that correct routing and billing can be applied. Click here to learn more about the Messaging Proxy 365 solution. MT SMS grey or unauthorized routing In some cases, traffic imbalance is caused by MT SMS traffic that is routed to customer via unauthorized routes. SMS Firewalls will help to block the traffic. Digital Interconnect can also help our customers identify these cases through traffic analysis and testing. Click here to learn about Sinch's SMS Firewall solution.   ... View more

An SMS Firewall protects mobile subscribers from fraud and spam. In addition it also protects Mobile Operators from Network attacks and cost bypass.   Click here to learn more about Sinch's SMS Firewall solution.   ... View more