Hot Mobile: Creating a new revenue stream with Infobip Anam Protect SMS Firewall

Challenge

Israel’s SMS market is quite specific in that mobile operators have traditionally been reluctant to introduce monetization services due to a lack of a regulatory framework in SMS interworking. A2P SMS prices have been extremely low, which has contributed to the widespread usage of A2P SMS services in the country, with grey routes presenting a significant problem.

Despite such a particular situation, mobile operators in Israel have been reluctant to tackle this issue: until recently, no mobile operator in Israel had an SMS firewall deployed, much less monetization solutions.

The market itself has great potential, with some 20 messages monthly per subscriber overall, and the ratio of international traffic to subscriber numbers at 1:1, which indicates a well-developed market. This is why Hot Mobile decided to monitor and monetize the A2P SMS market.

Solution

Infobip’s Anam Protect SMS Firewall solution combines Machine Learning-powered SMS traffic monitoring and blocking with expert monetization consultancy to turn previously uncharged messages into a revenue generator for mobile operator partners.

The Anam Protect filtering solution processes SMS traffic and provides insight into incoming SMS messages and their origin, and based on a set of parameters, the ML-driven system blocks uncharged, fraudulent or spam messages incoming over zero- or low-rated routes. At the same time, the monetization consultancy team works with message senders and global brands to transfer their traffic to legitimate, charged routes, generating revenue from previously unbilled messaging traffic.

Hot Mobile were looking for a one-stop-shop solution to their SMS monetization challenges, and that’s what Infobip has been able to provide. The flexible architecture also allowed Infobip to meet the stringent security requirements of Hot Mobile and the country’s regulations.

With the deployment of Infobip Anam Protect SMS Firewall, Hot Mobile became the first mobile operator in Israel to have an active SMS firewall, effectively leading the way for other operators in the country to follow suit.

Result

The main benefit of having deployed Infobip’s Anam Protect SMS Firewall and monetization solutions is that Hot Mobile is now fully monetizing international SMS traffic, while before the deployment they had virtually zero revenue from A2P SMS. In addition to turning international SMS traffic into a significant revenue generator, Anam Protect has also improved service for Hot Mobile subscribers, having reduced spam and fraudulent messaging delivered to mobile handsets.