Telkomsel expands business messaging beyond SMS
The service lets companies send messages with images, videos, and clickable buttons.
Telkomsel has rolled out a richer form of business text messaging that allows companies to send verified, interactive messages to customers, marking a first for a mobile operator in Indonesia as brands move beyond plain SMS.
Launched in late December, the service lets businesses deliver messages with images, videos, and clickable buttons, whilst assuring users that the sender is legitimate.
The platform is built on Rich Communication Services (RCS), a next-generation messaging standard that upgrades traditional SMS. Whilst RCS can be used by individuals on supported devices, business usage requires integration through an RCS for Business platform. For enterprise use, Telkomsel facilitates RCS through collaboration with communication technology providers, including Infobip.
“As part of our commitment to becoming the partner of choice for business players in Indonesia, Telkomsel continues to explore ways to help brands connect more meaningfully with their audiences,” Arief Pradetya, vice-president for digital advertising, wholesale, and interconnect at Telkomsel, told Asian Telecom.
The rollout comes as internet penetration in Indonesia has reached more than 81%, with smartphones accounting for about 83% of access, highlighting the country’s shift toward mobile-first communications.
Messages are delivered through the phone’s default messaging app using mobile data or Wi-Fi, without requiring users to download another app. Telkomsel said consumer expectations have shifted away from simple text alerts toward more visual and interactive communications.
RCS supports features similar to chat applications such as image, video and GIF sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and call-to-action buttons.
Arief said rising demand for security and personalisation is reshaping how companies communicate with customers. “Through RCS for Business, we see an opportunity to address the growing need for secure, personalised and interactive communication, especially as customers become more selective about the messages they receive,” he said in an emailed reply to questions.
Telkomsel is working with Google and Infobip to support the rollout, reflecting the operator’s role in maintaining trusted and secure business messaging on its network.
A key feature of the service is mandatory brand verification, which ensures that not every company can freely send RCS messages. For business messaging, brands must first go through a verification process via RCS for Business platforms used by Telkomsel, ensuring that only validated companies can communicate with customers through the channel.
The verification process requires businesses to display their official name, logo and a verification badge. Only senders that pass strict validation checks are allowed to use RCS, helping users distinguish genuine business messages from potentially fraudulent ones.
“Telkomsel ensures that network infrastructure supports delivery that is stable, secure, and high quality,” Arief said. “We also manage the brand verification process so that every sender is assured of its credibility.”
From a commercial standpoint, Telkomsel sees banking, e-commerce, transportation and retail as the sectors most ready to adopt the service given their need for timely and secure customer communications.
He cited studies suggesting that richer messaging formats could lift click-through rates well above those of standard SMS. For micro, small and medium enterprises, the service offers a way to present a more professional brand image and hold two-way conversations directly in the messaging inbox.
Matija Ražem, chief commercial telecom officer at Infobip, said adoption potential in Indonesia is strong.
“We are seeing growing potential for RCS for Business in Indonesia, driven by high mobile penetration and accelerating digital adoption,” he said in an emailed reply to questions.
Ražem added that verified sender identities and interactive formats are gradually shaping a new standard for brand–customer communication in Indonesia, based on trust, security, and reliability.
Telkomsel expects the service to complement SMS in the medium term, whilst longer-term forecasts point to richer messaging becoming a core channel for business communications worldwide.
