To enable the service, the CCMI joint venture is working to develop and deploy the standards-based, interoperable messaging service starting with Android and expected in 2020. Working with its carrier ownership group and other companies in the RCS ecosystem, the CCMI service will:

• Drive a robust business-to-consumer messaging ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of Rich Communications Services (RCS)
• Enable an enhanced experience to privately send individual or group chats across carriers with high quality pictures and videos
• Provide consumers with the ability to chat with their favorite brands, order a rideshare, pay bills or schedule appointments, and more
• Create a single seamless, interoperable RCS experience across carriers, both in the U.S. and globally

“People love text messaging for a reason. Texting is trusted, reliable and readily available—which is why we’re using it to build the foundation of a simple, immersive messaging experience,” said David Christopher, executive vice president and general manager, AT&T Mobility. “This service will power new and innovative ways for customers to engage with each other and their favorite brands.”

“The CCMI will bring a consistent, engaging experience that makes it easy for consumers and businesses to interact in an environment they can trust,” said Michel Combes, President & CEO of Sprint. “As we have seen in Asia, messaging is poised to become the next significant digital platform. CCMI will make it easy for consumers to navigate their lives from a smartphone.”

“At the Un-carrier, customers drive everything we do, and that’s no different here,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “Efforts like CCMI help move the entire industry forward so we can give customers more of what they want and roll out new messaging capabilities that work the same across providers and even across countries.”

“At Verizon, our customers depend on reliable text messaging to easily connect them to the people they care about most. Yet, we can deliver even more working together as an industry,” said Ronan Dunne, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group. “CCMI will create the foundation for an innovative digital platform that not only connects consumers with friends and family, but also offers a seamless experience for consumers to connect with businesses in a compelling and trusted environment.”

More details will be announced at a later date.

About AT&T Communications

We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we innovate to improve lives. We have the nation’s fastest wireless network.* And according to America’s biggest test, we have the nation’s best wireless network.** We’re building FirstNet just for first responders and creating next-generation mobile 5G. With DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW and WatchTV, we deliver entertainment people love to talk about. Our smart, highly secure solutions serve nearly 3 million global businesses – nearly all of the Fortune 1000. And worldwide, our spirit of service drives employees to give back to their communities. AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. ). 

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.3 million connections as of June 30, 2019 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint’s legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching a 5G mobile network in the U.S. You

About T-Mobile US, Inc.

As America’s Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. Our advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 83.1 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. For more information, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York City, generated revenues of $130.9 billion in 2018. The company operates America’s most reliable wireless network and the nation’s premier all-fiber network, and delivers integrated solutions to businesses worldwide. With brands like Yahoo, TechCrunch and HuffPost, the company’s media group helps consumers stay informed and entertained, communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and partners to connect. Verizon’s corporate responsibility prioritizes the environmental, social and governance issues most relevant to its business and impact to society.

By extending customer support capabilities to WhatsApp, businesses that use Zendesk can now reach WhatsApp’s 1.5 billion users to provide faster, more proactive support. Customers can opt-in to receive updates and notifications such as purchase receipts, shipping changes or flight times directly in WhatsApp.

“Customers want to communicate with businesses as easily and seamlessly as they do with their friends and family,” said Mikkel Svane, Zendesk CEO and founder. “WhatsApp has quickly become the messaging app of choice, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America. With this new integration, we’re helping businesses stay connected with their customers globally.”

Businesses want a single, integrated place to manage all the interactions happening across different channels such as chat, phone, email, and messaging apps like WhatsApp. Zendesk now has the capability to help businesses around the globe put their customers first by better managing inquiries using the WhatsApp integration.

1mg, India’s leading consumer health platform, provides omnichannel support with Zendesk, and has seen success with their early access WhatsApp integration.

“WhatsApp is one of the most popular communication channels in India. With the integration, we can easily manage customer conversations in one place directly with Zendesk, just like we do with every other channel,” said Jehan Jit Singh, customer experience lead at 1mg. “With Zendesk and WhatsApp, we are now able to offer a faster and more convenient mode of communication. We handle over 20 percent of our order status inquiries daily with WhatsApp and Zendesk, which is much faster than traditional methods.”

Learn more about Zendesk as a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider and apply for WhatsApp’s limited access here: www.zendesk.com/whatsapp

About Zendesk
The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Zendesk’s powerful and flexible customer service and engagement platform scales to meet the needs of any business, from startups and small businesses to growth companies and enterprises. Zendesk serves businesses across a multitude of industries, with more than 125,000 paid customer accounts offering service and support in more than 30 languages. Headquartered in San Francisco, Zendesk operates worldwide with 15 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.

Updating the terms and conditions should not come as a surprise, the move reflects the fact a lot has changed for the brand in the last few years, though it does open the door to more commercially driven services on the app. WhatsApp will now be able to share user data with Facebook in an effort to improve the accuracy and relevance of advertising. The team are describing the move as an effort to enhance customer experience, though it would seem the definition of improved experience varies depending on who you work for.

“As we announced earlier this year, we want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam,” blogged WhatsApp. So far the examples being given include banks and airlines getting in touch with customers through the app. It would appear the definition of customer experience in WhatsApp is advertising solutions.

Back in 2009, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum wrote on the company blog “We have not, we do not and we will not ever sell your personal information to anyone. Period. End of story. Hopefully this clears things up,” and following the $19 billion sale to Facebook in 2014 he commented “Here’s what will change for you, our users: nothing… You can continue to use WhatsApp no matter where in the world you are, or what smartphone you’re using. And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication”. Job done.

The majority of what has been said in previous years does remain true however. WhatsApp will not sell phone numbers directly to advertisers, though the data will be used to hone advertiser’s efforts. WhatsApp hasn’t done anything wrong in that context, though it does open the door for a more commercially orientated app in the future. A potential worry for WhatsApp is the app is heading in a similar direction to other commercially driven messaging services; the ones users flocked to WhatsApp in an effort to avoid.

The acquisition has not been all bad news, the small fee which was once charged to users is no longer, however the team are flirting with contradictions. In a previous life, Koum was very forward in his commitment to maintaining the status quo, though it would appear the world of Facebook has altered the perception of WhatsApp.

To purchase the bundles, subscribers dial *480# or SMS the letter ‘W’ to 33480. The bundles are available for both pre-paid and post paid subscribers.

There are three WhatsApp Bundles that can be purchased. The daily bundle, which costs 29 cents, gives subscribers access to WhatsApp for 24 hours.

The weekly bundle, which is valid for seven days, costs 89 cents. In addition to access to WhatsApp for a week, it gives the subscriber 5MB of bonus data for the first 1 000 subscribers who sign up for this bundle.

The monthly bundle, which costs $2.85 and is valid for 30 days, comes with 20 MB of bonus data for the first 500 subscribers who sign up.

“The WhatsApp bundles allow unlimited messaging. Subscribers can chat, send videos and share voice notes without having to worry about running out of data. Even if the ordinary data has been used up, it will still be possible to use WhatsApp”, said Telecel marketing Director Octivius Kahiya.