Overview of the U.S. RBM Framework

We are excited to announce the U.S. RCS Business Messaging (RBM) Framework, which is designed to enable successful, scalable, and trusted adoption of RBM in the United States. The U.S. RBM Framework is the culmination of strong collaboration among the CTIA RCS Working Group (which includes U.S. wireless providers) and other key industry stakeholders in the messaging ecosystem. The U.S. RBM Framework includes revised RBM message types and billing paradigms, as well as a U.S.-specific brand verification process. In the future, the U.S. RBM Framework will expand to include additional billing paradigms, feature functions, business rules and improvements to the RBM Agent onboarding and lifecycle management processes as brought forth by the CTIA RCS Working Group in partnership with RBM technology providers.

What Is RBM?

RBM is the first wireless provider-managed, non-consumer messaging service to offer messaging aggregators and their customers the power of sending secure, branded messaging with rich media, enabling more engaging interactions—all within the native messaging application consumers use every day across both Android and iOS.

Every RBM message thread displays a brand’s name and logo and enables consumers to engage with rich cards, view photo and video carousels, use app-like features, and tap on interactive links and buttons within their native messaging application. That dynamism allows brands to develop meaningful experiences that meet evolving consumer needs on the go and create deeper relationships with their customers.

The U.S. Wireless Industry’s Role in RBM

U.S. wireless providers have led the way in non-consumer messaging for more than two decades, fostering a stable, trusted environment for businesses and other non-consumer senders to deploy messaging while protecting consumers from unwanted and illegal text messages. The U.S. wireless industry is working to ensure the next generation of non-consumer messaging—RBM—maintains that trust while offering innovative features and services.

To accomplish these goals CTIA, on behalf of the wireless industry, founded an RCS Working Group comprised of U.S. wireless providers, which has engaged Campaign Service Providers (CSPs), Direct Connect Aggregators (DCAs), and technology providers in the messaging ecosystem to help shape the success of RBM in the U.S.

Through this effort, the CTIA RCS Working Group has developed the U.S. RBM Framework, focused on interoperability, rigorous consumer protection, and maintaining the simplicity, transparency, cost predictability, and familiarity of SMS through an aggregator-centric distribution model.