Every year, we get another “state of messaging” report.
More channels. More volume. More growth.
This one is different.
Infobip just analyzed 3.8 trillion messages over 20 years — one of the largest datasets our industry has ever seen. And buried in the numbers is a simple but uncomfortable truth:
Messaging, as we know it, is over.
The Data Is Clear — We Just Haven’t Caught Up
Let’s start with what the data actually tells us.
Nearly 98% of interactions are now multi-channel, and single-channel communication has effectively disappeared. RCS is accelerating fast across regions, WhatsApp dominates conversational AI interactions, and AI is moving beyond simple chatbots into more autonomous, goal-driven journeys
If you take a step back, this isn’t just progress.
It’s a structural shift in how businesses engage with customers.
And yet, the way we talk about the industry hasn’t really changed.
We’re still framing things in terms of channels, APIs, and incremental improvements — as if we’re optimizing messaging, rather than redefining it.
From Messaging to Orchestration
What’s really happening here is not better messaging.
It’s the emergence of something much bigger.
We’re moving from sending messages, to managing conversations, to orchestrating entire customer journeys across channels — in real time, increasingly driven by AI.
This is exactly what we’ve been calling Intelligent Engagement: a shift away from fragmented tools toward dynamic, AI-driven interaction models across customers, partners, and systems
The Infobip data doesn’t introduce this idea.
It confirms it.
The problem is that the industry is still telling the old story.
The Industry Is Still Selling Yesterday
There’s a clear disconnect.
The data shows a world where communication is continuous, contextual, and multi-channel by default. AI is starting to influence decisions, not just automate responses. Interactions are no longer isolated events — they’re part of ongoing journeys.
But the market still sells channels.
Add WhatsApp. Launch RCS. Expose APIs.
All useful. None of it wrong.
But it misses where the real value is shifting.
Because the value is no longer in the channel itself. It’s in understanding context, making the right decision at the right moment, and driving outcomes across an entire journey.
That’s a very different game.
AI Changes the Direction — Not the Reality (Yet)
The report leans heavily into Agentic AI, and rightly so.
The idea of AI agents orchestrating customer journeys across channels is compelling. It’s where things are heading.
But if we’re honest about where the market is today, we’re still early.
Across Enterprise Connect, MWC, and our own AI Voice research, most deployments are still closer to structured workflows than true autonomous systems. Data remains fragmented. Cross-channel intelligence is limited. Integration is harder than many expected.
So while the direction is clear, the maturity is not there yet.
That gap matters. Because it’s exactly where the opportunity sits.
The Real Question: Who Owns the Orchestration Layer?
If messaging becomes orchestration, the competitive landscape shifts.
It’s no longer about which channel wins. It’s about who owns the layer that decides what happens next.
That could be CPaaS players. Or CCaaS platforms. Or hyperscalers. Or a new wave of AI-native companies. Telcos are also trying to re-enter the conversation, this time with APIs and identity.
But once orchestration becomes the core value layer, everything else starts to commoditize.
Channels become interchangeable. APIs become expected. AI becomes embedded.
What remains is control over data, context, and decisioning.
That’s where the real battle is.
And Yes — SMS Is Still Here
One more reality check.
Despite everything we’re seeing, SMS still accounts for the majority of traffic today
Not because it’s innovative, but because it’s reliable, ubiquitous, and deeply embedded.
This isn’t a story about replacing SMS.
It’s about absorbing it into a broader, orchestrated model.
The winners won’t eliminate SMS.
They’ll use it more intelligently, as part of something larger.
The Bottom Line
The Infobip data gives us something valuable: clarity.
It shows that the shift is already happening. Multi-channel is the default. AI is entering the loop. Conversations are becoming continuous.
But the industry is still explaining itself using the language of the past.
And that’s the real risk.
Because if we keep talking about messaging, we’ll keep underselling what this market is becoming.
This isn’t about messaging anymore.
It’s about orchestrating intelligent engagement at scale.
And we’re only just getting started.
My lifetime in IT and telecoms has been dedicated to innovation, building bridges and creating change. From the early days of cloud communications to working with operators on innovations and business development, and currently emphasizing APIs, CPaaS/CX and AI, my journey has been one of continuous evolution.
As founding partner at CPaaS Acceleration Alliance and The Next Cloud I'm privileged to help global telcos and techcos thrive in a fast changing world - through events, community building, strategy and global business development. I thrive on challenges and change, strategizing in cloud communications, and bringing people together for mutual success. Travel and continuous learning are my passions.
I believe the global communications industry is pivoting to prioritize customer experience and impactful solutions over mere technology and platforms, and we can tackle societal challenges by merging the strengths of corporates and innovators within new ecosystems.
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