Among many technological inventions that help institutions to thrive and develop, SMS Masking and IoT are two excellent examples of things that institutions can incorporate to stay relevant in the game. In the webinar “ISP’s Next Big Thing – Appeal to Your Customers and Monetize Digital Market Opportunities”, business managers from various institutions shared how the two solutions can help your business seize the day and take profitable chances in the digital age. Their stories show how SMS Masking and IoT can support not only your business, but also your clients.

SMS Masking

SMS masking is an SMS feature that companies can use to mask the SMS sender’s identity with the brand/institution that they’re representing. Since messages sent from an unknown number arouses suspicions, institutions need to present themselves as their brands in the end users’ inboxes, so that the recipients know where they get the messages from. This feature allows legitimate institutions to differentiate themselves from scammers and other parties who may misuse the institution’s name. Here are three types of SMS Masking and their functions.

• SMS Blasting

SMS Blasting is a method of sending messages to any kind of cellular operator through web-based applications. To use this feature, an institution needs a stable internet connection and a database containing active consumer numbers/IMEI. Existing features for this SMS method include API Integration, Group SMS, Excel-imported SMS, SMS scheduler, and SMS delivery status.

• LBA (Local-Based Advertising) SMS

As the name suggests, this method allows senders to transmit messages within a specific region, according to the coverage area of a BTS (Base Transceiver Station). The SMS quota will depend on the client’s preference, schedule, and the location of the selected BTS itself.

• Targeted SMS

Meanwhile, targeted SMS is intended for clients who have a specific target audience in mind. The SMS will be sent based on the end user’s profile – sex, age, gadget type, location, and even patterns of phone credit usage. As this method targets specific end users, the mechanism also follows LBA SMS, with the support of local BTS.

SMS masking can support Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to reduce cost, as the need for human couriers may not be as cost-effective as using SMS masking. In addition, the open rate of SMS is significantly higher than that of emails, allowing ISPs to efficiently send greetings, reminders, announcements, and promotions. ISPs whose clients are public institutions, for instance, can increase revenue by offering SMS masking as a product that helps government officials announce messages or remind themselves for regular updates on net worth reports.

IoT Solutions

Aside from SMS masking, ISPs have turned to IoTs to assist not only their business development, but also their clienteles. In the pandemic era, many institutions have to experience setbacks due to the decline in demands. A telecommunication company in Indonesia whose clientele were business institutions had to re-strategize its business and turn into public institutions, oil & gas corporations, and mining companies, where IoT demand is on the rise. Their IoT solutions not only helped them get back on their feet, but also proved to be useful for their clienteles. 

Here are several examples of how IoT can be used:

• Traffic Monitoring. With such dense naval traffic in Balikpapan, authorities were overwhelmed as they used to monitor the traffic manually. The use of IoT helped the authorities naval security easily, reducing the heavy reliance on human resources and cutting down unnecessary cost.

• Flow Monitoring. IoT has helped gas companies to monitor gas flow within pipes or ESP pumps, eliminating the need for human labor to perform manual inspection. Instead, the human resources can safely and easily monitor voltage or gas flow from dashboards in a much safer environment.

• Tank Monitoring. Oil companies have started turning to IoTs to monitor Oil Dispersant. Oil leakage may happen from time to time and damage the water ecosystem. IoT allows companies to easily assess leakage emergencies. Truck tanks can also be equipped with IoT to alert companies if fuel theft occurs.

ISPs can incorporate SMS Masking and IoT Solutions as a part of their business. The two features can offer solutions for not only ISPs’ attempt at staying competitive in the digital age, but also existing issues experienced by ISP’s clientele. You can also visit Telkom DWS’ Youtube on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI3Khrg4eU&t=7632s to watch the complete webinar.