Vodacom signs interconnect deal with iBurst
WBS, the parent of iBurst, has signed an SMS interconnect agreement with Vodacom on 23 July 2013, relating to bulk (aka commercial) SMS termination on the Vodacom network.
The agreed amount to terminate a commercial SMS on Vodacom’s network is 11 cents per SMS.
WBS was issued with the 081 6XX XXXX number range in 2011, allowing wireless access service providers (WASPs) to send SMSes via its network.
Some bulk SMS and WASP concerns
Unlike Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom Mobile, WBS does not support the Wireless Application Service Provider’s Association (WASPA) financially or insist that service providers become members of WASPA before they can send bulk SMSes via this channel.
If a company has an ECNS licence, they can send out messages through their network and are not required to be member of WASPA.
Non-WASPA members are not regulated by the WASPA code of conduct, which means that they do not face WASPA penalties or fines if they send SMS spam, or engage in other shady SMS practices.
This raised concerns that iBurst may be a gateway which can be used by rogue WASPs to send SMS spam. WBS dismissed these concerns.
Joe Kgamedi, head of regulatory affairs at iBurst, said that WBS is a network operator and as such they are guided by the interconnect agreements they have with other operators for both voice and SMS.
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