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Enabling Business Communication at scale, uniquely engaging one customer at a time.Enabling Business Communication at scale
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“Thank you Bidvest team for your great service throughout 2024.”
- MTN
“Working with the Bidvest team is a real pleasure. We've thoroughly enjoyed partnering with a local provider for our business' WhatsApp profile - invoicing is simple and our templates are loaded and approved speedily. Prepaid24 would highly recommend Bidvest. Such a seamless process from setup to production!”
- Prepaid24
“We're incredibly grateful to the Bidvest Data Team who go above and beyond to support us with vital customer communication. Their commitment and innovation has kept us at the forefront of electronic customer engagement.”
- Sanlam Retail Mass
“Dear Bidvest team, Just wanted to take the time to say a very special thank you to TEAM BIDVEST. Everyone at OUP thanks all the people involved over the last few weeks and trust me, everyone in our organization now knows how much we can depend on Bidvest and we're all truly grateful for your efforts. Your responsiveness to our changing needs and requests is truly appreciated”
- Oxford
Discover the essential compliance requirements for deploying zero-rated SMS services in South Africa. Learn about POPIA, ICASA regulations, and best practices for enterprise communication.
In the dynamic landscape of telecommunications in South Africa, zero-rated SMS services represent a crucial component for enterprise communication strategies. Businesses, particularly in sectors like healthcare, financial services, and government, are increasingly leveraging zero-rated SMS to enhance accessibility and improve service delivery. However, as these services grow, understanding and adhering to compliance requirements is essential. This guide will delve deeply into the specific compliance requirements for zero-rated SMS, offering practical insights, best practices, and in-depth explanations to ensure your enterprise navigates the complexities effectively.
Zero-rated SMS refers to text messages that do not incur data charges for the recipient. This service aims to promote accessibility by allowing users to receive important information without incurring costs, making it particularly useful in contexts like educational notifications, health alerts, and emergency communications.
Enterprises utilize zero-rated SMS for various applications, including:
Despite the advantages, deploying zero-rated SMS comes with several compliance obligations that businesses must adhere to. Understanding these requirements is crucial for mitigating legal risks and ensuring service continuity.
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) governs the handling of personal information in South Africa. Enterprises must ensure compliance with the following:
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) regulates telecommunications and broadcasting services. Key requirements include:
Subscribers must have clear access to their rights under the law:
Ignoring compliance regulations not only impacts your brand's reputation but can also lead to severe legal liabilities, including significant fines. For example, violations of POPIA can result in penalties of up to R10 million or 10 years of imprisonment for severe breaches.
To navigate the complexities of zero-rated SMS compliance effectively, consider the following best practices:
Zero-rated SMS presents significant opportunities for enterprises in South Africa. However, understanding and complying with the pertinent regulations is crucial for sustainable operations. By adopting best practices and staying informed about the evolving landscape, businesses can effectively utilize zero-rated SMS while mitigating compliance risks.
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Get answers to common questions about Sms And Svsms
“Thank you Bidvest team for your great service throughout 2024.”
- MTN
“Working with the Bidvest team is a real pleasure. We've thoroughly enjoyed partnering with a local provider for our business' WhatsApp profile - invoicing is simple and our templates are loaded and approved speedily. Prepaid24 would highly recommend Bidvest. Such a seamless process from setup to production!”
- Prepaid24
“We're incredibly grateful to the Bidvest Data Team who go above and beyond to support us with vital customer communication. Their commitment and innovation has kept us at the forefront of electronic customer engagement.”
- Sanlam Retail Mass
“Dear Bidvest team, Just wanted to take the time to say a very special thank you to TEAM BIDVEST. Everyone at OUP thanks all the people involved over the last few weeks and trust me, everyone in our organization now knows how much we can depend on Bidvest and we're all truly grateful for your efforts. Your responsiveness to our changing needs and requests is truly appreciated”
- Oxford
Discover our comprehensive solution features designed to transform your business communication experience
Bidvest Data sends on average more than 10 million personalized SMS/SV SMS messages per month, with daily peaks exceeding 2 million messages. This comprises mainly of transactional notifications and hosted transactional data.
The SMS channel delivers a secure, shortened personalized URL to the consumer, directing them to their unique microsite. All consumer activity can be tracked.
PDF documents, HTML content, videos and animations can be hosted on our Zero Rated Data domains. Reverse billing of data on these domains ensure access for end users to content at no cost. Bidvest Data offers this service on all South African and Namibian mobile networks.
Bidvest Data offers custom-built, screen adaptive, HTML environments, enabling features like animation, rotating GIFs, and interactive buttons.
Our service includes automated large file batch sending through sFTP data transfer. The data can selectively drive template messaging. Near real-time SMS sending is facilitated through our API, using templates or dynamic text.
Where another channel in our omnichannel platform is unsuccessful in delivering a message, we can automatically fail over to SMS. Priority and fail over channels are configurable.
Bidvest Data provides near-real-time and periodic aggregate batched reporting on consumer engagement, including link tracking, SMS and SV SMS delivery status, and customized reports on microsite access.