June 09, 2024 - 3 min read
SMS low-cost: the hidden dangers behind it SMS
Elsa Paparone
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Introduction
With the explosion of digital communication, sending campaigns SMS With the explosion in digital communications, low-cost mailing campaigns have rapidly gained in popularity, thanks to the promise of substantial savings. At first glance, these services may appear to be a godsend for individuals and companies looking to reduce the cost of sending out their communication campaigns, but in reality, these tempting prices conceal risks that could jeopardize your business.
Let's find out together to what extent using this low-cost SMS can represent a risk to your business, and how these apparent savings can actually cost you dearly in the long run. Whether you're a budget-conscious consumer or an entrepreneur looking to optimize your spending, it's crucial to understand the pitfalls and dangers associated with SMS .
What is SMS lowcost?
SMS can sometimes appear to be a simple product that could simply be contrasted with SMS premium. In reality, however, it's SMS sent via grey (unregistered) routes , or even directly from SIM cards. There are various variants on the market, more or less reliable, but it's important for us, as a trusted supplier, to help our customers make an informed choice between the different offers available to them.
For a long time, SMS low cost was favored for its low routing costs and the ambiguity surrounding its legality. This ambiguity has been criticized, but is still used, and is still the reason why some suppliers are so successful today.
Allowing message campaigns to be sent at unbeatable rates, this service does not, however, meet either the legal obligations dictated by the RGPD or the expected performance requirements (deliverabilitycustomer reception without personalized senders, Opt-out feedback...).
A service without guarantees, unprotected data
The SMS low cost allows you to send your messages at a very reduced rate, but does not meet the legal obligations in the context of sending a commercial message or even today, the conditions imposed by the General Regulation for the Protection of Personal Data. Features of which you need to be aware.
The actions taken by operators to block this "illegal" traffic and the legal sanctions against users of these products mean that the service has no guarantee of continuity or performance.
The SMS marketingwhich originally used these routes, has almost totally abandoned them, as they are too often blocked by operators, threatening campaign performance. In addition, SMS is managed in the most illegal way. How can we protect what is illegal? This data is neither deleted nor encrypted. This is why the law is being tightened to ensure that user data is only entrusted to reliable operators, capable of protecting a company's content for its customers.
What does the law say?
The GDPR came into force on 25 May 2018. This text, which protects personal data, reinforces the responsibility of companies processing sensitive data. A decision of July 2018 confirms this position.
This type of SMS is not compatible with the General Regulation for the Protection of Personal Data collected according to the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés). As a reminder, the RGPD gives Supervisory Authorities the power to impose substantial fines on its violators (up to 20 million euros or 4% of your annual turnover).
This text, in addition to the unequivocal decision of the Mobile Marketing Association France in 2014, firmly condemns this practice and gives new powers to telecom operators, and henceforth enables the authorities to punish the providers and users concerned. One goal: to protect the secrecy of the communications and information entrusted to you.
In addition, these providers use low-quality SMS routes that are not authorized by operators. These are known as "gray" routes. This technique consists in using other countries to send your SMS messages, instead of using national networks directly, which explains their lower cost...
Choosing a solution that respects your personal data
Many players in the SMS mobile communications market offer a low-cost SMS service. This is not the direction we have decided to take. smsmode© chose many years ago to stop offering this product, which did not meet its ethical/safety commitments or its performance requirements.
That's why our platform only offers SMS premium, with all the features you need to guarantee top-quality service.
Our solution provides only direct connections with operators, without intermediaries, without any compromise on the security of your shipments, while offering you some of the lowest rates on the market. All personal data entrusted to us is stored and encrypted in France, then deleted from our servers in accordance with strict archiving policies.
smsmode© supports over 10,000 active customers, including numerous companies in the healthcare and banking sectors. Our information security certifications (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2019) are proof of our commitment to managing "sensitive" data.
Conclusion
While the cost of a SMS mailing campaign may seem more attractive with a low-cost service, it's important not to let yourself be fooled by these various promises, at the risk of outlawing yourself and losing the trust of your customers. In reality, the promised savings are only short-term, and you'll see the quality of your shipments deteriorate dramatically.
As a long-standing player in the mobile messaging sector, we can only advise you to choose a tool that complies with current regulations.
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