Govt. sees need for A2P SMS system to tackle security challenges

Wednesday, 3 January 2024 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Recognising the growing challenges associated with the excessive use of Application-to-Person (A2P) communication models, the Government has observed the requirement for a centralised short message service (SMS) to regularise short message exchange and enhance network security.

The Cabinet of Ministers cleared the appointment of a technical committee to implement an international A2P SMS centre to tackle fraudulent activities.

The technical committee will comprise representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Technology as well as the Telecommunication Regulation Commission of Sri Lanka

The initiative proposed by the United Kingdom based private company, Infobip aims to address security concerns related to short message exchanges.

Given the excessive use of short message systems has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities the Government noted that it had observed the requirement for a centralised short message system network security appliance firewall (SMS Firewall) to regularise short message exchange and enhance network security.

A2P is the process of sending mobile messages from a business application to a mobile user, usually via an automated process, for marketing or service reasons.

The SMS is commonly used for various objectives including the evaluation of enterprises and transactions as a decisive communication media for citizens, businesses and Government institutions. These messages are distributed by an individual across an app or a system to a mobile device as SMS, multimedia message (MMS) or any other type of message.