Flash Calling Authentication to Near 128 Billion Calls Globally by 2026; Threatening Network Operators’ SMS Revenue

A new study from Juniper Research has revealed a new threat to network operator revenue through flash calling.

Flash calling authentication leverages mobile voice networks to authenticate a user or transaction via an originating phone number. The last few digits of this phone number are then automatically used for authentication, rather than a user inputting a code manually that was delivered by SMS.

The new study, Flash Calling Authentication: Impact Analysis & Market Forecasts 2021-2026, predicts that flash calling has the potential to threaten a significant part of operators’ SMS business messaging revenue. Many operators are still unable to identify flash calling traffic and cannot fully monetize it. The report found that the number of calls used for flash authentication will be near 130 billion globally by 2026; rising from less than 60 million in 2021. This represents an astonishing growth of over 185,000% in the next 5 years.

Juniper Research recommends that operators quickly implement solutions that can identify this traffic. The move to flash calling is being driven by the low cost of termination, a convenient user experience, and a diminished threat of fraud.

For more insights, download our free whitepaper: Flash Calling’s Impact on Business Messaging

Operators’ SMS Business Messaging Under Threat

The report predicts that authentication-based SMS revenue will reach $39 billion globally in 2022; representing 5% of total operator-billed revenue. As enterprises migrate their authentication traffic to voice, operators must protect SMS revenue by adopting voice firewalls that can detect unmonetized flash calling and attain flash calling revenue.

Report author Sam Barker remarked: “Flash calling services have the potential to disrupt SMS technology to an unprecedented degree. Operators need to support services over both SMS and flash calling, and a failure to do so will lead to reduced revenue from authentication.”

In terms of market adoption, OTT applications such as Imo have already announced their intentions to launch flash calling services. The report anticipates that flash calling will provide OTT applications with a significant platform to migrate SMS business messaging traffic to their services over operator-based services.