RBM Billing Categories

Question

What are the RBM Billing Categories?

Applies To

• Rich Communication Services
• Messaging
• RCS Business Messaging

Answer

Carriers implement different billing models for RBM messages. The most common categories are:

• Conversational: This applies when multiple messages are exchanged between a business and a user within a 24-hour period.
• Single Message: This is for messages containing rich media or exceeding the character limit for basic messages.
• Basic Message: This is for standard text messages up to 160 characters.

It's crucial to understand these categories to accurately predict messaging costs. While the billing category doesn't impact message functionality, it directly influences the price charged by the carrier.

1. For conversational billing, a conversation typically starts with a user reply to a business message. Subsequent messages within 24 hours are part of the same conversation. If multiple business messages are sent before a user replies, only the last business message is considered part of the conversation.
2. If an agent is categorized as Basic or Single, all messages sent by that agent will always be billed as either Basic or Single, regardless of  interaction. There's no possibility for these agents to transition to the Conversational billing category.
3. Single Message: This agent typically sends messages with rich media content or messages exceeding 160 characters. It's designed for one-way communication, with minimal expectation of user replies.
4. Basic Message: This agent primarily sends standard text messages up to 160 characters. It's often used to upgrade SMS to RCS. While primarily designed for simple text, the agent can send richer content if needed, but it will be billed accordingly.
   
   Understanding these billing nuances is essential for effective RBM campaign management and cost optimization.
   
   Note :
   1. If an agent is registered as Basic or Single, all messages sent are billed as Basic or Single. They do not convert to a Conversational billing model.
   2. If an agent is registered as Conversational, it’s billed as Basic or Single unless a P2A message is received within 24 hours. If a P2A message is received, it switches to Conversational billing (conversations last for 24 hours from the P2A message).
   3. If multiple A2P messages are sent before the first P2A message, only the A2P message immediately preceding the P2A message is part of the conversation. The initial messages are billed as Basic or Single.
   4. If a P2A message arrives after the 24-hour window, there will be no charge. However, if the brand replies, a Basic or Single charge will apply. If the end user responds, Conversational billing will start for the next 24-hour window.