The service means business can send messages, including images and buttons, generated from their mobile applications to customers who are using Viber’s OTT messaging service.

Further, it allows businesses to see how users are interacting with communications sent to them, such as confirming when a message is delivered and whether or not the message has been viewed.

Viber is also providing “sticker packs”, which it said would provide a way for companies to generate brand awareness.

The company, part of the new wave of providers that has eaten into a market once dominated by telcos, said it had already signed up a number of partners to deliver the new service, including mobile messaging service provider Fortytwo Telecom and global SMS facilitator GMS.

Ido Iungelson, Director of Revenue at Viber, said: “We are delighted to offer Viber’s innovative messaging platform to enable businesses to share rich content with their audience in a familiar and intuitive way.

“Our new technology allows companies to adopt a personal approach to customer services that is both economical and highly efficient.”

Recent findings from Juniper revealed that A2P is considered by enterprises as more reliable and secure than instant messaging services; the research house expects A2P revenues to grow to more than €64 billion by 2019 as a result.

In June, wholesale carrier Bics launched a new cloud platform allowing app developers and small-scale service providers launch and manage new SMS and A2P services.