TNS on Why RCS Is Critical to Trusted Communications, Podcast

At ITEXPO / MSP EXPO in Fort Lauderdale, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Lloyd Tjom, Director of Sales at Transaction Network Services (TNS), about the growing importance of RCS and the future of trusted messaging. TNS is also a member of the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA).

TNS operates at the center of the communications ecosystem, providing numbering, routing, authentication, and identity services to carriers and communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide. As messaging evolves beyond SMS and MMS, TNS is focused on helping the industry deliver secure, reliable, and commercially viable Rich Communication Services (RCS).

“RCS is the evolution,” Tjom explained. Originally introduced by the GSM Association in 2007, RCS has gained new momentum with broad device support—including adoption by Apple—bringing both Android and iOS into alignment. With that shift, RCS is positioned to become a mainstream messaging channel capable of supporting richer interactions and higher trust.

Unlike traditional SMS, RCS enables branded messaging, verified sender badges, logos, read receipts, and interactive features such as carousels and embedded actions. “If they’re a vetted partner that has got the branding as well as the verified mark, then you know you’re dealing with the right party on the other end,” Tjom said. In an era of phishing and spoofing, verified identity and “know your business” (KYB) vetting are essential components of restoring trust in messaging channels.

Tjom emphasized that the phone number remains central to digital identity. For many consumers, a single mobile number has followed them for decades, becoming a stable anchor of trust across carriers and geographies. As RCS scales, however, CSPs must address fragmentation, infrastructure inconsistencies, and bad actors within the ecosystem. Broader adherence to standards, stronger onboarding controls, and rapid mitigation of vulnerabilities will be critical for unlocking RCS’s full commercial potential.

Looking ahead, Tjom sees RCS becoming the default channel for trusted business communications—enabling full conversational commerce, customer service workflows, flight changes, purchases, and more within a verified, branded environment. “It really has got so many different potentials out there,” he noted, “but it all comes back to trusted communications.”

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