New Chat Platform Launches in SA, Promises Cheaper Messaging Than WhatsApp

• Infobip launched South Africa's first live RCS deployment, enhancing logistics communication with Shiplogic
• RCS integration promises cost-effective delivery updates and interactive messaging for businesses
• Vodacom fully adopted RCS while other networks lag, highlighting messaging delivery disparities

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

Infobip has rolled out what it calls South Africa's first live Rich Communication Services (RCS) deployment, integrating the advanced messaging protocol into Shiplogic, the logistics platform that separated from Bob Group in July 2025.

RCS to compete with WhatsApp

According to MyBroadband, Shiplogic, a logistics software-as-a-service provider used by several major couriers, began testing RCS in October 2023. The integration faced delays as South African mobile network operators gradually upgraded to support the technology, the company said. RCS allows messages to include images, branded sender profiles, carousels, and interactive buttons within a user's native messaging app. Shiplogic will use the service to send live delivery updates, support two-way customer interaction, and reduce costs compared with traditional SMS notifications.

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Lerato Bojabotseha of Shiplogic said the RCS platform improved engagement with customers while remaining cost-efficient. Operations manager Stephan Naudé added that expanding RCS across Bob Group's services was a key part of the company's growth plan. Bob Group, which runs a full-stack ecommerce ecosystem including Bob Shop, Bob Go, Bob Box, and Bob Pay, noted that Shiplogic needed a scalable, cost-effective alternative to SMS and email for delivery notifications and customer service. The platform now uses digital PINs instead of physical signatures, supporting paperless transactions and improving trust in communication.

Businesses to use WhatsApp and SMS

While Vodacom has fully implemented RCS through Google's Jibe infrastructure, MTN and Telkom have been slower, causing uneven message delivery. Bob Group advised businesses to use WhatsApp and SMS as fallback channels. Bojabotseha said RCS provides a cost advantage for high-volume messaging. As of April 2026, WhatsApp marketing messages cost roughly R0.63 per message, one-time PIN messages about R0.13, while RCS is slightly cheaper. SMS remains reliable but is limited to 160 characters and cannot carry rich media.

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Bob Group highlighted that RCS works within native messaging apps, avoiding the need for additional installations or Meta accounts. WhatsApp's stricter templates limit spam but reduce flexibility. The rollout reportedly demonstrates RCS's potential as a more interactive, efficient messaging solution in South Africa, despite current network and device limitations.

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Source: Briefly News