Important announcement regarding RCS billing change

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RCS price change effective 1st Sept 2026 by RBM operators due to implementation of IOC
Dear Valued Customer,
Greetings from Netcore Private Limited (“Netcore”).
This communication serves as an advance formal intimation regarding an impending price revision for Rich Communication Services (RCS) with IOC-led changes, as recently intimated by the RBM operators.
We have been notified that, owing to upcoming implementation of Interconnect Operator Charges (IOC), the RBM operators will be revising the underlying costs for RCS services, effective 01st September 2026.
Please be advised that this revision will impact the pricing structure across the following service categories:
Basic Message (Text Message)
A2P Single Message (Rich Message)
A2P Conversation (B2U)
P2A Conversation (U2B)
At present, we are awaiting the formal, finalized rate sheets from the RBM operators. Netcore shall formally communicate the exact revised tariffs to you immediately upon receipt and finalization of the same from the operators' end.
We are sharing this advance update in good faith to ensure transparency and to allow our esteemed clients ample time to plan and prepare their marketing campaigns considering the upcoming festive season.
In the interim, we request you to kindly treat this email as formal communication. Should you require any clarification, kindly raise your concern at [email protected] and your respective account manager will respond.
We assure you of our continued support as your trusted partner.
Yours faithfully,
Netcore Team

Overview

The RCS billing dashboard helps you track and understand how your messages are billed across different categories:

Basic Messages
Application to Person (A2P) Single Messages
Application to Person (A2P) Conversations,
Person to Application (P2A) Conversations.

Select a time period for which you want to see the Billing and Filter by Campaign Tag or Bot or Both You can view billing metrics across four message types.

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Note
The figures displayed are indicative and provide an approximate overview. Final billing is based on the operator’s official numbers.

Message Types and Definitions

Basic Message: It is an application-to-person (A2P) text message that does not exceed 160 characters. It should not contain any multimedia or buttons/suggested actions.
A2P Single Message An A2P message that exceeds 160 characters or contains multimedia (images, videos, files). Messages with suggested actions (buttons) also fall into this category.
A2P Conversation: These messages start when a user replies to an A2P message. The brand’s next reply triggers a 24-hour conversation window. All A2P messages exchanged within this 24-hour period are billed under a single conversation rate. If no user reply comes, each message is charged individually.
P2A Conversation: These messages start when a user initiates a message to the brand, and there is no active conversation. The business must respond within 24 hours. Once the brand replies, a 24-hour conversation window begins. All A2P messages during this window are included in the conversation charge.

Usage Performance

The Usage Performance section shows a graphical trend of messages by type. You can also download detailed reports in table format for further analysis.

Use Case for Billing Scenarios

There are different bills for different types of messages, explained below:

Application to Person(A2P) Flow

Scenario 1:

A brand sends an Initial A2P Message (e.g., "Wednesday Offer! Buy now..."). This message is billed at the standard A2P single message rate.
A user replies to this message. The user's message (P2A) is typically free for the user and does not incur a charge for the brand.
The brand replies to the user (e.g., "OK, I'll send you details shortly.") This brand message triggers the conversation rate, which is a flat fee for the entire 24-hour conversation window. The count on the billing dashboard is adjusted to reflect a single A2P conversation charge.
This sequence of events is what establishes an official A2P conversation session.

Scenario 2:

A brand sends an Initial A2P Message (e.g., "Wednesday Offer! Buy now..."). This message is billed at the standard A2P single message rate.
A user replies to this message. The user's message (P2A) is typically free for the user and does not incur a charge for the brand.
Brand does not send any message for the next 24 hours
The first A2P message will be charged as is (Basic / Single) and not a part of the conversation

Scenario 3:
This scenario clarifies how multiple messages are billed when a conversation has not yet been initiated.

A brand sends a message (e.g., "Wednesday Offer! Buy now..."). This is a standalone message and is billed at the A2P single message rate.
he brand sends a second message to the same user (e.g., "Wednesday Offer! Buy now and get 20% off."). This is considered another standalone message since the user has not replied to start a conversation. It is billed separately at the same A2P single/basic message rate.

Person to Application (P2A) Flow

Scenario 1:

A user initiates a message to the Brand. The user's message (P2A) is typically free for the user and does not incur a charge for the brand.
The brand sends a reply to the user (e.g., "Ok, sending you details shortly"). This brand message triggers the conversation rate, which is a flat fee for the entire 24-hour conversation window. The count on the billing dashboard is adjusted to reflect a single A2P conversation charge.
Further exchanges are considered a part of the P2A Conversation and charged the common conversation rate
This sequence of events is what establishes an official A2P conversation session.

Scenario 2:

A brand sends an Initial A2P Message (e.g., "Wednesday Offer! Buy now..."). This message is billed at the standard A2P single message rate.
A user replies to this message. The user's message (P2A) is typically free for the user and does not incur a charge for the brand.
Brand does not send any message for the next 24 hours
Since there were no messages in the conversation window, the first A2P (Basic or single) is changed and an individual message and not a conversation

Key Points to Remember

Basic vs. Single Message: Depends on content length and presence of multimedia/buttons.
Conversation Billing: Triggered only when there’s an exchange (user reply + brand response).
Flat Fee for Conversations: Covers all A2P messages sent in a 24-hour window.
Standalone A2P Messages: If no reply from users, each is charged separately.