Business RCS Messages to Hit 485 Billion by 2030

The volume of business Rich Communication Services (RCS) messages is projected to surpass 485 billion globally by 2030, increasing from 125 billion in 2026, according to a study by Juniper Research. This represents a growth rate of 286%. The research identifies the expansion of RCS, specifically its integration into Apple devices announced in 2024, as a primary driver of adoption.

The study indicates that businesses are increasingly expected to migrate from SMS to RCS for authentication purposes, as the protocol facilitates enhanced verification and branding without additional expenditures. The research advises communication service providers to prioritize easily transferable traffic to establish brands within the RCS ecosystem before upselling more advanced conversational flows.

The report identifies the retail sector as the largest individual vertical for business RCS messages throughout the forecast period, representing over 30% of global messages by 2030. However, this marks a decline from 37% in 2026, reflecting the fact that retail adopted the technology earlier than other industries. Conversely, the healthcare and banking sectors are projected to grow by over 1,000% and 600%, respectively, by 2030, indicating a shift in market momentum.

“Authentication is clearly a major use case within retail for secure customer authentication, but this is also a clear requirement for banks and healthcare providers. Particularly within banking, branding and personalisation is increasingly important to customer retention, making RCS the perfect fit,” commented Peter Boyland, Principal Analyst at Juniper Research.