OTT message volume projected to surge over 70% by 2025

The total number of OTT (Over the Top) messages will increase from 120 billion in 2023 to over 175 billion in 2025; a substantial growth of over 70% in two years, according to Juniper Research.

WhatsApp will introduce third-party interoperability in early March to align with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Through this interoperability, users will be able to exchange messages from WhatsApp to other messaging channels. This will reduce the constraint of siloed ecosystems on messaging growth.

The report predicts that interoperability in the EU will drive similar legislation in countries outside of the region. Global third-party interoperability will reduce issues of regional fragmentation on OTT applications, and increase the value proposition of OTT channels for enterprise users of business messaging.

OTT to Face Increased Fraud
The report forecasts that by 2028, the global number of unique OTT messaging app users will reach 4.3 billion. However, with a large number of users, the report predicts that mobile messaging scams prevalent over SMS, such as smishing attacks, will migrate to OTT channels. Smishing attacks occur when fraudulent actors imitate well-known and trusted brands to manipulate users into revealing sensitive information.

Research author Alex Webb remarked: “OTT messaging apps must take responsibility for the levels of fraud over their channels. Authenticating brands before conversations are initiated is the first critical step to ensure that OTT networks remain clean and minimise any potentially fraudulent traffic.” Juniper Research