MTN Group is one of the first companies that brought VideoSMS to Africa, precisely in South Africa. In this article, I talked about how the MTN's VideoSMS works and what brought about the development. In simple words, VideoSMS is a communication tool that blends the immediacy of SMS with the engagement of video. it’s a text message that includes a a personalized or pre-recorded video to a personalized video, allowing businesses or individuals to deliver more engaging, visual content straight to someone’s phone.
Think of VideoSMS as a modern upgrade to traditional text messaging. Instead of sending just words, you’re sending a video experience—usually embedded in the SMS. This allows the recipient to watch a short-video instantly, without needing to download an app or visit a social media platform.
These days, people are more likely to watch a video than read a wall of text. In essence, VideoSMS combines the simplicity of text messaging with the impact of video, allowing businesses to deliver personalized, engaging content directly to a customer’s phone. It boosts open and engagement rates by offering a more human, visual experience—perfect for standing out in a crowded inbox and creating stronger customer connections without the need for apps or complex setups.
How does VideoSMS works?
VideoSMS works in the sense that it allows businesses to send a short vidoe (usually 2mb, that's about 30-second video) using a traditional SMS method without the need for the more complex protocols such as MMS standard or the newer RCS standard built into Google Messages on Android devices. “While SMS, RCS and MMS are all similar communications tools in the same space, VideoSMS is a completely new messaging technology that enhances a standard SMS to include multimedia files,” said Jason Probert, GM of digital services at MTN South Africa.
SMS, RCS, and MMS are all mobile messaging technologies, each with different capabilities. SMS (Short Message Service) is the most basic, allowing up to 160 characters of plain text without any multimedia. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) builds on SMS by enabling the sending of images, videos, and audio files alongside text. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the next evolution, offering features similar to modern messaging apps—like typing indicators, read receipts, high-res media sharing, and interactive buttons—though it requires compatible devices and carrier support.
All three serve the same purpose: mobile communication, but they vary widely in richness and functionality, especially when compared to VideoSMS. VideoSMS can be used by businesses for customer onboarding, appointment reminders, personalized thank-you messages, promotional campaigns, event invitations, sales, product tutorials, mobile advertisement, and marketing. The file size permitted by the standard (2MB) is enough for a 30-second video advertisement, and graphics and gifs can also be used to enhance text-based messaging.
