Infobip named top RCS for Business vendor by Juniper

Infobip has taken the top spot in Juniper Research's RCS for Business 2026 leaderboard, ranking first among 17 vendors assessed in the Rich Communication Services market.

Juniper named Infobip the number one "Established Leader" in its annual table. The scoring model weighs factors including geographic reach, partnerships with operators and other ecosystem players, value-added RCS services, deployments and innovation.

RCS is a messaging standard supported by mobile network operators and handset platforms. It adds features such as branded sender identity and richer formats to mobile messaging, bringing it closer to app-based messaging than traditional SMS.

Juniper highlighted Infobip's mobile operator connectivity and geographic footprint, noting its broad network of operator connections for RCS for Business. It also cited Infobip as the first provider to launch RCS messaging across all major US telecom carriers.

Many vendors and operators position RCS for Business as a channel for customer communications, including marketing, service updates and conversational interactions. Adoption has been uneven across markets, with operator readiness and platform support affecting availability and reach.

Market context

The ranking comes as the messaging industry focuses more closely on reach, now a central metric for brands evaluating RCS. Wider handset support has increased attention on whether RCS can deliver consistent coverage across regions and networks, and how easily it can fit into existing customer engagement programmes.

Infobip said RCS for Business gained momentum after Apple added support for RCS. The move has been widely viewed as a milestone for the standard because it reduces fragmentation between iOS and Android messaging experiences in markets where RCS is available through carriers.

Juniper also pointed to RCS sender registration as a differentiator in onboarding. Many operators and aggregators use sender registration to verify and approve business identities before branded RCS messaging can go live.

"With extensive mobile operator connectivity and global coverage, Infobip enables global brands to scale RCS for Business initiatives efficiently worldwide. Moreover, the platform's ability to support brands through RCS sender registration with mobile operators helps accelerate onboarding, enabling enterprises to adopt RCS more quickly and at scale, and accelerate time to market," said Molly Gatford, Senior Research Analyst, Juniper Research.

Customer use

Brands are increasingly testing RCS to present richer information inside the default mobile messaging app. Typical formats include carousels, quick-reply buttons, images and structured messages that guide a user through a journey without switching to a separate app.

Juniper referenced Virgin Atlantic as an Infobip customer using RCS. According to information in the report summary provided by Infobip, the airline has used RCS messaging for interactive conversations and customer engagement.

Infobip offers cloud communications products including messaging and customer engagement tools. It describes its portfolio in terms of CPaaS, omnichannel communications, identity and user authentication, and contact centre services.

Product focus

Infobip frames its RCS work as part of a broader approach to customer communications across multiple channels. In practice, many brands use a mix of SMS, WhatsApp, email and in-app messaging, with RCS used where network and device support make it practical.

Adrian Benić, Chief Product Officer at Infobip, linked the outlook for RCS to expanding reach and expectations of higher enterprise adoption.

"RCS for Business took off last year following Apple's support for RCS. With this increase in reach, Juniper Research expects enterprise adoption of RCS for Business to accelerate this year as brands look to explore how the channel can support end-to-end customer experiences. We are well-positioned to support this growth through our CPaaS offering, combining conversational experience orchestration with global messaging infrastructure and comprehensive customer engagement strengthened by our AI capabilities," said Benić.

The Juniper leaderboard groups vendors into categories reflecting market standing, with "Established Leaders" typically indicating a mix of scale, deployments and breadth of relationships. In this segment, operator connections and country coverage remain key factors because RCS delivery depends on carrier and ecosystem integration.

Infobip is headquartered in Croatia and operates globally. The company said the recognition coincides with its 20th anniversary as it continues to expand messaging and customer engagement offerings, including RCS for Business.