Over the past month, Skyward embarked on a study to gauge SMS operators' concerns surrounding Artificial Inflation of Traffic (AIT). This emerging form of SMS fraud is rapidly becoming a costly and disruptive threat, driving up expenses for enterprises and diminishing revenue for SMS providers who rely on Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging.
What is Artificial Inflation of Traffic?
Artificial Inflation of Traffic occurs when fraudsters manipulate SMS traffic by generating fake interactions — usually through bots on apps or websites. By creating fake accounts and repeatedly triggering one-time passcode (OTP) SMS messages, they inflate traffic numbers, skew analytics, and exploit SMS revenue streams.
To understand the scope of the issue, we asked SMS providers a straightforward question: “Is AIT a problem for your A2P SMS business?” . The response was overwhelming. Two-thirds of respondents labeled AIT as a critical issue in their operations, with another 28% acknowledging it as a minor concern, and only a small fraction (5%) reported never encountering AIT (Figure1).
These findings underscore the industry’s growing alarm over AIT’s potential to destabilize the SMS ecosystem. The data reveals a shared recognition of AIT’s power to erode revenue models and even threaten the credibility of SMS as a trusted communication channel.
Diving Deeper: What Risks Does AIT Pose?
Encouraged by the initial responses, we conducted a follow-up survey to dig into the specific impacts of AIT. We asked, “What is the main problem AIT presents to your SMS business?”.
The results painted the following picture (Figure 2). Over one-third of respondents (37%) identified the erosion of trust in the SMS channel as AIT’s biggest threat, with some noting that this loss of confidence could drive enterprise customers to shift to alternative communication channels, leading to an overall decline in revenue across the SMS industry. Another 22% highlighted risks associated with traffic- and volume-based contracts, where unscrupulous partner operators deliberately inflate traffic volumes to secure additional discounts. An equal share of respondents noted that competitors can intentionally send artificial traffic to degrade quality metrics, including the conversion rate (CR), prompting enterprise customers to reconsider their partnerships. Finally, 19% cited the direct financial impact of AIT as a major concern.
This data exposes the broad and complex challenges AIT presents to SMS businesses. AIT is not just a financial or operational headache — it’s a potential existential threat to SMS as a reliable, widely-used communication tool. From rate-based exploitation to distorted metrics, operators are finding it increasingly challenging to maintain fairness and client trust in a market plagued by AIT.
Skyward’s Solution: The Artificial Traffic Detector
As AIT continues to disrupt the SMS landscape, Skyward is committed to equipping operators with the tools they need to combat it head-on. Our Artificial Traffic Detector (ADT) is a cutting-edge solution designed to detect and neutralize Artificial Inflation of Traffic in real-time. Using advanced analysis of statistical data and traffic flow patterns, it quickly identifies suspicious traffic and blocks fraudulent activity, ensuring that only legitimate messages reach the end users. This tool doesn’t just help operators recapture lost revenue — it also strengthens trust in the SMS ecosystem by preserving the integrity of genuine traffic.
For more on how Skyward’s Artificial Traffic Detector helps SMS operators safeguard their networks, visit ATD product page or contact us at info@skyward.cc.
For more on how Skyward’s Artificial Traffic Detector helps SMS operators safeguard their networks, visit ATD product page or contact us at info@skyward.cc.