Bandwidth vs Infobip

Bandwidth Expands Salesforce Collaboration for Global Native Contact Center Rollout

Bandwidth Inc., a global enterprise cloud communications company, announced an expansion of its collaboration with Salesforce as the first certified carrier to support the global rollout of Salesforce's native Contact Center. Following the North American debut in March, availability will extend to more than 25 countries across Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand this fall. Enterprises will connect via a bring-your-own-carrier (BYOC) model using Bandwidth's Maestro platform for intelligent communications orchestration. This integration provides granular control, real-time observability and infrastructure depth for AI-driven customer engagement. Bandwidth's Communications Cloud and Maestro aim to deliver a consistent deployment experience. The companies highlighted customer momentum and the need for trusted communications infrastructure to scale globally.

• Bandwidth is the first certified carrier to support the global rollout of Salesforce's native Contact Center.
• The expanded collaboration extends availability to over 25 countries across Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand this fall.
• Enterprises will use Bandwidth's Maestro platform via a bring-your-own-carrier (BYOC) model to connect to Salesforce's native Contact Center.

Bandwidth Promotes Emily Harlan to General Counsel and Secretary

Bandwidth has promoted Emily Harlan to General Counsel and Secretary, as announced in a press release dated September 04, 2026.

Central European VCs Debate Bootstrapping, AI, and Exit Strategies

At the Infobip Shift conference in Zadar, Croatia, Central European venture capitalists discussed key startup topics including bootstrapping versus VC funding, the trend of founders seeking larger rounds for prestige, and the pitfalls of 'building for a flip'. Jure Mikuž of South Central Ventures cautioned against raising rounds too small for strategy, while David Clark of Tera Ventures noted that bootsrapping is now easier with AI tools. Réka Hidas of Portfolion emphasized choosing VCs that offer more than capital. On AI, Florian Binswanger of Vercel advised founders to integrate AI deeply into their product rather than adding superficial chatbots, and to use model routers to avoid vendor lock-in. Nina Trejos of Stripe highlighted the importance of adopting usage-based AI pricing early. Infobip's CTO Izabel Jelenić shared lessons on co-founder dynamics. The event highlighted a closing gap between Western and Central European startup ecosystems.

• Infobip Shift conference held in Zadar, Croatia, attended by developers, founders, and VCs from Central Europe.
• Jure Mikuž of South Central Ventures warned against raising rounds too small for strategy and seeking spotlight.
• David Clark of Tera Ventures said there was never a better time for Central European founders to bootstrap, citing AI tools.

Infobip Reports 169.3% Global RCS Growth; US +1298.8%

Infobip, a global AI-first cloud communications platform, reported 169.3% growth in Rich Communication Services (RCS) for Business traffic between H1 2025 and H1 2026. The United States led growth with a 1,298.8% year-on-year increase; Infobip customers sent more than 1.5 billion RCS messages in the US during the period. Infobip processed RCS registration requests for over 7.3k unique brands and delivered 14k successful RCS agent launches. Other notable country growth rates included Spain (+290%), the United Kingdom (+282%), India (+108%) and France (+48%). The company also announced Interactive Session billing is now live in the US, enabling two-way conversational pricing across live RCS markets. Dave Boddington, RCS Business Unit Head at Infobip, commented on the channel’s move from experimentation to mainstream deployment.

• Infobip recorded 169.3% growth in RCS for Business traffic between H1 2025 and H1 2026.
• RCS interactions in the United States increased 1298.8% year-on-year; Infobip customers delivered more than 1.5 billion RCS messages in the US during the period.
• Infobip processed RCS registration requests for more than 7.3k unique brands and delivered 14k successful RCS agent launches.

Conversational AI Emerges as Retail Imperative

A Business Wire piece published on MarTech Series (July 20, 2026) reports that insights from Infobip and Retail Economics indicate retail engagement is shifting from one-way “broadcast” messaging to a conversational, AI-driven relationship model. The article cites high WhatsApp open rates (85–95%) versus email (32.7% in e-commerce), notes 24% of Gen Z prefer WhatsApp and SMS for deliveries/returns, and highlights a readiness gap: 88% of retailers are exploring conversational AI while 0% report full integration. Retail Economics CEO Richard Lim and Infobip retail specialist Kim Johal comment on personalization, channel preferences, and AI-driven automation that can handle routine queries and demonstrate ROI in as little as 60 days.

• Infobip and Retail Economics report the retail engagement model is shifting from one-way “broadcast” notifications to a conversational, AI-driven relationship layer.
• WhatsApp engagement open rates are cited at 85–95%, compared with 32.7% for email in e-commerce.
• 24% of Gen Z now prefer WhatsApp and SMS for deliveries and returns, per Retail Economics commentary.