[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] Text messaging from telecommunications carriers, which had once lost its prominence due to competition from KakaoTalk, is finding a new role in the era of Agent AI. As we enter an era where AI orders products, processes payments, and even handles reservations on behalf of people, “secure text messages”—based on telecommunications networks and authentication systems—are gaining attention as a channel for verifying and approving AI actions.

SKTelecom(017670)This is why the company is working with the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) to standardize RCS-based “Agent AI approval.” The reasoning is that as AI not only takes over routine tasks but also begins to carry out actual transactions, there is a need for a trusted channel through which users can verify and approve these actions at the last moment.

AI handles reservations and payments; users approve via text message

SKT is hosting an in-person GSMA RCS Group standardization meeting at SKT Tower in Seoul from the 15th to the 18th. Thirty-three participants will attend, including representatives from 16 companies—such as global telecom operators AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Orange, as well as Apple, Google, and SamsungElectronics—and officials from the GSMA Secretariat.

The key agenda item proposed by SKT at this meeting is “RCS-based Agent AI authorization.”

For example, when an AI agent makes hotel reservations or purchases products based on a user’s instructions, an RCS message is sent to the user. The message displays the order details and payment amount, and the user reviews the information in the smartphone’s default messaging app and then taps the “Approve” button to finalize the transaction.

This approach allows AI to handle the work, but the final decision involving the exchange of money is made directly by the user.

SKT believes that RCS is well-suited for this approval process. RCS can carry more information than standard text messages, allowing it to display company logos, product images, and buttons. It also makes it easier to verify the sender’s identity by utilizing pre-registered and verified company information.

Most importantly, users can approve transactions directly in the default messaging app without needing to open a separate app, and both the approval request and the result are saved in the conversation history.

Text Messages, Once Overshadowed by KakaoTalk, Emerge as a “Secure Channel” in the AI Era

Underlying this strategy is a plan to revive the unique advantages that text messages once offered to telecom carriers in the AI era.

Since the advent of the smartphone era, users have primarily relied on mobile messengers like KakaoTalk—which offer a convenient user experience—leading to a significant decline in the use of carrier text messages. However, in an era where AI agents are taking over actual actions such as purchases, payments, and reservations, safety—verifying “who sent the message” and “what I am approving”—becomes just as important as mere convenience.

From the telecom carriers’ perspective, the fact that text messages are linked to their communication networks and authentication systems is a key strength. The plan is to ensure that even when AI agents handle tasks by moving between external services, the final approval takes place through a trust-based messaging channel managed by the telecom carrier.

While messaging apps like KakaoTalk have grown by focusing on conversations between people, telecom text messages are seeking to expand their scope to serve as a “transaction confirmation window” between AI and humans.

Connecting with “AI for All”… Preparing for the Spread of Actionable AI

SKT’s RCS strategy is also aligned with the government’s “AI for All” initiative.

Through “AI for All,” SKT envisions implementing “actionable AI” that allows users to access AI not only through smartphone apps but also via phone calls and text messages. Centered on an “AI Orchestrator”—which identifies user intent and connects them to appropriate AI models and specialized services—the company plans to provide services across eight sectors, including education, finance, small businesses, public services, healthcare, and caregiving.

As AI moves beyond simply providing information to actually performing tasks on users’ behalf, user control mechanisms become increasingly important. This is because if the AI makes an incorrect judgment or is subject to external manipulation, there is a risk of unintended reservations or payments being made.

SKT addresses this through text messages. The system is structured so that the AI handles tasks in the background, while users review and approve the final actions via messages from their telecom provider.

The Telecom Competition Arena: From “Connection” to “Trust”

Behind SKT’s efforts to standardize RCS lies a strategy to redefine the role of telecom carriers for the AI era.

While traditional telecom carriers connected people through phone calls and text messages, in the AI era, their role can expand to connecting people with AI, and AI with businesses and services.

Specifically, the plan is to combine the assets telecom carriers have accumulated over many years—such as phone numbers, identity verification, communication networks, and messaging—with AI to create an “AI Trust Infrastructure.”

On the 17th, SKT KTCorporation will also host a separate special session themed “The Evolution of AI and Messaging.” The session will cover not only the integration of AI agents and messaging but also user control and trust in AI, enterprise message authentication, and AI-powered spam countermeasures.

SKT previously incorporated the message formatting feature it proposed at the RCS conference held in Seoul last May into the Universal Profile 4.0—the RCS standard specification—earlier this year. This time, the company is expanding the discussion to include the integration of RCS and AI.

Yoo Kyung-sang, Head of SKT’s AI CIC, stated, “As AI takes on more tasks on behalf of users, the touchpoints where users personally verify important information and make final decisions become increasingly critical.” He added, “We will work with global partners to refine standardization discussions so that messaging can evolve into a trust-based channel connecting AI agents and users.”

In an era where AI handles tasks on behalf of humans, the reason telecom text messages are gaining renewed attention is not simply because they are convenient. It is because a “secure touchpoint” is now needed where users can verify and control transactions the moment AI executes them.

SKT’s goal is not merely to compete with KakaoTalk in the messaging space. Rather, by leveraging its unique strengths—telecommunications networks and authentication—the company aims to transform text messaging into a new “channel of trust” for the AI era.