CPaaS to hit USD 100B by 2030: Arvind Bali at TLF 2025

At the 2025 edition of the Telecom Leadership Forum, Arvind Bali—Vice Chairman of GTS Tech Labs and former CEO of the Telecom Sector Skills Council—delivered a keynote address that shifted the spotlight from traditional telecom infrastructure to the rapidly growing domain of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). Drawing from his rich experience across telecom, technology, and education, Bali emphasised the pivotal role of CPaaS in shaping the future of digital communication, business, and consumer engagement.

CPaaS: The fastest growing segment in telecom

Bali began his address by challenging conventional views of telecom, stating:
 

“In the industry, we all know about towers; we know about fiber networks… but there is also a very big part of business which is all related to communication suites like CPaaS and security networks.”

He shared that CPaaS, currently valued at USD 25 billion, is growing at a CAGR of 30% and is projected to become a USD 100 billion industry by 2030. This segment converges multiple channels—voice, SMS, email, WhatsApp, bots, and RCS—into one integrated platform to streamline communication across industries.

Communication is no longer just messaging—It’s mission-critical

Citing the exponential rise in communication traffic—“300 billion emails and 23 billion texts exchanged every day”—Bali emphasised that much of this data is now mission-critical, enabling essential services like banking, transport, healthcare, and education.
“Most of these messages are not just communication—they are mission-critical and play a significant role in our lives,” he said.

User experience and anticipating customer needs

One of the unique facets of CPaaS, Bali highlighted, is its ability to evolve by predicting customer desires before they are voiced.
“Each and every development in this space is coming from a hidden desire we all have,” he noted, citing features like message deletion in WhatsApp that evolved based on user behaviour.

He explained how platforms like RCS (Rich Communication Services) and “WahWah” (a colloquial reference to WhatsApp-based applications) are transforming one-way messages into complete customer journeys, enabling direct purchases, bookings, and engagement without needing additional apps.

Security at the core of digital communication

With rising digital engagement comes increased vulnerability. Bali pointed out the industry's growing focus on network and communication security.
“Now when all this is happening, it is also opening more doors for people who would like to attack those networks. So, for that purpose, network security becomes significant.”

He mentioned solutions like Arvo that help secure CPaaS-driven communication, ensuring consumer protection across platforms like SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and voice.

CPaaS enables the complete customer journey

Bali described CPaaS as more than a messaging platform—it's a business enabler that covers the full customer lifecycle:

• Engagement: Direct promotions via rich media
  
  

• Transactions: Completing purchases within messages
  
  

• Onboarding: Issuing boarding passes or confirmations
  
  

• Support: Linking to customer service portals
  
  

• Retention: Loyalty program integration
  
  

“It starts with end users, promotes a product, and allows complete interaction within the message itself,” he explained.

A larger definition of telecom

Closing his keynote, Bali urged the audience to broaden their understanding of telecom beyond infrastructure.
“Telecom is not just networks or fiber—it is also a big communication tool,” he concluded.

Conclusion: Expanding the telecom narrative

Arvind Bali’s keynote at TLF 2025 reframed telecom as an expansive, rapidly evolving industry where platforms like CPaaS are redefining communication, commerce, and customer engagement. As India accelerates its digital journey, this layer of telecom is poised to be as critical as towers and fiber—offering intelligent, secure, and seamless communication that underpins both business operations and daily life.