March 05, 2026
RCS Is Coming to the Netherlands, Powered by Twilio
Twilio has announced a partnership with KPN Netherlands to bring Rich Communication Services (RCS) Business Messaging to the entire Dutch market, with Google’s infrastructure underpinning the rollout. The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress 2026 and marks a turning point for business messaging in one of Europe’s most digitally mature economies.
With KPN serving as the nationwide operator, the partnership covers all major mobile networks in the Netherlands, meaning companies will be able to deploy RCS at scale without worrying about carrier fragmentation.
What RCS Adds to the Table
RCS is the successor to SMS, but calling it an upgrade would understate how different the experience is. Instead of a plain text with a link, brands can send verified messages carrying their logo, images, product carousels, and tap-to-action buttons, all delivered within the phone’s native messaging app.
The verified sender feature addresses one of the most persistent problems in business messaging. Generic texts have eroded consumer trust due to SMS fraud, which has cost users hundreds of millions of dollars. With RCS, recipients can confirm at a glance that a message is coming from a legitimate brand.
Nationwide Coverage from Day One
As the country’s largest mobile operator, KPN brings the bulk of Dutch mobile subscribers into the RCS ecosystem immediately. Android coverage is live now through Google’s RCS for Business platform, while iOS support is expected in 2026. Twilio’s implementation lets businesses add RCS alongside SMS and MMS without code changes, with automatic SMS fallback keeping delivery at 100%.
David Copsey, RVP of International Wholesale & Carrier Relations at Twilio, said: “Nationwide operator coverage is a significant step forward for RCS for Business in the Netherlands. Together with KPN and Google, we are creating the foundation for large-scale adoption, giving brands the opportunity to engage millions of consumers with secure, branded and interactive messaging as device support continues to expand.”
A Channel With Growing Commercial Weight
RCS usage surged 277% year-on-year on Black Friday 2025, as retailers used the channel to send branded messages, product galleries, and interactive calls to action. In A/B testing, RCS rich cards have delivered conversion rates two to three times higher than standard channels, and up to ten times higher in some cases. Beauty brand Clarins reported a 79% read rate and 22% click-through when switching to interactive RCS threads from SMS blasts.
Southwark Council in London moved payment reminders from SMS to verified RCS and saw a 51% jump in customers taking action, 31% more choosing to pay, and 90% reporting greater confidence that messages were genuine.
