Eastwind Deploys EW SMS Firewall for Unique Network Setup
22 april 2025
We customized our solution for a project with an SMS provider. Now, Eastwind helps its partner monetize A2P traffic in an African telecom operator's network powered by Apache Kafka. We also fully manage the anti-fraud system as part of our Managed Services.
In late 2023, the SMS provider was searching for an SMS Firewall solution capable of blocking illegal A2P traffic. This product was needed for a project with a telecom operator in Africa, which at that time had no such solutions.
The search was complicated by the operator's unique network architecture—messages in its network were transmitted using Apache Kafka instead of the standard SS7 protocol. This rare setup required a customized SMS Firewall, but many vendors were not prepared to make such modifications. Additionally, the SMS aggregator wanted the vendor to not only provide an effective product but also manage it.
The Eastwind team agreed to meet these needs and adapt its SMS Firewall to the operator's network architecture. We also offered our Managed Services, where our staff configure anti-fraud filters and monitor the received SMS traffic. Thus, in January 2024, Eastwind joined the African project with the SMS provider.
Learn more about the capabilities of the EW SMS Firewall
The project's main objective is to block gray routes for A2P SMS, which allow content providers to underpay for messages, causing revenue loss for the SMS provider. To stay profitable, our partner must handle an average of 40,000 messages daily on its network.
After implementing the EW SMS Firewall, we promptly achieved the target metrics. Our solution blocks illegal SMS, increasing legitimate traffic to over 50,000 messages daily and ensuring full payment from content providers to our partner. However, fraudsters continually try new tactics, such as creating new SMS templates to evade anti-fraud filters. To combat this, our specialists regularly monitor the metrics, investigating any drops and adjusting the EW SMS Firewall settings as needed.
We've seen a positive trend—thanks to EW SMS Firewall, the partner is now receiving over 60,000 messages per day at full price, surpassing our target metrics
In this project, EW SMS Firewall helps monetize gray A2P traffic, while globally our product:
— Protects against spam. The solution filters all SMS messages to subscribers, analyzing the sender, the text, and other parameters. It blocks any SMS that shows signs of a spam campaign.
— Fights scammers. The EW SMS Firewall protects against SMS flooding, spoofing, and other attacks.
Discover how EW SMS Firewall can help your business
More News
Project Highlight: Integration with Apache Kafka
In late 2023, the SMS provider was searching for an SMS Firewall solution capable of blocking illegal A2P traffic. This product was needed for a project with a telecom operator in Africa, which at that time had no such solutions.
The search was complicated by the operator's unique network architecture—messages in its network were transmitted using Apache Kafka instead of the standard SS7 protocol. This rare setup required a customized SMS Firewall, but many vendors were not prepared to make such modifications. Additionally, the SMS aggregator wanted the vendor to not only provide an effective product but also manage it.
The Eastwind team agreed to meet these needs and adapt its SMS Firewall to the operator's network architecture. We also offered our Managed Services, where our staff configure anti-fraud filters and monitor the received SMS traffic. Thus, in January 2024, Eastwind joined the African project with the SMS provider.
Flexibility is our strong suit. To monitor A2P traffic in the African operator's network, we integrated Apache Kafka into the core of the EW SMS Firewall. Our solution can now work with both the SS7 protocol and the message broker.
— Andrey Alemastsev, Product Manager at Eastwind
Learn more about the capabilities of the EW SMS Firewall
Results: Partner Receives Over 50,000 Legitimate SMS Daily
The project's main objective is to block gray routes for A2P SMS, which allow content providers to underpay for messages, causing revenue loss for the SMS provider. To stay profitable, our partner must handle an average of 40,000 messages daily on its network.
After implementing the EW SMS Firewall, we promptly achieved the target metrics. Our solution blocks illegal SMS, increasing legitimate traffic to over 50,000 messages daily and ensuring full payment from content providers to our partner. However, fraudsters continually try new tactics, such as creating new SMS templates to evade anti-fraud filters. To combat this, our specialists regularly monitor the metrics, investigating any drops and adjusting the EW SMS Firewall settings as needed.
We've seen a positive trend—thanks to EW SMS Firewall, the partner is now receiving over 60,000 messages per day at full price, surpassing our target metrics
Other Problems EW SMS Firewall Solves
In this project, EW SMS Firewall helps monetize gray A2P traffic, while globally our product:
— Protects against spam. The solution filters all SMS messages to subscribers, analyzing the sender, the text, and other parameters. It blocks any SMS that shows signs of a spam campaign.
— Fights scammers. The EW SMS Firewall protects against SMS flooding, spoofing, and other attacks.
Discover how EW SMS Firewall can help your business