Jonathan Bean and Rob Kurver Close Day 1 of CASA25 with a Fireside Chat on What’s Next for Communications

As Day 1 of CASA25 came to a close, the tone shifted from urgency to opportunity. In a fast-paced fireside chat, Jonathan Bean, CMO of Sinch, joined Rob Kurver, Founding Partner of the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance, to reflect on the day’s discussions and project what’s next for the communications industry.

Spoiler alert: it’s big.

💡 Glass Half Full

Jonathan opened with a challenge to the room: let’s stop being cynical.

In an industry often obsessed with what’s broken, it’s easy to forget what’s been built. “When I joined CPaaS six years ago from the software world,” Jonathan shared, “the total ecosystem profits were around $200 million. Today? Billions. That’s a 10X increase.”

The takeaway: progress has happened. But we haven’t talked nearly enough about the customer—the real people and businesses benefiting from this transformation. “On my way here, almost every touchpoint was powered by one of our platforms. We’re already creating intelligent experiences, and that momentum is only increasing.”

🧠 A New Act: CPaaS 3.0 and Agentic AI

The conversation quickly moved to the next act. Inspired by CPaaSAA’s narrative of CPaaS 1.0 (SMS), CPaaS 2.0 (multi-channel), and CPaaS 3.0 (intelligent engagement), Jonathan made it clear: “We’re entering a new phase—one shaped by AI and orchestration.”

But this isn’t about fear. “For some players, it’ll be disruptive,” he admitted. “But for others, it’s a chance to create even more value across the ecosystem. AI, especially agentic AI, will radically shift how we think about engagement. We’re already seeing LLMs interact with our APIs in fascinating ways.”

Instead of treating AI as a threat, it’s time to build bridges—to become the infrastructure layer for AI-native companies. Or as Jonathan put it, “Our biggest customers may not even exist yet—they’re being founded right now.”

🧱 From Aggregation to Orchestration

For the past decade, CPaaS players helped companies aggregate access to messaging, voice, video, and email channels. But the future lies in orchestration—guiding meaningful customer journeys across these channels with intelligence baked in.

The goal? “Outcomes, not APIs.”

Sinch and others in the space are shifting from being mere pipelines to becoming engagement platforms, where developers, startups, and enterprises can build customer experiences that adapt, learn, and deliver.

This aligns strongly with the CASA25 theme of Intelligent Engagement—moving beyond just messaging to full-stack, AI-enhanced customer interaction.

🧑‍🚀 New Customers, New Mindsets

One of Jonathan’s most compelling points came when discussing the startups entering the space: “They’re vibe-coding apps on the weekend and just want their app to send an SMS or email. They don’t understand telco legacy. They don’t care. But we can onboard them through email, and then guide them into the world of messaging and regulation.”

In other words: onboard simple, then educate.

This generation doesn’t want to learn how to navigate telco red tape. They want platforms that work—fast. And whoever solves that friction stands to win their loyalty, and their volume.

🌐 Ecosystem Thinking

In closing, both Rob and Jonathan emphasized partnerships and ecosystem alignment. The day had started with warnings—about disruption, about AI, about the death of telcos—but it ended with hope.

As Jonathan put it, “Each of the partners we’ve had on stage today has a huge future. It all comes down to agility and customer centricity. Sure, we face headwinds—but the opportunity is so much bigger.”

TL;DR: The Future is Not a Threat—It’s an Invitation.

This isn’t about resisting change. It’s about accelerating it—together. CPaaS players like Sinch, alongside telcos, AI startups, and enterprise partners, are laying the foundation for a new infrastructure: Intelligent Engagement at scale.

Aggregation was Act 1. Orchestration is Act 2. And with agentic AI, the curtain’s rising on Act 3.

Let’s make sure we all have a role to play.

The energy around CASA25 keeps building—and we’re excited to share that Vonage has just signed on as a sponsor! A true heavyweight in the communications space, Vonage brings the power of Ericsson and a sharp focus on Network APIs, AI, and enterprise enablement.

Their support signals something bigger: CASA25 is becoming the go-to gathering for those shaping the future of programmable communications.

And they’re in good company.

🌟 CASA25 Sponsors (to date)

• Vonage – One of the industry’s most recognized names, with deep expertise in CPaaS and network APIs.
• Gamma – A European leader in UCaaS and cloud communications, focused on next-gen collaboration.
• Crexendo – North American UCaaS/CCaaS innovator with enterprise-ready solutions.
• McKinsey & Company – Strategic powerhouse helping define the telecom and AI landscape.
• Infobip – Global platform helping enterprises and telcos drive customer engagement.
• Radisys – Pioneering open telecom solutions and programmable infrastructure.
• GSMA – Industry-wide champion of Open Gateway and network API adoption.
• Sinch – Cloud communications leader enabling personalized customer experiences.
• 2600Hz (an Ooma company) – Empowering service providers with open, modular voice platforms.
• KPN – Dutch telco leaning into network innovation and open collaboration.
• CM.com – Messaging and payments platform bridging customer experience and communication.

🔥 Why It Matters

These sponsors represent the full ecosystem—from infrastructure and platforms to consulting and customer experience. Together, they’re not just supporting an event—they’re committing to a new phase of collaboration, innovation, and real-world execution in CPaaS, AI, and telecom.

🧭 What to Expect at CASA25

Visionary Keynotes – Hear from the leaders defining what’s next in communications, APIs, and AI. Workshops That Build – Leave the slide decks behind—these are hands-on sessions for co-creation and strategy. Real Conversations – No sales fluff, just direct, practical dialogue between insiders.

CASA25 is where the future of communications takes shape—and with partners like Vonage joining, the momentum is undeniable.

Let’s build what’s next. Together.