The global technology analysts believe that collaboration with handset manufacturers is imperative if operators are to remain relevant and competitive in the messaging industry, Ovum said in a statement.

In a new report addressing how operators can counteract the social messaging threat from over-the-top (OTT) players, Ovum highlights that operators in Europe and Asia Pacific will be affected the most, and should be vigilant with respect to OTT messaging activity.

"Social messaging is becoming more pervasive, and operators are coming under increased pressure to drive revenues from the messaging component of their communications businesses," says Neha Dharia, consumer telecoms analyst at Ovum. "Operators need to understand the impact of social messaging apps on consumer behaviour, both in terms of changing communication patterns and the impact on SMS revenues, and offer services to suit."

According to Ovum, WhatsApp, one of the more prominent social messaging brands, has seen its levels of penetration increase in markets such as Singapore and the Netherlands. Ovum believes this level of growth will continue as smartphone and mobile broadband penetration increases, and expects smaller players such as textPlus, Pinterest, and fring to cause further disruption in the messaging space.

"OTT players are changing consumers' messaging preferences, and the pressure they are exerting on operators' messaging services is forcing them to offer increased SMS bundles and to experiment with messaging pricing models, further dampening revenue growth," comments Dharia.