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Telenor has begun rolling out Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) to customers across Europe and Asia, aiming to replace SMS with a richer, more modern messaging experience.
SMS, once the standard for text messaging, is increasingly being supplanted by feature-rich IP-based messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. While these apps offer advanced features, they require both users to have the same app installed, which limits universality.
This initiative will greatly simplify and accelerate adoption of the technology
RCS is integrated into Android’s default Messages app on devices that support Google Play. Given Android’s position as the world’s most widely used mobile operating system, this integration improves the likelihood that the person you’re messaging can receive RCS content—provided their carrier supports the service.
Google previously partnered with Sprint in the United States and Rogers in Canada to enable RCS for their users. Telenor is the third carrier to adopt Google’s RCS platform and the first to do so at scale across both European and Asian markets.
With more than 214 million mobile subscriptions, Telenor Group is one of the major global mobile operators. It operates in countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, and Myanmar. Telenor’s decision to enable Google’s messaging solution for its customers is a significant milestone for RCS deployment.
SMS is quickly becoming a relic as more people adopt feature-rich IP messaging solutions
RCS brings modern messaging features that users expect today, such as group chats, high-resolution photo and video sharing, typing indicators, and delivery and read receipts. Google’s RCS rollout uses the Jibe RCS cloud platform after Google acquired Jibe in September 2015 to help carriers deploy RCS services more easily and consistently.
Google’s RCS implementation supports the GSMA’s Universal Profile—a common standard already backed by more than 58 carriers and manufacturers and covering a potential subscriber base of approximately 4.7 billion people worldwide. Adherence to the Universal Profile helps ensure interoperability between different carriers and devices.
Commenting on the deployment, GSMA CTO Alex Sinclair said: “This initiative will greatly simplify and accelerate adoption of the technology, and points to the future of how mobile users will communicate with one another. Google’s contributions will provide operators a new opportunity for a rich, consistent implementation across Android devices and offer a real step change in messaging experiences for consumers worldwide.”
While Telenor’s rollout marks a meaningful advance in global RCS availability, additional carrier adoption and broader device and network support are still needed before users can rely on multimedia-rich messages with the same universality and confidence once afforded by SMS.
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