(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Leonardo Patrizi)
RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the mobile industry’s response to feature-rich over-the-top (OTT) messaging apps such as WhatsApp. As an interoperable standard, RCS supports group messaging, IP voice calls, high-resolution photo and file sharing, typing indicators, and read receipts across networks—bringing richer features to native carrier messaging.
With traditional SMS usage declining, operators are banking on RCS to preserve messaging revenue and relevance. That is a challenging task given the enormous reach of existing OTT platforms: WhatsApp recently reported more than one billion monthly active users, and Facebook Messenger is approaching similar scale.
“RCS continues to experience organic growth around the world, with 47 operators in 34 countries having launched services to date. However, 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. This is an incredibly positive development for the industry,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer at the GSMA. “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.”
One of RCS’s advantages is the potential to be supported natively on many devices. Google aims to lead this shift by delivering an Android RCS client in collaboration with a broad group of global operators, including América Móvil, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Globe Telecom, KPN, Millicom, MTN, Orange, PLAY, Smart Communications, Sprint, Telenor Group, TeliaSonera, Telstra, TIM, Turkcell, VimpelCom, and Vodafone.
The RCS specification was developed by the GSMA, and Google is accelerating adoption by offering a platform for operators and by creating an Android client that implements a “universal profile” so consumers can access RCS services directly on their devices. Features such as group chat, high-resolution photo sharing, typing indicators, and read receipts will become part of the operator messaging experience, enhancing communication for over four billion SMS users worldwide.
“Messaging holds a central place in our lives, whether it’s coordinating a meet-up, sharing photos with friends, or sending thoughts to a loved one,” said Nick Fox, Vice President of Communications Products at Google. “Today marks an important step forward in bringing a better messaging experience for Android users everywhere, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with our partners across the industry to make this happen.”
Earlier this year Google acquired Jibe Mobile, a company that helped operators deploy rich messaging capabilities. The RCS client reflects that expertise and can operate independently of the Jibe platform; however, Google also offers the Jibe platform for operators that prefer to outsource their RCS infrastructure rather than build and maintain it themselves.
As RCS rolls out more broadly, its success will depend on operator deployment, device support, and how seamlessly it integrates with existing ecosystems. If carriers and device makers deliver a consistent, reliable experience, RCS could narrow the functional gap with OTT apps and offer consumers richer native messaging without switching platforms. Whether that will shift user habits at the scale of dominant OTT services remains to be seen.
Do you think Google and the GSMA’s push will help RCS gain mainstream adoption? Let us know in the comments.