Google works with mobile operators all over the world to replace Short Message Service (SMS) with Rich Communications Service (RCS) as the new standard for text messaging on Android.
SMS has been a big part of everybody's lives for more than 10 years already, but users nowadays need a better platform to send files such as photos, videos and anything else along those lines through text messages. RCS is the solution to that little conundrum.
"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. 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," Nick Fox, VP of Communications Products at Google, says.
Google is collaborating with the GSM Association (GSMA), an organization that has consolidated about 800 carriers and over 250 companies. It pushes toward setting standards and promoting the Global System for Mobile (GSM) mobile technology. With the Mountain View-based company in the mix, the progress of bringing RCS to the plate will be expedited.
Operators that are in line include América Móvil, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Deutsche Telekom, Globe Telecom, Sprint and Vodafone, to name a few.
It should also be noted that these efforts stem from Google's acquisition of RCS specialist Jibe back in September last year.
RCS provides the potential to start group chats and sharing of high-quality photos. On that note, there's a strong possibility that video calling will soon be available as well. Needless to say, it will still support SMS and MMS.
Seeing as how messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram and WhatsApp have been, this might seem like the wrong time to roll out RCS. In other words, they've beaten the program to the punch as the go-to messaging platform.
Google is arguably the GSMA's glimmer of hope in successfully launching this project and setting it as the new standard. At any rate, Android runs on almost every corner of the world, so with this development, RCS has more than a slim fighting chance to take a prominent spot in the industry now.
