How Apple is holding back rich communication services

The topic of rich communication services (RCS) doesn’t get discussed much in the wireless industry. And if we do touch on it, it’s usually about the backend systems that support RCS. RCS is the messaging standard established by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA). From a global perspective, India, Brazil and Mexico comprise 60% of RCS users, with the EU slightly ahead of the US. Many people, at least in the US, seem content with iMessage if they have an iPhone or Messages if they have an Android phone. But if an iPhone is communicating to an Android phone, then those two platforms don’t talk to each other and the chat reverts to simple messaging service (SMS). Asked how RCS is “richer” than SMS, RCS expert Inderpal Singh Mumick gave a couple of examples. He said RCS can allow people to get an airline boarding pass directly in their message, rather than having to click a separate link. Or for businesses, RCS allows them to do things like e-commerce transactions, without having to send people to a separate application. He said RCS also has a much higher allowance for text characters – 4,000 characters. And in addition to text, it can include multiple images, videos, and buttons to click, all within the message and without having to go to an app or a separate web browser. So far, Apple has not been willing to switch from its proprietary iMessage platform to the RCS standard. Apple says its iMessage platform has the best security. But there could also be competitive business reasons at play.