The Rise of RCS: Revolutionizing Mobile Messaging

By Raushan Singh, Power SMPP

In the rapidly evolving landscape of mobile communication, Rich Communication Services (RCS) has emerged as a game-changer. As the next generation of SMS, RCS promises to enhance the messaging experience with a host of new features. Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a communication protocol standard developed by the GSM Association (GSMA) to enhance SMS and MMS messaging. RCS, marketed as Advanced Messaging and previously as joyn and SMS+, aims to counteract the rise of OTT services. While RCS itself does not mandate end-to-end encryption, Google Messages has implemented it. As of 2020, RCS was available across 90 operators in 60 countries. By 2023, there were 800 million active users on Google’s platform and 1.2 billion RCS-supported handsets. This article explores the rise of RCS, history and developments,  its features, adoption, challenges, and future outlook, backed by images and statistics.

What is RCS?

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a communication protocol designed to replace SMS by offering enhanced messaging capabilities such as high-resolution media sharing, read receipts, and typing indicators. Unlike SMS, RCS allows for a richer and more interactive communication experience, similar to that offered by popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage.

History and Development:

The Rich Communication Suite industry initiative was formed in 2007 and officially became a project of the GSM Association in February 2008. Announced as Rich Communications Suite on September 15, 2008, it later became known as Rich Communication Services. Initial supporters included operators like Orange and Telecom Italia, and vendors like Ericsson and Nokia. Despite releasing Version 4 of its specification by 2010, progress was slow due to the rise of OTT providers. To speed up development, the RCS-e (enhanced) specification was released, branded as “joyn” at Mobile World Congress 2012. That year, carriers including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, and Vodafone supported RCS-e, and the first services were launched in Spain, Germany, and the US.

The GSMA, a global mobile industry association, introduced the Universal Profile in November 2016.The Universal Profile is a single GSMA specification, and carriers that emplace the Universal Profile guarantee connection with other carriers.  As of early 2017, there were 47 mobile network drivers, 11 manufacturers, and 2 OS providers( Google and Microsoft)  that had announced their support of the Universal Profile. Adoption of RCS increased following Google’s purchase of Jibe Mobile, which uses an implementation of the RCS Universal Profile, designed to help carriers launch RCS quickly and scale easily.

In October 2019, the four major U.S. carriers announced an agreement to form the Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI) to jointly implement RCS using a newly developed app. This service was designed to align with the specifications outlined in the Universal Profile, ensuring compatibility and interoperability with other services built on the same standard.. However, this carrier-made app never came to fruition. By 2021, both T-Mobile and AT&T signed deals with Google to adopt Google’s Messages app. In 2023, T-Mobile and AT&T agreed to use Google Jibe to implement RCS services, and in 2024 Verizon agreed to use Google Jibe.

In June 2024, Apple announced that RCS support would be introduced on iOS 18 in the Messages app; as with SMS, RCS will be displayed with green message bubbles and buttons, although in text box there will be a RCS indicator to specifying that you are sending a RCS message.

Key Features of RCS

1. Enhanced Media Sharing:

RCS enables users to send high-resolution photos and videos, GIFs, and audio messages. This is a significant improvement over SMS, which limits media quality.

2. Read Receipts and Typing Indicators:

RCS supports read receipts, allowing users to see when their messages have been read, and typing indicators, showing when someone is typing a response.

3. Group Chats:

RCS offers robust group messaging features, including the ability to add or remove participants and assign group names.

4. Interactive Messaging:

Businesses can send rich, interactive messages. For example, airlines can send boarding passes, banks can send transaction details, and retailers can send personalized offers directly within the messaging app.

5. No Internet Required:

RCS can work over both Wi-Fi and mobile data, ensuring message delivery even without a data connection, provided there is carrier support.

6. Business Integration: 

RCS Business Messaging empowers businesses to deliver dynamic and interactive customer experiences through rich media, automated responses, and engaging features. For example, chat bots can be used for customer service, providing automated responses to common inquiries.

Cross-Device Compatibility: OTT apps like WhatsApp are accessible on multiple devices, including smart phones, tablets, and computers, providing users with the flexibility to communicate across different platforms.

7. End-to-End Encryption:

WhatsApp and other over-the-top (OTT) messaging platforms prioritize user privacy by implementing end-to-end encryption, safeguarding messages from unauthorized access. Unlike these platforms, RCS security is not inherently built-in but relies on individual messaging clients like Google Messages to provide this crucial layer of protection.

8. No Character Limit:

RCS offers a significant advantage over SMS by eliminating the restrictive 160-character limit. This expanded character count empowers users to communicate more comprehensively and expressively, particularly benefiting businesses seeking to deliver detailed information in a single message.

Adoption and Support

The adoption of RCS has been steadily increasing. According to the GSMA, as of 2023, RCS is supported by over 90 operators worldwide and is available on more than 500 million devices. Google has been a major advocate, integrating RCS into its Android Messages app and promoting its adoption. In 2019, Google took a crucial step by enabling RCS services directly through its servers, by passing the need for carrier support and accelerating its rollout.

Statistics:

• Global Reach: RCS is available in 60+ countries.
• User Base: Over 800 million active users globally.
• Carrier Support: Supported by 90+ operators.

RCS statistics on adoption rates

Businesses are quickly embracing RCS. Here are a few key RCS statistics that reveal the rapid growth of RCS.

• Rapid adoption: In June 2023, RCS business messaging adoption surged by over 40% compared to the previous 12 months, outpacing growth of other messaging channels.

• Markets witnessing noticeable growth: Operator Orange S.A. experienced phenomenal growth in France during 2023, with a staggering 400% increase in business compared to the previous year.
• Explosive growth in messaging volume: RCS business messaging has witnessed exponential growth, with a 25,000% surge in message volume between February 2022 and November 2023. This dramatic increase underscores the rapid adoption of RCS as a preferred channel for businesses to engage with customers.

RCS in Marketing Campaigns

RCS messaging demonstrates superior performance in marketing campaigns, consistently achieving significantly higher engagement rates than traditional Rich SMS. Businesses using RCS have seen significant improvements in conversion and click-through rates. Here are some key stats highlighting its effectiveness:

• High engagement rates: 90% of rich media messages are opened within 15 minutes, and customers engage with RCS content for up to 45 seconds.
• Increased readability: People are 35 times more likely to read an RCS message than an email.
• Great conversion rates: Business campaigns using RCS messaging have shown an 80% conversion rate, indicating its effectiveness in driving engagement and sales.
• Higher Click-through rates: RCS marketing campaigns outperform traditional Rich SMS campaigns by delivering click-through rates that are three to seven times higher.
• Enhanced performance metrics across channels: Compared to other channels, RCS campaigns have seen 200% increases in click rates.

RCS has the potential to drive engagement and boost business performance across various metrics. The above are a few specific examples of this in action.

Challenges and Future Outlook

Despite its promising features, RCS faces several challenges:

• Carrier and Manufacturer Support: While many carriers and phone manufacturers support RCS, not all do, leading to inconsistencies in adoption.
• Security Concerns: RCS currently lacks end-to-end encryption, which raises privacy concerns among users. However, efforts are underway to enhance its security features.
• Competition with Established Apps: RCS competes with established messaging apps like WhatsApp, which already offer rich features and have a large user base.

Future Outlook

The future looks bright for RCS. As more carriers, manufacturers, and users adopt the protocol, its benefits will become more evident. The GSMA is working on addressing security issues and promoting universal profile standards to ensure a consistent user experience across devices and networks. With continued improvements and broader adoption, RCS has the potential to become the new standard for mobile communication.

Future Projections:

• Market Growth: The RCS market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.6% from 2021 to 2026.
• Enhanced Security: Future updates are expected to include end-to-end encryption to address privacy concerns.
• Wider Adoption: By 2028, RCS is expected to reach over 2 billion active users.

Apple’s announcement to enable RCS messaging in iMessage with the iOS 18 upgrade will enhance communication features for Android users. RCS, a GSMA protocol, offers advanced messaging capabilities through Universal Profile 2.4.

Meta’s WhatsApp has implemented significant price reductions of 16-97% for business messaging services across multiple markets, including a 63% decrease in India. This strategic move is intended to bolster its competitive position against Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) and prepare for the anticipated entry of Apple into the business messaging landscape.

Conclusion

RCS represents a significant leap forward in mobile messaging, combining the simplicity of SMS with the rich, interactive features (like high-resolution media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and improved group chats) of modern messaging apps. As it continues to gain traction, RCS has the potential to become the new standard for mobile communication, offering users a seamless, engaging, and feature-rich messaging experience.

Developed by the GSM Association (GSMA), RCS aims to counteract the influence of OTT services by providing a richer and more interactive communication platform. Despite facing challenges such as inconsistent carrier support and competition from established messaging apps, RCS has seen significant adoption. As of 2024, it boasts around 1 billion active users on Google’s platform and 1.2 billion RCS-supported handsets globally. With Apple’s planned support in iOS 18 and continuous improvements, RCS is on track to become a new standard in mobile communication, projected to reach over 2 billion users by 2028. The future looks promising as the industry works to enhance security features and broaden adoption, potentially transforming how we communicate through mobile devices.