[NJTechDiv] At&T, Verizon, Sprint and t mobile work together to replace antiquated text messaging

[Jane Degenshein]

Here is an article I got on Friday and thought I would share with my list 
serve
By Mike Peterson

The U.S.’s big four carriers announced a new partnership to push a 
next-generation messaging standard that could eventually replace SMS text 
messaging.

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint announced the “Cross-Carrier Messaging 
Initiative” (CCMI) in a joint press release on Friday.

That initiative focuses on the RCS messaging protocol — which could 
simultaneously replace SMS and put pressure on iMessage. Here’s what you 
should know.

Replacing SMS with RCS
In a nutshell, the RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol will bring 
internet-based messaging features — like those seen on WhatsApp or 
iMessage — to standard text messages.

SMS is an objectively terrible messaging standard, especially when compared 
to the aforementioned internet standards.

If carriers actually do end up adopting RCS, it could mean better group 
chats, typing indicators and higher-quality images and videos, among other 
benefits. Basically, everything that iMessage does and SMS doesn’t. (RCS is 
not currently end-to-end encrypted like iMessage is, however.)

But RCS is also extremely complicated, both technically and politically. The 
bottlenecks associated with actually adopting the standard are likely why 
you may never have heard of it.

What the Carriers Announced Today
CCMI is, essentially, a coalition of the biggest carriers in the U.S. The 
joint venture’s main goal is to “create a single seamless, interoperable RCS 
experience across carriers, both in the U.S. and globally.”

While the CCMI has a long way to go, it did announce a new RCS-based Android 
app that will ship sometime next year.

The CCMI will also work with device manufacturers to ensure that the 
messaging standard is interoperable across various smartphones and systems. 
Though, at this point, Google, Samsung and other OEMs haven’t commented.

Lastly, the CCMI also positions RCS as a potential win for businesses, 
allowing customers to interact with brands and support staff much more 
easily than they would over SMS.

What This Means for Apple
It’s not clear what this means for Apple, particularly since it’s very early 
in RCS’s potential adoption.

But, of course, there have long been problems with SMS text messages, 
particularly on iPhones. You may be familiar with the whole green bubble / 
blue bubble debacle.

A universal RCS standard would essentially do away with the differences 
between Android and iMessage protocols. But that is, of course, dependent on 
whether or not Apple actually adopts it on its iPhones.

Apple, for its part, has offered no comment on the RCS standard. That’s 
likely because it already has iMessage, so its users may not benefit the 
same way Android users will.

But, like WhatsApp or other internet-based protocols, a universal RCS 
standard could go toe-to-toe with iMessage and put quite a bit of pressure 
on Apple. If iMessage loses its advantages, then Apple may have a stronger 
incentive to bring iMessage to Android, for example.

Bottom Line
The universal adoption of RCS is likely quite a while away. But today’s 
announcement does indicate that SMS’s days are numbered and a better 
messaging future may be on the horizon.



Keep Smiling,
Janie Degenshein
Happiness isn't having what you want, but wanting what you already have!
Facilitator of ECHO (Eyes Closed Hearts Open)
state affiliate board member
President of the senior division of the National Federation of the Blind of 
New Jersey
to join the senior list serve:
https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbnj-seniors_nfbnet.org
President of the Technology division of the National federation of the Blind 
of New Jersey
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NFBNJ Newsline co-ordinator
jdegen16 at comcast.net
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