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

Mon Oct 28 14:36:58 UTC 2019

in my humble opinion, I think the more important issue is to watch what 
Apple does based on:

A universal RCS standard would essentially do away with the
differences between Android and iMessage protocols.
(https://www.idropnews.com/giveaways/?utm_source=giveaways-navigation-banner)

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.

-------- Original Message --------
From: Jane Degenshein via NJTechDiv [mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org]
To: Alice Eaddy <cheiro_alice at aol.com>, New Jersey Technology Division 
List <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jane Degenshein <jdegen16 at comcast.net>
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2019, 9:25 PM
Subject: [NJTechDiv] At&T, Verizon, Sprint and t mobile work together to 
replace antiquated text messaging
not sure but perhaps, we can contact one of the providers and ask?
*From:* Alice Eaddy <mailto:cheiro_alice at aol.com>
*Sent:* Sunday, October 27, 2019 9:14 PM
*To:* New Jersey Technology Division List <mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>
*Cc:* Jane Degenshein <mailto:jdegen16 at comcast.net>
*Subject:* Re: [NJTechDiv] At&T, Verizon, Sprint and t mobile work
together to replace antiquated text messaging
Dear Jane and njtechdiv,
If this roll out occurs down the road what will it mean for blind and
DeafBlind accessibility?
Alice

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 27, 2019, at 8:02 PM, Jane Degenshein via NJTechDiv
<njtechdiv at nfbnet.org> wrote:

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
To join the tech div list serve:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org

NFBNJ Newsline co-ordinator
jdegen16 at comcast.net
_______________________________________________
NJTechDiv mailing list
NJTechDiv at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
NJTechDiv:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org/cheiro_alice%40aol.com

_______________________________________________
NJTechDiv mailing list
NJTechDiv at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
NJTechDiv:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/njtechdiv_nfbnet.org/mrb620%40hotmail.com