On December 3, 1992, the first message was sent: a developer from the company “Vodafone” congratulated his boss on Christmas. Currently, SMS is one of the most accessible ways of text communication. Now, any phone can receive and send SMS, making this channel convenient for both advertising and regular communication.
The audience of messengers is growing every day because they provide more options than SMS. However, a unified standard has yet to emerge: many messengers are available, but not every user uses the same software. In search of “compromises,” users install messengers that are not constantly in use, causing some inconvenience.
To solve this issue, market leaders began developing a universal solution — the RCS (Rich Communications Services) standard. This online protocol was created by the GSM association in 2008 to replace the outdated SMS standard. The association includes many companies, both software developers and manufacturers. Considering the number of participants in standardizing the protocol, it took several years to satisfy all the demands. Only in 2016 was the standard officially adopted by the company community.
Difference Between SMS and RCS
The main difference between RCS and SMS is the number of available features. RCS allows you to attach files to messages, send images, GIFs, audio, and video messages. This functionality is already available in messengers, but the RCS standard will unite all users, eliminating the need to use multiple programs. Now users can send longer messages, check delivery status, and create group chats.
Is RCS Already Used?
Currently, the main driving force behind RCS is Google. It is ready to provide backend services to operators for free to accelerate the adoption of the standard. At this stage, the launch and setup of RCS rests entirely on the shoulders of the operators. Verizon has already made significant strides and is offering it on Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones. However, there are still issues, as the standard is not available on all devices of this model.
The application itself is called Chat, and analysts already see a potential threat. Google also has its own communication tool, Hangouts Chat, which could confuse users. The advantage of this situation is that if the second device does not support RCS, its owner will receive a regular SMS.
In the near future, many major operators plan to introduce the new standard into their networks, and most will use the RCS (Universal Profile) standard. T-Mobile and Sprint have already joined. It is officially known that within the network, users will be able to communicate without any issues, but there's no information on communication with subscribers of other operators.
The issue is complicated by the fact that some operators are adopting RCS, but most of them are rejecting the Universal Profile standard, which makes compatibility with other vendors impossible, and more questions arise about how to ensure compatibility across all existing devices.
Is Using RCS Safe?
There are growing concerns about personal data security, with frequent leaks and an increasing number of people worried about anonymity and safety. This has led to questions about the security of the new standard. The main issue is that RCS does not have end-to-end encryption, which makes it possible for even app developers to read the messages.
On the other hand, applications operating under the RCS standard do offer all standard security methods: Layer Security (the technology used in HTTPS) and IPsec, which is used in VPN connections.
We get another messenger, and its security remains at the level of “is it convenient for me to use it?” The second important question: will it be worth using?
Future of RCS
Currently, the standard is available to a limited number of people and a limited number of operators. The standard certainly has advantages over SMS, but will it spread fast enough and outpace the messengers we're already used to? The main question: will RCS become the main standard or just another competitor?
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