Rich Communication Services

The Rich Communication Services program is a GSM Association program for the creation of inter-operator communication services based on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).^[1][2][3] It is marketed by the GSMA under the brand name joyn.^[4]

Key features of RCS include:

• Enhanced Phonebook: service capabilities and enhanced contacts information such as presence and service discovery.
• Enhanced Messaging: enables a large variety of messaging options including chat, emoticons, location share and file sharing.
• Enriched Calls: enables multimedia content sharing during a voice call, video call and screen sharing.

History

The Rich Communication Suite (RCS) industry initiative^[5] was formed by a group of industry promoters in 2007. In February 2008 the GSM Association officially became the project ‘home’ of RCS and an RCS steering committee was established by the organisation.

The scope of the steering committee’s work was to entail the definition, testing and integration of the services in the application suite known as RCS. Three years later, the RCS project released a new specification – RCS-e (e = ‘enhanced’), which included various iterations of the original RCS specifications. The GSMA programme is now called Rich Communication Services.^[6]

RCS specifications

RCS takes on board different services defined by e.g. 3GPP and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and combines them with the enhanced phonebook. This allows the service capabilities as well as presence information of the recipients to be shown in the terminal phonebook application. RCS reuses 3GPP specified IMS core system as the underlying service platform taking care of issues such as authentication, authorization, registration, charging and routing.

Five releases of the RCS specifications have been made to date. Each release expanded the scope of its predecessor.

Release 1

Offered the first definitions for the enrichment of voice and chat with content sharing, driven from an RCS enhanced address book.

Release 2

Added broadband access to RCS features: enhancing the messaging and enabling sharing of files.

Release 3

Focused on the broadband device as a primary device.

Release 4

Included support for LTE.

Release 5

The most recent release, global interoperability is a key aspect of these specifications.

The following standardized services are a part of the specifications of RCS:^[7]

• Standalone Messaging
• 1-to-1 Chat
• Group Chat
• File Transfer
• Content Sharing
• Social Presence Information
• IP Voice call
• Best Effort Video call
• Geolocation Exchange
• Network based blacklist
• Capability Exchange based on Presence or SIP OPTIONS

joyn specifications

The GSMA has defined a series of joyn specifications that define specific implementations of the underlying RCS specifications. The RCS specifications often define a number of options for implementing individual communications features, resulting in challenges in delivering interoperable services between carriers. The joyn specifications aim to define a more specific implementation that promote standardisation and simplify interconnection between carriers.

At this time there are two major relevant releases:

• joyn Hot Fixes - based upon the RCS 1.2.2 specification (previously known as RCS-e), this includes 1:1 chat, group chat, MSRP file sharing and video sharing (during a circuit switched call). Services based upon this specification are live in Spain, France and Germany.
• joyn Blackbird Drop 1 - based upon the RCS 5.1 specification, this extends the joyn Hot Fixes service to include HTTP file sharing, location sharing, group file sharing, and other capabilities such as group chat store and forward. joyn Blackbird Drop 1 is backward compatible with joyn Hot Fixes. Vodafone Spain's network is accredited for joyn Blackbird Drop 1, and Telefónica and Orange Spain have also been involved in interoperability testing with vendors of joyn Blackbird Drop 1 clients. A number of client vendors are accredited to joyn Blackbird Drop 1.

Two or more future releases are planned:

• joyn Blackbird Drop 2 - also based upon the RCS 5.1 specification, this will primarily add IP voice and video calling. The test cases for joyn Blackbird Drop 2 have yet to be released by the GSMA.
• joyn Crane - Already available in GSMA web page.

Status

According to GSMA PR, Rich Communication Services (RCS) carriers from around the globe supporting the RCS standard include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Jio, KPN, KT Corporation, LG U+), Orange, Orascom Telecom, Rogers Communications, SFR, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, TeliaSonera, Telus, Verizon and Vodafone.^[8] There is however very little evidence in the field that RCS has wide (or even any) uptake in the market.

RCS LAUNCHES

Operator	Country	Launch date	Note
Vodafone	Spain	000000002012-01-01-00002012	[9] Launched the beta version of RCS at beginning of 2012, branded as joyn.
Movistar	Spain	000000002012-06-01-0000June 2012	[9] Branded as joyn.
Vodafone	Germany	000000002012-08-01-0000August 2012	[9][10] First Branded as joyn. Since November 2013 Message+.
Orange	Spain	000000002012-11-01-0000November 2012	[9] Branded as joyn.
MetroPCS	United States	000000002012-11-01-0000November 2012	[9] Branded as joyn.
KT	South Korea	000000002012-12-01-0000December 2012	[9][11] Branded as joyn.
LG U+	South Korea	000000002012-12-01-0000December 2012	[9][11] Branded as joyn.
SK Telecom	South Korea	000000002012-12-01-0000December 2012	[9][11] Branded as joyn.
Deutsche Telekom	Germany	000000002013-02-01-0000February 2013	[9] Branded as Message+[12]
Telcel	Mexico	000000002013-02-01-0000February 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Claro	Argentina	000000002013-05-01-0000May 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Claro	Colombia	000000002013-05-01-0000May 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Claro	Peru	000000002013-05-01-0000May 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Orange	France	000000002013-06-01-0000June 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Claro	Brazil	000000002013-08-01-0000August 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Claro	Ecuador	000000002013-08-01-0000August 2013	[9] Branded as joyn.
Sprint	United States	000000002013-10-01-0000October 2013	Launched as a separate application[9][13]
Vodafone	Albania	000000002014-04-01-0000April 2014	[14] Branded as Message+.
Telekom	Romania	000000002014-06-01-0000June 2014	[15][16] Branded as joyn.
Slovak Telekom	Slovakia	000000002014-06-01-0000June 2014	[15][16] Branded as joyn.
Vodafone	UK	000000002014-09-01-0000September 2014	[17][18] Branded as Message+.
O2	Germany	000000002015-01-01-00002015	[19] Branded as Message+Call.
T-Mobile US	United States	000000002015-07-01-0000July 2015	[20] Branded as Advanced Messaging.
AT&T	United States	000000002015-11-01-0000November 2015	[21][22] Branded as Advanced Messaging and Video Call.
MTS	Russia	000000002015-12-01-0000December 2015	[23] Branded as MTS Connect.
Vodafone	Portugal	999999999999-99-99-0000	[24] Branded as Message+.
Jio	India	000000002016-09-01-0000September 2016	[25][26] Branded as Jio4GVoice.
Sprint	United States	000000002016-11-01-0000November 2016	[27] Branded as RCS.

GSMA RCS accreditation

The RCS Interop and Testing (IOT) accreditation process ^[28] was started by the GSMA in order to improve the quality of testing, increase transparency, drive scale, minimize complexity and accelerate time-to-market (TTM) of joyn services. Companies need to undertake the IOT process from the GSMA to apply for a license to use the service mark joyn.

"Accredited" means that the device, client or network has undertaken a series of test cases (150 to 300) in a specific set of conditions, provided test results and traces that have been analysed by the GSMA RCS IOT team and any IOT issues arising resolved with the submitter.^[29]

"Accreditation Ready" is the designation awarded to a hosted RCS service that has undertaken the same series of test cases as mobile network operator operator, provided test results and traces that have been analysed by the GSMA RCS IOT team and any IOT issues arising resolved with the submitter.^[29]

References

External links

• GSMA RCS