Another good GSMA initiative worth tracking. The GSMA recently issued the first technical specification for RCS, defining the feature set for the first version of the service and ensuring that vendors will be able to develop standard, interoperable implementations. The specification outlines the requirements for features including:
· Enhanced Address Book – provides presence and capability indications, enables users to initiate communications including voice calls, video calls, file transfers or messaging, and allows users to integrate multimedia elements, such as photos of contacts.
· Rich Call – enables users to exchange different types of content, such as video or photos, during a call.
· Rich Messaging – expands on traditional instant messaging to simplify and unify multiple messaging mediums and provide a richer user experience.
Future releases will include providing RCS functionality on other platforms such as PCs, offering a seamless user experience across PCs and mobiles.
The GSMA today reported significant progress in the Rich Communication Suite (RCS) Initiative, a service providing interoperable, enriched communication capabilities such as in-call multimedia sharing, conversational messaging and presence-enhanced contact management, all accessible through a user’s mobile phone contact list.
More information on the RCS initiative is available at www.gsmworld.com/rcs.