by
N. Peter Kramer
The Chinese equipment vendor said in a statement its Huawei devices will offer RCS messaging features through the Android Messages app “in the coming months” and will be available as a default service.
Huawei smartphone users will also be able to make video calls directly from Android Messages through carrier Video over LTE (ViLTE) and Google’s Duo service. RCS includes features such as texting over Wi-Fi, rich media sharing, group chats and typing indicators.
Huawei said it is also looking to help drive the adoption of RCS messaging with its current and prospective operator partners by offering the Jibe RCS cloud and hub service as an integrated element of its IMS service. Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of platforms and ecosystem at Google said Huawei’s decision to back the Jibe RCS cloud and hub “will accelerate the rollout of RCS on carrier networks nationwide”.
Indeed, RCS has been gaining additional traction with operators in recent months. Four of Latin Americas largest operators – America Movil, Oi, Telefonica and AT&T Mexico – launched the services in late 2017, while China Mobile and Swedish operator group Telia have also recently announced their backing. Google acquired Jibe Mobile, an RCS developer, almost three years ago and made a major push for the platform at Mobile World Congress in 2016.
The GSMA predicts there will be 350 million RCS users around the world by Q4 2018 and 1 billion in Q1 2019.
