RCS support

[Mr-Elly-Font]

With more and more providers starting to roll out RCS across the world. I'm just wondering if O2 have announced if they will be rolin it out across the uk any time soon.

[adamtemp64]

@terminusaquo I have been a customer of o2 for so long some things they innovate at and others they lag behind. But for me it has always been about the core of a mobile companies network and that is voice coverage in locations I need it . I guess as a person that is getting long in the tooth so to speak certain tech that is common to one type of device is less important . 

I used to rely on fixed phones and Amateur radio for communication and the Amateur radio led to some exciting developements before mobile phones (and the mainstream ip based network that is now called the internet)

I guess that in this high paced development of technology some companies have chosen different paths along the way . We have seen so many different mobile o/s some have survived some have fallen off the radar (down to adoption rates) now the market place is full of handheld mobile phones that are no longer just voice communication devices . But fully functioning hand held computers. 

Many customers complain about coverage over other things . 

Just my take on tech. 

If you feel so strongly about RCS I would raise it directly with o2 via the complaints procedures https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain as we are all customers here 

[terminusaquo]

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@adamtemp64 wrote:

@terminusaquo I have been a customer of o2 for so long some things they innovate at and others they lag behind. But for me it has always been about the core of a mobile companies network and that is voice coverage in locations I need it . I guess as a person that is getting long in the tooth so to speak certain tech that is common to one type of device is less important . 

I used to rely on fixed phones and Amateur radio for communication and the Amateur radio led to some exciting developements before mobile phones (and the mainstream ip based network that is now called the internet)

I guess that in this high paced development of technology some companies have chosen different paths along the way . We have seen so many different mobile o/s some have survived some have fallen off the radar (down to adoption rates) now the market place is full of handheld mobile phones that are no longer just voice communication devices . But fully functioning hand held computers. 

Many customers complain about coverage over other things . 

Just my take on tech. 

If you feel so strongly about RCS I would raise it directly with o2 via the complaints procedures https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain as we are all customers here 

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Thanks for the reply, I think that complaining might have an effect but only if everyone does it. I've been a customer of O2 since they were still BT Cellnet so I wonder if that might have some leverage?

I also remember when mobile phones as they are now didn't exist, when you were out you had to find a public telephpone box 

[MI5]

I remember those days too.
People used to actually talk to each other 😛

[jonsie]

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@MI5 wrote:
I remember those days too.
People used to actually talk to each other 😛

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Sent letters or knocked on doors. Those days are long gone ☹️

[DavidAR]

The way that Apple got over the delay and hesitance of RCS adoption by GSMs was to host their own RCS as a proxy.
Basically the data is transferred via the GSMs 3G / 4G network to Apples RCS then from Apple's RCS to the recepiant via the recepiant's GSM 3G / 4G network. Of course 3G / 4G is substituted via WiFi when available for both recepiant and sender.

This meant that ahead of the competition Apple could roll out its own native RCS that could be utilised by all customers regardless of their GSM.

Perhaps Alphabet aka Google could use some of the money they saved through tax avoidance to develop a similar solution, preventing customers stuck with an archaic GSM becoming so frustrated and potentially some cross brand resentment.

[Matt0801]

Apple do not support RCS, their message system is proprietary bypassing the mobile networks entirely when it's iPhone to iPhone messages. You can kind of do this (in a more limited form, with no SMS falkback) yourself by using Google Allo.

Google didn't take this route with RCS and have decided to allow the networks to join if they wish, providing a potential additional revenue stream to take advantage of if they choose. I am sure that, as RCS gains further traction, Apple may have to support it in the future.

Android Messages, the default app for delivery of RCS across devices, is dependent on the networks to support, so it is them, not Google, that now need to invest to keep their customers happy by being able to take advantage of technological changes. Google have provided a 'back end' for everyone to plug into in the form of Jibe so they've done their bit.

O2 need to pull their fingers out of their backside and join this new messaging system. I know 4 further people who have just left O2 because of their lack of RCS support and a couple more who have left EE for the same reason. They've all joined Vodafone just to get RCS. Who do they blame? The mobile networks, not Google. I find it incredible that networks in 3rd world nations around the world have adopted RCS so much faster than the likes of O2 here in the UK.

O2 should be thoroughly ashamed, along with EE and 3 for not being part of this. If this was something Apple were doing, they'd have jumped on the band wagon long ago. So despite Android being the largest userbase by far, they continue to show disdain to Android users and ignore them.

[DonDino]

Leaving a network just because it doesn't support RCS? That sounds a bit of an overreaction.

What's so great about RCS that existing apps don't offer just as well - nay, don't offer in a much better form?

WhatsApp, Signal, Wire, Telegram, and several others - they all have slightly different takes for people to choose based on their desired needs of security, convenience and visual style. Plus they are all encrypted (some more than others), which RCS will not be, and offer superb privacy (again, some more than others), something which RCS cannot and will not do.

Enhancing the decades-old SMS standard is certainly welcome, but it is so long overdue that it is practically irrelevant. 

[Anonymous]

5G onwards will be completely Internet Protocol based anyway so it'll be somewhat easier to implement services such as RCS.

Google have enough computing power and bandwidth to set up a hosted service for this if they wanted to.

However, they would risk alienating the phone manufacturers because the manufacturers would receive complaints from their biggest customers, the mobile networks for diverting traffic in this way

Apple has never really cared about this and in fact insisted on taking a cut from iPhone customers' monthly bills.

Some operators agreed but enough told Steve Jobs that this was unacceptable that Apple had to back down.

[terminusaquo]

@DonDino Those apps are great but they all lack one thing, not one of them supports SMS messages over WiFi which I believe RCS is capable of doing. That's handy in areas of no O2 coverage.

[DonDino]

I am pretty sure (not 100% though) that if you have WiFi calling enabled, and you are in a no-signal area with WiFi connected, SMSs will be sent through WiFi. This should happen with most major SMS apps on Android and I would assume with the default messaging app on iPhones.

Some SMS apps on Android may not support this properly, but the major ones should.

I will run a test tomorrow out of curiosity and see what happens.