Currently, SMS services offered by telecom operators are saturated. Therefore, operators have high hopes for the launch of RCS.
However, a report by market research firm Omdia mentions that telecom operators' RCS rollout has been slow, or they may have already lost their first-mover advantage. This is because, to date, the number of RCS business instant messaging (RBM) services offered by telecom operators is quite limited, with many already launched RBM services still in the trial phase and lacking a clear pricing model.
The domestic version of RCS is 5G messaging. Currently, only China Unicom is conducting trial commercial use. China Telecom has stated that it will launch commercial services in January, while China Mobile, which has a large user base, has not yet given a clear timetable for commercial use.
However, at the “2021 China Value-Added Telecommunications and Virtual Operator Summit Forum – 5G Messaging Summit Forum” held recently, Miao Jianhua, president of the China Communications Enterprises Association, said that 5G messaging is expected to become one of the first 5G applications to be available to the public.
China Mobile: Commercial launch date undetermined; 5G messaging private network successfully completed innovative pilot test.
Although China Mobile has not yet announced a timetable for the commercialization of 5G messaging, it quietly announced on December 31, 2021, that its 5G messaging private network had successfully completed an innovative pilot project.
It is reported that China Mobile's 5G messaging private network has completed two specific industry customer-type private network models: the Lavande Hotel private network and the South China Agricultural University campus private network. In addition, a learning-oriented private network for teenagers and children has been created, aiming to build a closed network space that schools and parents can trust. Currently, it integrates learning-oriented private network applications such as Tencent Happy Mouse and Youdao Premium Courses, exploring application scenarios for industry-wide platform-based private networks.
Today, China Mobile's 5G messaging private network can be easily customized for customers in any industry, making private network activation as convenient as service activation. Users can sign up for one private network, multiple private networks, or both private and large networks to meet their ToB and ToC needs.
At the “2021 China Mobile Global Partner Conference”, China Mobile launched three innovative products: Super SIM Card, Mobile Authentication 2.0, and SMS Mini Program 2.0, in order to break through the coverage bottleneck encountered in the development of 5G messaging.
To address the limited coverage of 5G messaging terminals, China Mobile launched the "SMS Mini Program" service. Users without 5G messaging terminals can achieve the same experience as those with 5G messaging terminals with just a few clicks, indirectly achieving full terminal coverage. Now, the release of SMS Mini Program 2.0 can serve as a supplementary solution to 5G messaging, achieving full terminal coverage.
China Telecom: Commercial use to be scheduled in January
At the “2021 China Value-Added Telecommunications and Virtual Operator Summit Forum – Technology Innovation Conference under the Trend of 5G Converged Communication” held recently, China Telecom revealed that it plans to promote the commercial use of 5G messaging in January and is currently in the process of formulating a plan.
With January already halfway over, it remains to be seen whether China Telecom will be able to successfully launch its commercial service.
China Unicom: Trial commercial use has begun.
China Unicom launched its trial commercial service last November.
At the 2021 China Unicom Partner Conference, China Unicom announced the formal establishment of the 5G Messaging Ecosystem Alliance. Simultaneously, it released five strategic cooperation plans under the "Smart Messaging Start-up" initiative: the 5G Messaging Terminal Development Plan, the 5G Messaging Application Promotion Plan, the 5G Messaging User Experience Plan, the 5G Messaging Green Governance Plan, and the 5G Messaging Ecosystem Empowerment Plan. A 5G Messaging Winter Olympics application was also launched.
China Unicom stated that 5G messaging is a key project in the company's major application strategy, and China Unicom has included 5G messaging in the company's key investment areas, with planned investment exceeding 1 billion yuan.
Terminal support is key
Looking at the US market, RCS has had particularly difficult progress there because Apple doesn't support it, and Apple phones hold nearly half the market share in the US. Therefore, support from terminal manufacturers is crucial.
Currently, there are not many mobile phones in China that support 5G messaging. Cui Wei, General Manager of the 5G Messaging Business Department of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.'s Software Business Unit, also stated in a previous media interview that one of the bottlenecks in the rapid development of 5G messaging is terminal support. "China Mobile currently has a certain scale of customized handsets, and it is also actively promoting it in the areas of China Telecom and China Unicom. However, the total scale and quantity have not yet reached the expected level of commercial readiness. More industry partners and upstream and downstream of the industry chain should be involved more fully, especially allowing terminals to play an active role rather than passively participating."
According to reports, China Unicom stated in its terminal development plan that its own brand, Youchangxiang, already supports 5G messaging and has formulated a strategic cooperation plan for 5G messaging, including free handset purchases and financial installment plans, while also launching a terminal certification program.
