RCS Driving Move Toward Unified Communications

By Lars Myhrum

With fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), the distinction between mobile and fixed access has all but disappeared, and with handsets becoming more application-focused, users find that they can use the same services on their phones, tablets and computers. This has lead to an open-market battleground, where traditional telcos and network providers find themselves battling against device manufacturers, application vendors and over-the-top players operating out of the proverbial cloud. While a challenge for all sides, this battle will enable innovative new communication solutions for consumers and businesses alike. This includes unified communication solutions, which for most enterprises are a prime candidate for outsourcing.

Colibria has chosen sides in this war.

We strongly believe that the network operators and service providers on both mobile and fixed networks will prevail. They will be the ones to have a close relationship with the end users and enterprise customers, making it easier for them to monetize on the services they deploy. They provide global interoperability and an open solution for the benefit of everyone. And finally, they have the benefit of trust, which will become more and more important. While users are getting increasingly uneasy about giving their most valuable information to players with unclear intentions, a larger company with clear terms can become a trusted third party for both individuals and businesses.

While device manufacturers, application vendors and over-the-top players approach the converged unified communications marketplace with silo solutions, where users are restricted by whom they buy their handset from, which online communities they use or which applications they have access to, network operators have a tradition for providing universally accessible services and a stated objective of doing just that. They are also well positioned for interworking with legacy services. The Rich Communication Suite (RCS), an initiative administered by GSMA, provides a messaging, presence and address book service, enriched with picture, file and video sharing, interworking with SMS. Combined with a voice offering, this allows operators to let their customer access an already established community using one of the many clients already supporting the RCS standards.

We see a clear trend where operators want to use RCS as an interconnected basic service to allow them to build their next generation of communication services. In many ways, RCS can be seen as a blueprint for converged messaging services. Operators and service providers will package RCS to match the rest of their product portfolio and to differentiate. I believe an operator or service provider who combines the basic RCS solution with its inherent strength in messaging interworking and presence, along with an enterprise offering for unified communication, will fundamentally change the UC market.

Service providers need to claim their piece of this market, and there is no better way for them to do that than to build on their traditional strengths of global interoperability and trust.

Lars Myhrum is CEO and founder of Colibria, the leading independent vendor of SIP/IMS applications servers providing key enablers for RCS and the fixed-mobile convergence market. Lars has 23 years of experience in the information technology, telecom and defense industries, having held key roles in companies like Systek, Alcatel, Thomson-CSF and Nera.