This week, the three main Spanish operators – Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica announced that they have enabled interoperable RCS services.
The Joyn app uses RCS to provide interoperable – cross network, cross device – IP messaging and other “rich comms” functionality. The mobile industry has been keen to point out that Joyn is more than a “me too” WhatsApp or iMessage service from the mobile operators. RCS enables a lot more than just enhanced messaging functionality, it says. If you’re looking for a differentiator for the Spanish launch, take note the the app will allow customers to share files when they are in-call.
(If you’re thinking that’s not exactly a killer use case, then you’re not alone. There are uses cases, though. One possible use of this service that has been mooted has been customer support, with an agent being able to provide technical material or videos to a caller in-call. People have proposed other uses as well, when the in-call sharing of information or images is required.)
But although this actual launch of RCS services is only through an Android app, and not through native device support. And though it doesn’t stretch to IP voice or video. And though it’s some time after we were told it would happen, there is hope in the launch.
Devices with native RCS support are scheduled for 2013. IP voice and video is also on the roadmap. Perhaps most importantly, because the operators have invested in the infrastructure and gained cross-network service interoperability, the idea and attraction of RCS- as a platform does come nearer. (Orange will be rolling out RCS in all its European territories in 2013, by the way.)
It is this aspect that most intrigues operators in the long term as it could offer the prospect of long term relevance and revenue. The app launch, heralded as it is, is more of a loss leader, and a placeholder in the market. Earlier this year, a Vodafone speaker told a conference I was at that Vodafone “doesn’t care” about Joyn as a consumer-facing app brand. It’s much more interested in being able to provide in-app comms, such as messaging and voice (and maybe even file sharing), to app developers. Watch this space, but don’t necessarily judge RCS on an Android app in Spain.
Also this week we say LTE start its full commercial journey in Switzerland. The operator has been testing live LTE for at least a year, so it should be ready enough for launch. One item of note is that the operator is running LTE over 800, 1800 and 2600MHz, although the 1800MHz service will not be supporting the iPhone5, as Apple is yet to turn on LTE support on its phones. Swisscom said in its press release that Apple would be providing LTE support through a “software update”. My eagle-eyed colleague (competitor?) Mike Hibberd over at Telecoms.com spotted this, and realised it related to a story he had been told that Apple has been carrying out its own due diligence on operators, and not allowing its phones to go live on LTE until it has been convinced of the network QoS.
Now, this is a nice reversal of operators saying, “We always get the blame if service goes wrong.” Here’s a device manufacturer saying that it doesn’t want consumer come-back for poor service that might be attributable to the network. Although it’s a tough one for a network to swallow, there’s nothing wrong in it. In fact, if benchmarking services from the likes of Metricell and Root Metrics take-off, operators are likely to be exposed to a lot more third party scrutiny of their networks.
If they are, can they look to small cells to help? Actix said this week that it has calculated that operators will, by 2015, need 40 cells per square kilometre in you average big city. Of course, Actix’s play is that all those cells will need efficient planning and optimisation – and who better to provide that than Actix. But the point is taken. Not least by Virgin, which has expanded its own small cell wholesale vision with service activation (WiFi for now) in another UK city. Neutral host providers of small cell or DAS installations are still relatively rare in Europe, outside of area like arenas and transport tunnels and so on. But it’s an area that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on. After all, if regulators are keen to insist on 4 operators in a market, does that mean a minimum of 160 cells per sq km by 2015. No wonder the landgrab for poles on the street and holes in the ground has begun.
No wonder too that SON and automation continues to be a key area for those thinking about how Het Nets will work in future. If you want to read more on that, I suggest reading the article from Aircom on Automation in LTE, linked to below.
Thanks again for reading,
Keith Dyer
Editor, Mobile Europe