GSMA Announces Release 2 Service Specification for Rich Communication Suite

LONDON, September 21 /PRNewswire/ --
- GSMA Also Launches RCS DevChallenge Competition to Spur the Creation of
Future RCS-Based Services
The GSMA, which represents the interests of the mobile communications
industry, today announced the release of the next set of Rich Communication
Suite (RCS) service specifications, RCS Release 2. The GSMA has also launched
the RCS DevChallenge, a competition for developers that will encourage new
and innovative ideas for future RCS-based services.
The GSMA's RCS Initiative provides operators with a feature-rich
portfolio of interoperable communication services that they can offer to
their customers, and this latest specification includes key enhancements to
the core feature set included in RCS Release 1, such as a broadband access
client and support for a multi-device environment.
Having broadband access to core RCS services such as in-call multimedia
sharing, conversational messaging and presence-enhanced contact management
means that users will be able to access services and applications from both
mobile and fixed terminals, resulting in a seamless experience across both
mobile phones and PCs. Utilising mobile and fixed terminals when accessing
RCS services will result in the use of multiple clients, even though the
mobile phone will remain as the customer's primary device, and will provide
greater flexibility as well as enhance the user experience.
"Users want to be able to access and share rich content between their
mobile phone and their PC and RCS Release 2 will enable operators to provide
this through a variety of new applications and services," said Alex Sinclair,
Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at the GSMA. "Developed by the
collaborative efforts of leading companies in the mobile industry, RCS is
already in live deployment in South Korea and in operator trials underway
elsewhere in the world."
The number of operators and equipment manufacturers supporting RCS has
grown significantly in the past six months, growing to 81 participating
companies. New participants in the RCS initiative include Belgacom, Hitachi,
IBM, mobilkom austria, Tele2 Sweden and Telecom New Zealand, amongst others.
The organisations working with the GSMA and collaborating as part of its RCS
initiative are focused on driving the development and adoption of this
industry-standard and enhanced communications service.
RCS DevChallenge
The GSMA has also launched a new competition for mobile and PC client
developers called RCS DevChallenge. The competition will encourage innovative
developers to deliver the most useable and attractive RCS client that can
either be embedded in a mobile phone or used on a PC, as well as demonstrate
new and innovative ideas for future RCS-based services.
"The RCS DevChallenge provides a unique opportunity for developers to
gain exposure in front of senior executives and key decision makers from some
of the world's leading companies in the mobile industry," added Sinclair.
"The fact that all the major handset manufacturers are members of our RCS
Initiative and will be keeping a close eye on the competition bodes well for
competitors."
RCS DevChallenge will involve developers competing in two categories:
Best RCS Client (with separate mobile and PC sub-categories) and Best RCS
Innovation. The winner from each category will be highlighted in the RCS
DevChallenge Showcase at GSMA's Mobile World Congress, which takes place in
Barcelona in February 2010. In addition to an award plaque, the winning
client application will also be actively evaluated by participating mobile
operators and RCS vendors for commercial use.
The GSMA's RCS DevChallenge is sponsored by Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson,
Nokia Siemens Networks, Orange and Telefonica. For more information and to
register please visit: http://www.rcsdevchallenge.com.
For more information on the GSMA's RCS Initiative and the Release 2
specification please visit: http://www.gsmworld.com/rcs.
Supporting Quotes
RCS Release 2
"We believe that RCS will become the first real-world communication
package that will instantly penetrate the global market. RCS goes beyond
traditional 3G multimedia services and successfully combines a number of
exciting features together that consumers would like to use on a daily
basis," says Dr. In-Kyung Kim, Vice President and Head of 4G Development Lab
at LG Electronics. "Customer feedback from Mobile World Congress 2009 has
suggested that LG RCS was an outstanding implementation which correctly
depicts what user experience for RCS should be like. LG is fully ready to
dive into RCS commercialisation. We are looking forward to service providers'
deployment plans."
"The GSMA's RCS Initiative is playing a critical role in driving the
evolution of globally interoperable communication services and preventing
fragmentation of core telecom services. We believe this will enrich the ways
in which people can communicate using their mobile devices, whilst
maintaining the level of interoperability that we are now used to with voice
calls and text messages," said Timo Ali-Vehmas, VP of Compatibility &
Industry Collaboration at Nokia. "By leveraging existing standardisation
work, the RCS Release 2 Specification will help deliver richer communication
solutions to consumers."
"Thanks to the collaborative effort of those part of the GSMA's RCS
initiative, we have delivered the RCS Release 2 specification that will
enable a richer and more enhanced user experience for customers," said Aude
Pichelin, Chair of the GSMA's RCS Initiative and Head of Multimedia Services
Standardisation at Orange. "Following ongoing RCS trials and with the recent
launch of the first RCS-based services, we expect many more trials and
commercial deployments in the coming months."
Ron Louks, CTO at Sony Ericsson, commented: "As a member of the GSMA RCS
Initiative, Sony Ericsson values the GSMA's support and push for RCS,
including the evolution of the Release 2 Specification with fixed-network
interworking features. Sony Ericsson sees this as a good step for the
operators to evolve telecom services into rich media services."
RCS DevChallenge
"As an active member of GSMA RCS initiative, Alcatel-Lucent is helping
service providers leverage RCS Release 2 to successfully meet consumer demand
for a new generation of seamless, enhanced services that transcend devices,
fixed and wireless telephony domains and the Web," said Gani Nayak, President
of Alcatel-Lucent's Interactive Media and Communication Applications
Business. "We are excited to sponsor the RCS DevChallenge, which will speed
up the introduction of new, differentiated and personalised applications that
service providers can deliver to their subscribers and enhance their position
in the Web 2.0 value chain."
"Ericsson welcomes the release of RCS Release 2 that allows Service
Providers to offer a common, multimedia communications experience for Mobiles
and other Broadband connected devices," said Magnus Furustam, Vice President
of Ericsson's Product Area Core and IMS. "Our RCS activities are focused on
realising a comprehensive and interoperable communications platform to unite
the billions of Telecom subscribers with a few common standards. The open and
inclusive nature of RCS provides an ideal platform for developer innovation
and we are therefore pleased to sponsor the RCS DevChallenge."
"The end-user experience is crucial for consumers to adopt multimedia
enriched voice communication. Ease of use, intuitiveness and seamless user
experience across different mobile and fixed terminals, and end-to-end
interoperability will help for a rapid service uptake and ensure lasting
customer loyalty. Nokia Siemens Networks is very supportive of the GSMA RCS
DevChallenge contest and its objectives to emphasise the key principles of
usability, design, conformance and innovation for RCS clients, at a time
where we are ready to deliver commercial RCS solutions to operators
worldwide," says Mechthild Behrens, Head of Solution Management, Next
Generation Voice and Multimedia, Nokia Siemens Networks.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications
industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites more than 750 of the
world's mobile operators, as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is
focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its
membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry.
For more information, please visit: http://www.gsmworld.com
SOURCE GSMA

For more information please contact: GSMA, Daniel Lowther: +44-7747-636-687,
press@gsm.org