What if you could enjoy WhatsApp-like features via SMS? Airtel users will now be able to do just that, as Airtel, in collaboration with Google, is soon launching RCS in India. Let’s explore the details of what it is and how it will benefit you.
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New RCS Service: India’s second largest telecom operator Airtel has entered into a special partnership with Google. Airtel is now launching RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging on its network. This is a new and advanced version of SMS. This service provides features similar to the WhatsApp messaging app within SMS.
This allows you to send photos and videos via SMS, as well as group chats. Reports suggest that Airtel was initially hesitant to adopt this technology due to fears of spam, but the service is now rolling out after a dedicated solution was developed with Google.
Why partner with Google over Apple?
According to a report by ET Telecom (REF.), Airtel is launching RCS messaging in India with the help of Google. The two companies have entered into this partnership under an 80:20 revenue sharing model. Airtel will charge ₹0.11 for each RCS message.
Previously, Airtel had refused to provide RCS support due to concerns about increased spam on the platform. Following this, Airtel put its partnership with Google and Apple on hold. However, Google has now agreed to integrate RCS with Airtel’s AI-based spam filter. This means that Airtel users will no longer have to worry about spam once the RCS service is launched.
RCS support on all three major Indian networks
Following this partnership, all major Indian telecom operators – Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea – now support RCS messaging. Let us tell you that RCS was launched by GSMA in 2007 to give an advanced form to the old SMS system.
What benefits will you receive?
With the launch of RCS, Airtel users will now also get many advanced features like WhatsApp via SMS. The special feature of this service is that it works on both mobile data and Wi-Fi. Through this service, users can easily share photos, videos, and locations via SMS. Furthermore, RCS will also enable group messaging within the SMS app. In the future, RCS could become the new standard for messaging in India, making it faster, smarter, and more interactive.
