MTN is the only South African mobile operator that does not offer Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging. However, it acknowledged that the technology is becoming more popular in the country.
MyBroadband asked Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom whether they support RCS messaging and for details on the profiles they use.
Vodacom said it does support the messaging technology and uses two different universal profiles (UPs) — UP1.0 and UP2.0.
Cell C’s chief commercial officer Simo Mkhize said they’ve had support for the technology for some time already.
“The use of traditional messaging like SMS/MMS texting services has changed,” he said.
“Cell C has had RCS messaging available on its network for some time, and all new handsets sold by Cell C, and over 800,000 devices on our network, already support RCS.”
Mkhize added that Cell C supports the GSMA RCS Universal Profile, which means that cross-network RCS is also supported.
Cell C told MyBroadband that RCS messages on its network carry standard data costs, and either leverage data bundles or are charged at the customer’s applicable data tariff.
MTN’s executive for corporate affairs, Jacqui O’Sullivan, told MyBroadband that the mobile operator is more focused on its Ayoba platform. It does not offer RCS messaging commercially.
“MTN’s focus remains on expanding its Ayoba instant messaging and browsing platform as a way to reach not only MTN customers, but a wider audience of users across Africa,” O’Sullivan said.
“We note that the business case for mobile advertising is gaining traction — and have seen an increase in RCS protocol usage, particularly to the high-end smartphone users.”
“As new technologies such as RCS are introduced, it is important for us to continue offering new and bold products that relate to our customers,” she added.
Telkom did not disclose which RCS messaging profiles they support.
It said it had activated person-to-person RCS messaging on its network for customers using Android devices in July 2021.
“Telkom is in the process of implementing RCS for Business to enable aggregators and brands to send RCS messages to Telkom customers. More will be announced in due course,” it added.
It specified that the technology is supported on Android 5.0 or newer and provided steps to activate RCS messaging on compatible devices. Android 13 is the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system.
“Customers with older versions need to download the new message icon from the Google Play Store. New Android devices have the new updated Message icon preinstalled,” Telkom said.
The operator told MyBroadband that RCS messaging on its network uses data bundle allocations or carries standard data charges when out of bundle.
To enable RCS on your Android device, take the following steps:
- Open the Messages app.
- Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right-hand corner of the screen.
- Select Settingsthen Chat features.
- Toggle the Enable chat option to on by tapping it once.
A brief history of RCS messaging
According to Mobi Solutions Group member messenteGoogle created RCS messaging to offer non-Apple phone users a competitive alternative to iMessage.
The technology is commonly referred to as an upgrade to traditional short message service (SMS) and is intended to replace SMS and MMS.
Google’s RCS technology incorporates features from instant messaging applications like Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and WhatsApp.
These include group chats, exchanging high-resolution media, and reading receipts.
RCS also offers a range of business-related benefits, including marketing insights, direct messaging to customers, and keeping customers informed with real-time order confirmations and updates.
Notably, Apple has not made any commitments relating to RCS messaging and does not appear to be considering it for now.
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