15 Million Rich Communication Suite (RCS) Subscribers by 2013

Market innovation firm Infonetics Technology on Friday released Rich Communications Suite Services and Subscribers, an analysis and forecast report on the RCS market.

"A year ago we declared that RCS had been relegated to niche status, and our viewpoint has not changed," notes Diane Myers, directing analyst for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and IMS at Infonetics Technology. "As of January 2012, there are for all that no commercially available formal RCS or RCS-e services. Spanish operators Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone have announced plans to launch RCS-e in the first half of 2012, and we expect activity in Germany in the near future thereafter. Nevertheless, we believe it will be too little too late to have a meaningful impact. It's been too long that operators on the fence have wavered over the financial commitment to IMS and inadequate support from handset manufacturers. Many have moved on to other strategic priorities, are working with third party over-the-top providers, and/or are waiting to launch RCS as part of an integrated piece of VoLTE. On the flip side, mobile operators just as China Mobile, SK Telecom, and MegaFon continue to find success with RCS-like services, offering a mix of features and packages that fit their individual markets. These examples show that, even though RCS may not be for all operators or all countries as late as this, there is a market for it in certain countries."

Infonetics' Rich Communications Suite report provides worldwide and regional market analysis, market size, and forecasts through 2016 for RCS subscribers; RCS service provider revenue, ARPU, RCS user customers, and RCS client ASPs.

International market technology

Infonetics Innovation is an international market technology and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps customers plan, strategize, and compete more effectively.