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Recent reports have shown that the big three carriers in the country are walking away from the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI). This is an initiative that was started as a joint effort of promoting the next generation messaging standard, Rich Communication Services (RCS). This messaging standard was built as a replacement for SMS. But while the idea has been abandoned, it actually means good news for consumers.
This initiative was started in 2019 and spearheaded by Sprint. Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, more details revealed that it could actually cause a bad experience for users. For one thing, the app would be designed by a major US carrier. And this spelled trouble for users.
After the CCMI announcement was made, there was very little movement on it. The carriers seemed to be busy focusing on 5G to pay attention to the CCMI. At the same time, T-Mobile was pretty busy acquiring Sprint. What was strange about the initiative though was that Google was not included in it. Considering they were the biggest booster for the standard, many found it odd.
A few years later and T-Mobile signed a deal with Google where it would set Android Messages as the default RCS/SMS app. This prompted Light Reading to dig some more into the CCMI and even got in touch with Synchronoss, the third-party vendor that would potentially be handling the back-end logistics for the app. The company responded with a noncommittal comment on the matter. Verizon Wireless also told the publication:
“The owners of the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative decided to end the joint venture effort. However, the owners remain committed to enhancing the messaging experience for customers including growing the availability of RCS.”
AT&T also gave a somewhat similar statement.
Considering the rollout for RCS has been very slow and confusing, especially in the country. It’s probably good that this initiative is shelved for the meantime.
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