The issue I see with RCS is the “Rich” part. Nobody needs another vector for spam where you can send “rich” media like HTML. It’s also going to be a huge vector for malware (especially on Android) given the complexity of parsing the messages and potential vulnerabilities in there (buffet overflows, etc).
The other problem is that if people want to use it (and that’s a big if) there’s the issue of pricing. Most carriers still charge around 30p for MMS which is just a glorified HTTP request. If the same applies to RCS then it’s going to be dead on arrival.
it’s hamstrung by having to comply with regulations (e.g. no end-to-end encryption as carriers must provide for lawful interception).
Why don’t they just make it an “over the top” app that works over the plain Internet just like iMessage or WhatsApp to bypass this? Like a GSMA-approved messenger but that is otherwise independent of any network or carrier and only uses them to assign your phone number to your account during initial app install, just like iMessage or Signal.
I would expect RCS to be free with the data coming out of your allowance. This is how Verizon do it, and how Vodafone currently do it (granted their Message+ is a separate app that doesn’t seem to use the Universal Profile at the moment).
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the standards being global, a requirement for end-to-end encryption probably would never get through GSMA. There’s nothing stopping an OTT app based on RCS employing end-to-end encryption though (just as could technically be done for SMS, if you both used the same messaging app).
To be honest, I’m not even sure a regulated carrier could launch and operate an OTT fully end-to-end encrypted application in the UK, never-mind other places around the world (such as Australia).
