GSMA Report: There Is A Growing Demand For Advanced Messaging Services In Mobile

Mobile users worldwide are demanding more advanced messaging services from carriers, according to a report released by the Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (GSMA). A research conducted by Context Consulting (and commissioned by the GSMA) polled more than 4,000 mobile users from the United States, China, India, and Spain, and basically surveyed them regarding their use of standard mobile operator voice and SMS services, plus web based messaging services. The results of the survey indicate that there is growing interest in new advanced mobile operator lead messaging services, which include pre-calling, instant messaging, live video, and real time image or file sharing, which can be done by way of Rich Communications Services (RCS) and voice over LTE (VoLTE), and function natively on any handset and wireless network without requiring users to download and install a dedicated mobile app. Operator led services were actually favored over current popular web based messaging services, with 79 percent of the survey participants claiming that such a service would be useful to them, and 89 percent viewing them as unique services.

As explained by Alex Sinclair, the chief technology officer at GSMA, web based messaging services are massively popular across the globe, but they often force users to download a mobile app that might not contain the user’s contacts. Consumers are clamoring for messaging platforms that are interoperable, universal, and function directly from any handset on any carrier, and the mobile service providers are expected to play a significant role in making this come true. By rolling out RCS and VoLTE, wireless carriers can put themselves in a good position to meet the increasing demand for advanced messaging services. For most consumers, the struggle is in syncing their contacts so that they can be accessed in any messaging medium. But what usually happens is that reaching somebody through a messaging app is only made possible if both of you (the caller and the recipient) have accounts in that specific messaging app. 

As for operator led communications services, users prefer them to web based services because they sometimes improve on the current capabilities of web messaging apps, at the same time offering new functionalities such as pre-calling. In the US, China, India and Spain, those surveyed expressed high interest in the ability to indicate that a call was urgent, and even be able to highlight the purpose of that call. Survey participants also said that they are interested to see support for one-on-one chat and the ability to use the same voice calling service on carrier and Wi-Fi networks.