AT&T’s announcement earlier this month that it will acquire the Mexican mobile operator Iusacell (News - Alert) for $2.5 billion marks the beginning of exciting changes for the company. The acquisition is part of the massive breaking apart of Carlos Slim’s empire in the country, despite AT&T’s (News - Alert) longstanding partnership with Slim’s America Movil. However, it has been noted that the two companies will continue to collaborate despite a bit of healthy competition in some markets.
One of the most interesting results of AT&T’s expansion is the company’s talk of extending joint services across both countries, in opposition to the traditional technique of running separate telecom operations in different territories. This plan mirrors the “Connected Continent” initiative recently proposed to the EU (which is having trouble getting off the ground), and could bring a more robust communications infrastructure on a global scale while minimizing costs for carriers.
AT&T has also announced that it will be connecting its VoLTE services with Verizon’s (News - Alert), enabling seamless high-quality communication between users of the two networks. As these are the first two operators to interconnect their services it may seem to follow that others will do the same, and VoLTE communication will be possible between all users regardless of their carrier, but evidence from other companies’ statements and activities suggests that this goal is only a possibility. However, consistent pressure from the GSMA (News - Alert) makes it certainly conceivable that this will become a reality in the near future.
The GSMA’s intentions are in fact more aligned with the growth of its Rich Communications Suite (RCS) network protocol, marketed as Joyn. VoLTE mimics the voice and messaging services carriers used over LTE (News - Alert) networks whereas RCS mimics voice and messaging services used by Over The Top (OTT) players. Essentially, VoLTE’s focus is more on network stability, quality and efficiency whereas RCS concentrates on offering a wealth of cutting-edge multimedia capabilities. It is not inconceivable that the two protocols continue to coexist and even become interoperable in the future, although RCS has slipped behind VoLTE noticeable in terms of industry acceptance.
Regardless, it is clear that AT&T is making moves to maintain its position as one of the largest carriers in North America. The advances the company is making along its strategic plan are indicative of a healthy company that can look beyond economic success and consider ways to further the possibilities of mobile communication.
Edited by Alisen Downey