Virtual Office Resource

Route Mobile Ltd. is now a member of Google’s Early Access Program for Rich Communications Services business messaging.

The service provider’s Android (News - Alert) messaging solution enables companies to send messages to their customers. Those messages help businesses to assist and engage with their customers. For example, a bank could use messaging to help a customer complete a transaction. A retailer could employ messaging to direct a customer to the nearest point of sale. And any brand could send customers GIFs, images, and videos that demonstrate products or simply support their marketing messages.

Established in 2004 in Mumbai, India, the service provider also has a presence in Africa, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The company is one of 75 carriers and device manufacturers with which Google (News - Alert) has partnered on its RCS initiative.

AndroidCentral in April reported that “Google is finally ready to admit its messaging strategy has not gotten better over the last couple of years.” So the tech giant plans “to finish something Google started back in 2013, which is kill SMS once and for all.” That will entail Google bringing features into the text message app people already use today, the report explains.

The article goes on to say: “With all of the major carriers supporting RCS with Universal Profile, Google can now add features until the sun collapses and those features will be available to every Android phone. This creates a scenario in which the only major manufacturer actively leaning on SMS for messaging is Apple (News - Alert), which has also not supported RCS with its messaging platform. If the carriers want to eventually stop offering SMS (they do) and Apple is the only major company stopping them (it will be) Google has effectively turned the carriers into lobbying arms for getting Apple to support RCS.”