[January 26, 2012]

Infonetics Research: 15 Million Rich Communication Suite (RCS) Subscribers by 2013

Market research firm Infonetics Research (www.twitter.com/infonetics) on Friday released Rich Communications Suite Services and Subscribers, an analysis and forecast report on the RCS market.

According to the report, the RCS space has splintered over the past year into 3 main camps of telecom operators pursuing rich communications initiatives: those pursuing formal RCS, those that have switched to RCS-e, and those offering RCS-like services (for more detail on each, see http://bit.ly/yfS7pC).

ANALYST NOTE

"A year ago we declared that RCS had been relegated to niche status, and our viewpoint has not changed," notes Diane Myers, directing analyst for VoIP and IMS at Infonetics Research. "As of January 2012, there are still no commercially available formal RCS or RCS-e services. Spanish operators Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone (News - Alert) have announced plans to launch RCS-e in the first half of 2012, and we expect activity in Germany shortly thereafter. However, we believe it will be too little too late to have a meaningful impact. It's been too long that operators on the fence have wavered over the financial commitment to IMS and inadequate support from handset manufacturers. Many have moved on to other strategic priorities, are working with third party over-the-top providers, and/or are waiting to launch RCS as part of an integrated piece of VoLTE. On the flip side, mobile operators such as China Mobile, SK Telecom, and MegaFon (News - Alert) continue to find success with RCS-like services, offering a mix of features and packages that fit their individual markets. These examples show that, though RCS may not be for all operators or all countries at this point, there is a market for it in certain countries."

RCS MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

• Infonetics forecasts there will be 15 million RCS, RCS-e, and RCS-like service subscribers by 2013, with the majority in Asia and Western Europe
• Infonetics expects mobile operators around the world to take in a cumulative $1.6 billion over the 5 years from 2012 to 2016 from RCS service fees
• RCS will rise in popularity in North America as operators launch voice-ver-LTE (VoLTE) services, with RCS tied to VoLTE as a core part of the service, but operators are not expected to charge directly for RCS capabilities in North America
• Major handset manufacturers including HTC, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson are developing a limited suite of RCS-e compliant handsets
• Although Apple (News - Alert) has shown no interest or commitment to RCS to date, there is a growing number of third-party vendors offering downloadable RCS clients for the iPhone, as well as for Android devices
• The initial target market for RCS is people in their 20s who actively engage in social networking -- those who drove Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter and are accustomed to … (read more at http://bit.ly/yfS7pC)

Infonetics' Rich Communications Suite report provides worldwide and regional market analysis, market size, and forecasts through 2016 for RCS subscribers; RCS service provider revenue, ARPU (average revenue per user), RCS user clients, and RCS client ASPs (average selling prices).

CLIENT CONFERENCE CALL

Clients: Join analyst Diane Myers for live RCS market highlights and audience Q&A, Feb. 1, 12:00 p.m. Eastern: https://www.infonetics.com/cgp/login.asp?id=544.

RELATED RESEARCH

• Latest Infonetics VoIP and IMS research newsletter: http://bit.ly/yyWrMO
• IMS equipment market on track for 50% growth in 2011
• Carrier VoIP market down 12% in 3Q11; Huawei, GENBAND lead
• Operators name Acme Packet top SBC vendor; SIP trunking, interconnection driving SBCs
• Telecom capex up 6% to $311B in 2011, rev. up 8% to $1.86T, driven by mobile broadband
• Mobile VoIP subscribers will near 410 million by 2015; VoLTE still a long way off
• Infonetics ups 2015 VoIP service forecast to $76B, driven by SIP trunking, hosted business VoIP

UPCOMING RESEARCH

Download prospectuses, tables of contents, highlights, etc. at http://www.infonetics.com/login (see SERVICE PROVIDER VOIP AND IMS for 2011 and new 2012 services).

• Log in to download Infonetics' 2012 Research Publication Calendar: http://bit.ly/zwjcRs
• 4Q11 Service Provider VoIP and IMS Equipment and Subscribers Market Share and Forecast
• Diameter Signaling Control Market Size and Forecast
• North America Business VoIP Service Leadership Scorecard
• SIP Trunking Strategies: North American Enterprise Survey
• VoIP and UC Services and Subscribers Market Size and Forecast

SALES

• Larry Howard, VP, Western NA, Asia, CALA: [email protected], +1-408-583-3335
• Scott Coyne, Eastern NA, Texas, Midwest: [email protected], +1-408-583-3395
• George Stojsavljevic, EMEA: [email protected], +44-755-488-1623
• Japan, Taiwan, Korea: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp

Infonetics Research (News - Alert) is an international market research and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients plan, strategize, and compete more effectively.

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