VoLTE is gradually inching towards mass market adoption and as the service of choice for voice communication in mobile networks. According to the GSMA, 80 operators in 42 countries are investing in VoLTE deployments and trials.
As part of the VoLTE deployment, operators are implementing a comprehensive IMS infrastructure in their network. Once IMS is deployed in the network, operators are looking at ways to extract more value out of their IMS investment, and recoup some of the capex cost sooner.
Many are turning to RCS as a natural extension to VoLTE. There are over 40 commercial RCS deployments worldwide, according to GSMA.
Another exciting technology, WebRTC, is further extending the universe of RCS and VoLTE to the web, and fundamentally altering the fabric of the mobile industry. Anyone with a web browser can now be part of the RCS/VoLTE universe.
Some analysts estimate that WebRTC will add over 3 billion devices to the market in the next couple of years. This, in turn, has presented the opportunity to create interesting blended use cases that combine VoLTE, RCS, and WebRTC technologies, creating new value streams for RCS/VoLTE.
Some of these include, first, combining RCS, WebRTC and Internet of Things (IoT). The combination of WebRTC and RCS can be leveraged to connect consumers to IoT devices, for control, to extract information and collaborate with others and IoT devices, using IP-Rich Messaging through an RCS Chat or a WebRTC session.
The bridge between the IoT and mobile worlds is a REST API interface that facilitates free bi-directional flow of information. In a specific use case such as Home Monitoring, an RCS Chat session can be notified of an RFID Tag event inside the home.
Security cameras inside the house can be activated and viewed remotely, temperature readings viewed and adjusted remotely, all through an RCS Chat or WebRTC session. The API link between the two worlds allows RCS or WebRTC mobile applications to interact with any IoT end device.
Consumers can use their regular smartphone to interact with IoT, without having to download any plug-in or app. This is an important consideration for many Asia-Pacific countries where the mobile device is the primary internet/communication device.
Second is Internet TV. One can imagine a use case where a Smart Internet TV with WebRTC capabilities is engaged in a live streaming and chat session with a remote RCS/VoLTE device.
A typical use case is where the remote RCS/VoLTE device is streaming a live video performance to a TV, and simultaneously, both parties are interacting in a chat session about the video content.