I don’t know what impression you have of the 5G network? Personally, I have no impression of 5G. In the past two years, I have used a large number of 4G and 5G mobile phones alternately, but in terms of network experience, different networks have not brought much difference in experience for me. To give the simplest example, the health code in a subway station when there are many people Still can't load.
The reason why 5G has such "low perception" is that on the one hand, the current coverage of 5G is really limited. On the other hand, the lack of exclusive "killer application" for 5G network is also one of the reasons. After all, the emergence of 3G allows our mobile phones to load large web pages other than WAP, and the emergence of 4G makes short videos and live broadcasts possible. But for the 5G network, for now, the biggest change should be the increase in the price of the King Card package.
The lack of application scenarios specific to 5G networks has made 5G a sky loft with empty technology and no applications. In order to promote 5G networks without use scenarios, anxious operators have begun to rack their brains. Various application scenarios of 5G network, The China Telecom "5G Message" that was officially commercialized some time ago is a brand-new product created by China Telecom to promote 5G network. According to China Telecom, the industry scale of this "5G news" is expected to exceed 100 billion. At the same time, it is "also considered a killer application in the 5G era" and is an important weapon for operators to promote 5G networks.
But what does this 5G news have to do with the 5G network?
Why is RCS said to be the “WeChat killer”?
To be honest, the "5G messaging" launched by China Telecom is essentially the rich text messaging (RSC) SMS solution proposed by GSMA in 2012. In 2012, the world's first subway line covering the TD-LTE network was opened. Trial run. In other words, the reason why "5G message" is called 5G message is more for the purpose of promoting the "5G brand". From a technical point of view, the functions of RCS can actually be realized under the 4G network.
So the question is, how can a technology that was born out of the 4G era become the "killer application" of 5G? Take China Telecom's 5G messaging as an example. As an "upgraded version" of traditional SMS services, as long as 5G messaging can be successfully promoted in the future, 5G messaging will "comprehensively lead SMS" in the following aspects:
. Users can send text, Pictures, audio and video, expressions, location, contacts and other information also support point-to-point sending and group chat.
. Governments and enterprises can push services directly to users using 5G messages, and users can also search and select services through the directory service function of 5G messages in a manner similar to an app store.
3. To send messages between users, you do not need to install another app, nor do you need to add friends. You can send them directly in the mobile phone’s messaging app. If the 5G message fails to be sent, the phone will automatically send the message to the other party as a text message. .
Does it look like it’s in the clouds? And why does this 5G text messaging function look like something I’ve seen somewhere? Yes, the free online text messages in iMessage, MIUI and Flyme that iPhone users are familiar with are highly similar to RCS in concept. The biggest difference in philosophy between them and RCS is that they only stay within their own ecology and cannot be used across hardware brands.
Different from the brand's own online SMS, RCS is led by the operator and the hardware brand is indexed by the user's unique mobile phone number, enabling cross-operator, cross-hardware brand and even cross-country information exchange. In addition, RCS information can be directly delivered to the user's mobile phone. Under certain circumstances, the user's "mobile phone verification code" step can be omitted and relevant operations can be performed directly.
In addition, the RCS business born out of SMS can also pose a threat to the WeChat program to a certain extent. Take current text messages as an example. The text messages on everyone’s mobile phones usually contain verification codes and logistics information. When the RCS business matures, these verification codes and logistics information can directly provide corresponding interactive functions in the information app, such as directly clicking on the text message to check the delivery progress. Considering that SMS communication is more suitable for contacting strangers than WeChat, RCS is obviously more practical than WeChat in this scenario. Can
RCS replace WeChat? Not
Although RCS can indeed cover some of the functions of WeChat in some scenarios, and is more practical than WeChat in terms of contacting strangers, compared with IM software such as WeChat, RCS services obviously have their own shortcomings.
Take China Telecom's 5G messaging as an example. As a "WeChat killer", 5G messaging has a natural disadvantage: It is free to receive but charges for sending, which is consistent with traditional text messages. You must know that except for those marginal telecom fraud apps, there is almost no second app on the market that requires "payment to send messages".
Actually, I can understand why China Telecom charges for 5G messages. After all, 5G messages are essentially text messages and will be sent through text messages when necessary. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with China Telecom charging for 5G messages. But as a consumer, I can’t think of any occasion where 5G news would be useful when there are already better and cheaper options on the market.
The road to C is dead, what about the road to B? Unfortunately, the prospect of 5G news taking the To B route is still not clear enough. Government and enterprise business in the mobile Internet era requires two-way communication, but RCS emphasizes one-way communication in To B business, and more business push from enterprises to consumers. Compared with the mature WeChat public account ecosystem, government and enterprise services based on RCS are not only more expensive, but are also far less convenient to use than WeChat mini programs. Does
RCS have a future?
In addition, WeChat has already broken away from the scope of IM and has become an application complex spanning multiple categories. Even if we are willing to use 5G messaging as daily IM, RCS still cannot shake WeChat’s status. From a consumer perspective, we actually do not have complete choice when it comes to chat applications or tools. You use WeChat or to nail , largely because your relatives, friends, colleagues, and bosses are using it. Because of this, it is difficult for IM applications that have already occupied a dominant position to be successfully challenged by latecomers.
Besides, the RCS services led by operators are essentially weakening the influence of mobile phone brands' respective network SMS. Take iMessage on the iPhone as an example. Even though overseas Internet giants provide a variety of RCS services, under the strong influence of the iPhone, iMessage has become the dominant player in the US market. On one side are free services promoted by mobile phone brands, and on the other side are paid services provided by operators. I believe users have already made their choice.
From this perspective, it is inevitable that the development of RCS will be hindered. In terms of user stickiness, RCS service cannot compare with existing IM software; from the perspective of brand promotion, RCS cannot compare with the mobile phone brand's own online SMS service. In addition, the interaction between government and enterprise RCS services is far less convenient than the WeChat applet. In terms of the current RCS service quality, I don’t think there is much room for survival of the 5G messaging services of the three major operators.
However, as ordinary users, not many people actually want a monopoly or oligopoly competition in the social market. No matter what the market is, fuller competition can bring us better product experience, more reasonable prices and more attractive functions.
Besides, considering the impact of IM such as WeChat, the SMS business between users has been greatly reduced. As long as operators are willing to let go of their obsession with SMS services, the RCS service is fully capable of breaking the "RCS" monopoly of manufacturers such as iMessage and realizing true online SMS. Therefore, regardless of whether I am optimistic about 5G news or not, and whether 5G is innovative enough, I hope that 5G news can gain a firm foothold in the future, have a relatively fixed user group, and the grand vision previously planned can be realized.At the very least, what's wrong with giving consumers a little more choice?
