Telcos unite on RCS messaging: Airtel, Jio, Vodafone-Idea onboard; competition heats up

Bharti Airtel has partnered with Google to launch Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging, positioning it as an SMS successor. This move by India’s major telcos, including Reliance Jio and Vodafone-Idea, aims to challenge WhatsApp’s dominance in the business messaging market. Airtel will implement Google’s RCS platform with an integrated AI spam filter, marking a significant shift in the competitive landscape.