With immediate effect, Swisscom customers can now make use of Message+ messaging. Message+ is based on the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard which is meant to replace the SMS and MMS standards.
What are the advantages of Message+?
Using Message+, Swisscom customers can run one-to-one and group chats which include images, videos and voice messages. RCS technology is already built in to many smartphones.
What does Message+ cost?
Sending and receiving text messages by Message+ with Swisscom is free of charge. Sending multimedia messages which include images, videos or voice messages requires mobile data. Charges vary based on your Swisscom mobile plan, prepaid offer or data bundle. If your mobile plan includes unlimited local data in its flat fee, then charges are only a concern when you use the service while traveling outside of Switzerland (data roaming).
Which devices support Message+?
Using Message+ is only possible if your mobile service providers and mobile phones of the sender and receiver support the RCS protocol. In Switzerland, Message+ currently is only supported by Swisscom and can only be used on the Samsung S10, S10e or S10+ mobile phones.
In a communication to moneyland.ch, Swisscom stated that the Message+ service will be expanded to more Samsung devices in the coming months. Android-powered smartphones from other phone makers will be added to the list in the future, when Google enables RCS.
Which Swisscom plans support Message+?
Almost all Swisscom mobile plans and prepaid services support Message+. Only a handful of older Swisscom plans do not support Message+. However, the Message+ service is not yet available to users of Swisscom subsidiary services Wingo, M-Budget Mobile and Coop Mobile.
Do Sunrise and Salt offer RCS services?
Sunrise and Salt do not have plans to implement RCS messaging services. According to Salt, its decision is based on the lack of demand for RCS services.
What happens when the receiver does not have a Message+-compatible service or phone?
If a Swisscom customer sends a Message+ to a phone user whose phone and/or mobile service is not RCS compatible, the receiver gets an SMS or MMS containing a link through which they can view the message online.
Does message+ work outside of Switzerland?
RCS technology is already in use in many countries. But Swisscom users cannot currently send Message+ messages to phone users outside of Switzerland. However, Swisscom users can send and receive Message+ messages while roaming outside of Switzerland.
Analysis by moneyland.ch telecom expert Ralf Beyeler
Swisscom initially aimed to launch its RCS service in 2018. Now the service has finally launched. While Swisscom is the first Swiss telecom service provider to launch RCS, it has been slow on the draw compared to many international service providers. RCS services were first launched in other countries as far back as 2012.
Swisscom’s RCS service is still in its fledgling stage. Currently, only a few Swisscom customers can access the RCS service. A major obstacle is presented by the absence of RCS support on the iPhone, which is very popular in Switzerland.
“The big question is whether or not RCS messaging delivers any added value for mobile users,” concludes Ralf Beyeler. Consumers have already widely adopted Internet-based messaging apps like WhatsApp, Threema and Telegram. These voice-over-IP services can generally be used via any Internet connection and are available for most phones. It would therefore be surprising if Swisscom’s Message+ service, with its limitations, managed to establish itself in the Swiss telecom market.
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