RCS Developer Portal as a Service. Revolutioning how telco API may be offered.

We are pleased to announce a new offering, the concept of RCS Developer Portal as a Service. Telcos will be able to launch RCS API at the same time that RCS/joyn service itself. No painful integrations, experiment what plug&play means ;).

The telcos just need to provide connectivity with the telco SBC and a bunch of RCS users (numbers) to be used as developer created services will be enough.

What about the API Management layer? Well, it is not needed to try to reinvent the wheel, the portal front-end and API Management use 3Scale, one of the leading vendors in the API management field. The developer look&feel and the developer plans are fully customizable.





Time now for telcos to use the cloud for their own enablers exposure. Time is money!!!

joyn, the right match for M2P, the internet of people and things.

We would like to introduce the M2P (machine to person) possibilities using joyn / RCS as the mechanishm to interact the people with their devices (home sensors, freezer, oven, etc). Natural text interaction will be the best way to ask for information to "your things" and also be reachen when "your things" need to send you an important information as alert. Using joyn network API is very easy to create this type of services using standard messaging and not needing to install further apps. Your things are just contacts in your phonebook, doesn't it innovative? 


Note: this demos was recorded in a live joyn network, using an accredited mobile client by Summitech and the sensor mote by Libelium.

Solaiemes selected to provide GSMA joyn Innovation Accelerator 3rd party API exposure.

We are happy to announce that Solaiemes RCS API technology has been selected to power the GSMA joyn Innovation Accelerator API exposure.

 The Innovation Accelerator gives developers global access to a live GSMA Rich Communication Services (RCS) network where they can build on RCS APIs and test their new service or application ideas in a trusted and safe environment.

The Solaiemes products involved to expose joyn (RCS) as OMA REST API are RCS Solution Gateway and RCS LiveServe. Solaiemes API technology was deployed in a cloud enviroment and "plug&play" interoperated with the RCS Core vendor selected, Newpace, with the product rcsCloudConnect and exposed through the GSMA developer portal powered by Aepona and TNS.

"The 'RCS as a platform' vision that Solaiemes put forward is happening, this platform will allow developers and operators to experiment with their ideas, lowering entry barrier. Expect additional announcements soon, Solaiemes is working with several multinational carriers in the area of joyn 3rd party API exposure and OTT-like telco services built on top of the joyn API" says Jose Recio, Solaiemes co-founder.

We’d like to encourage individuals and start-ups to register in the joyn Innovation Accelerator in our network to get involved in developing new applications and use cases for a technology that will change the way people communicate.

The GSMA joyn Innovation Challenge is a good opportunity to earn the possibility of showcasing your ideas to use joyn in the coming Mobile World Congress 2013. We would like to thank the GSMA initiative to engage developers as a part of joyn future.

Solaiemes will attend Rich Communications 2012 and GSMA events in Berlin next week

Solaiemes will attend next week 2 events in Berlin. On 6-7 November the Rich Communication 2012 event by Informa Telecom and Media and the joyn Innovation Challenge workshop by the GSMA.

In the Rich Communication 2012 event Juan Mateu, our co-founder will participate as panelist in the panel "Analysing the future for RCS as a mass market service – how to maximise return on investment" and will explain our view about making RCS-e / joyn the first messaging alternative conceived "as a platform" to deliver use cases on top  by 3rd parties thanks to the API.

Also we will attend the workshop about the joyn Innovation Accelerator. We posted about it.

Developers, no matter where they are based, now can have access to a live joyn system and familiarize with the API to explore the possibilities of using the messaging as a platform and creating their own proof of concept of services.
Solaiemes is a technology partner of the joyn Innovation Accelerator.

For us it is very relevant that joyn will have network API (telco API) from the beginning, it could help to boost innovation around the RCS in the same way that it was done with SMS in the past with the SMS gateways and today is being done with compelling APIs.

We promise to blog back about the highlights of both events :-)

If you are going to attend whatever of these events and want to meet us, drop us a email or tweet and we will contact you.

joyn TV experience. Adding value to the home phone line.

We are happy to show the joyn TV experience. With our RCS-e API from RCS-e Thin Client Server we created an Smart TV App joyn client (using the Samsung Smart TV Hub for Samsung TVs). In the video you can see how even fix carriers can use the home phone number to add media and IP messaging trough the "big screen".
Why not calling your mum after reaching a high summit after hours of hiking and just share your landscape from there on her big TV?

Credits: Solaiemes RCS Thin Client Server API, Silta Neusoft Mobile joyn Client and Samsung Smart TV Hub 

joyn Innovation Challenge, the GSMA competition for mobile & web apps developers.

The GSMA has announced the joyn Innovation Challenge, an initiative to encourage innovation based on joyn.
Developers will have the opportunity to use a real joyn enviroment and using the API build innovative use cases on top of the messaging experience. The best new ideas will be showcased on the GSMA’s exhibition stand at the Mobile World Congress.

Developers will have access to the joyn "Innovation Accelerator" a global access to a live GSMA Rich Communication Services (RCS) network where they create their own use cases on RCS APIs, Solaiemes is technology partner, see the banner :-), and test their use cases in a trusted and safe environment. GSMA explains in the website that the use of the Innovation Accelerator will be free and you do not have to enter the competition in order to use it. We consider this initative a very good move.

We want to highlight that API becomes key in joyn from the beginning and it means that joyn aims to be seen as a platform, our vision being evangelized the last years. It is great that the industry realizes that it is not about replicating telco version of great OTT messaging products that going beyond and creating an open platform based in a natural experience as the messaging.

Why exposing RCS-e/joyn telco enabler as UNI API?

We are being asked about why exposing the telco enablers as UNI (user to network interface) API. Telcos need to understand the advantage of exposing their assets from the end-point point of view.
There are several reasons:

Avoid lock-in: if you expose the capabilities based directly on IMS and/or instant messaging server interfaces, some propietary shortcuts (and "optimizations") would be introduced and thus create lock-in. This forces that both core and API has to be provided by the same vendor and will be difficult to replace.

Security: when exposing RCS-e as end-point (virtual client) the user of the API can only do the same actions that a phone will do, no more. And subject to exactly the same security enforcement checks.

If the API application is behaving not properly, just removing the "user identity" of the application from the core using the same procedure as with a phone is enough.

Remember, in this way of exposure, the API and solutions using it are outside the SBC and then formally outside the network. Developers would be trusted as a phone would, with no extra security invesment over having the same number of "normal" users.

OSS/BSS savings: provisioning, billing, rating, etc. is done re-using the same systems in place for "normal" users. No need to create a different kind of users for applications in vendor-proprietary systems with a huge OSS/BSS investment. With UNI exposure an application uses an RCS-e user created in the same way as a "normal" user.

Cloud-based exposure: with UNI-based exposure, telcos can keep core (IMS, IM server) at their premises and adopt cloud based API exposure. Benefits: OPEX savings; shorter times to scale the API according to the usage requirements; possibility of offering the same API to several opcos or even resell to other operators, etc.

Standard compliance and testing: when RCS-e is exposed to 3rd parties as an UNI API, it behaves as client, there are no dependencies on what's inside the network. Once the API based virtual client interoperates with the device clients in the market it is clear that your API exposure will be allowing to create 100% RCS-e/joyn compatible solution on top.

For those reason Solaiemes pioneered the UNI approach to expose RCS :-)
Feedback welcomed.

RCS/joyn? It's the network API, stupid

The tittle? Just a little provocation :-) inspired in the in James Carville sentence used during the  Clinton's 2012 presidential campaign: "it's the economy, stupid". The sentence was used to emphasize where the focus were.
Currently telcos are facing the challenge of the fast commoditization of the old cash-cows: voice and SMS and a myriad of OTT communication alternative using the open internet.
Analysts debate about the convenience of creating new standardized and interoperable  communication enablers as RCS/RCS-e/joyn or just creating telco own OTT alternatives.
We may assume that whatever options RCS or telco owned OTT (also known as #TelcoOTT but RCS also can be offered as #TelcoOTT) will not be easy to monetize as person to person communication. Great messaging and VoIP free alternatives or very cheap as Whatsapp, Viber, etc will force the telcos to look for innovative ways to make new revenues to compensate voice and sms revenue decline.
On the other hand we see new telcos as Voxeo and Twilio are making money from those legacy enablers, voice and SMS but not for the person to person communication but using those global reach communication to power enterprise and long tail solutions and applications. It is done by exposing these communication enablers in the language the developers know: API (REST, SOAP).
No need to know about telco protocols, whoever can try to develope solution using comms. Wow.
With this perspective in mind, it is obvious that RCS/joyn in the future with a simple user experience just around the phonebook (as SMS in the past) and affordable price or just bundled with the data plan could target the "global reach". How to monetize this global reach? Yes, the API, the network API. If enterprises and developers can use this enabler for application to person, person to application and machine-to-machine use cases (A2P, P2A, M2M), the value will be there, and the added value will be shared between the parties.
When exposing telco APIs, telcos are giving a white canvas and an affordable set of colour pencils to the 3rd parties. Most of them will paint interesting things with value for them or their own customers, and a few ones will produce artwork masterpieces, both together will generate a lot of value that will be shared.
Remember, all this begins with the white canvas and a few colour pencils.
If the white "voice and SMS" canvas generated a lot of value created by 3rd parties with the API, we may expect the same or more with a new enablers with chat, file transfer, video, voice, and it is RCS.
Then it will be easier to monetize standardized new enablers than individual communication silos.

The API is key for RCS and we are proudly working on that to allow all the telcos to launch RCS service not only as personal communications but as a platform. Let's go!

RCS-e/joyn is not just only for mobile carriers.

From time to time we are being asked about if RCS-e/joyn is a technology only for mobile telcos. Our answer is a big NO.
Although RCS-e/joyn is a technology pushed and promoted by the GSMA whose full members are mobile carriers, we see RCS as an new standard IP messaging that could be used ubiquitously with the advantages of the interoperation and federation.
Solaiemes strongly believes in the potential of RCS for triple play telcos, as they can offer a common and global reach messaging experience (hope in the next future joyn we adopted by most of the carriers) in all devices/screens under different types of connectivity.
We believe in the power of the REST RCS Network API to offer RCS-e web and connected TV [soon new video-demo, be patient :-) ] clients.
DSL, Fix & Cable operators can provide then "a new communication service", a personal communication service in the same way they offered in the past a complementary or low fee email account. In the case of the TV, it offers huge possibilities of having the biggest screen of your home to receive pics from family and friends and see them directly there. Also to see incoming videosharing from mobile. Why not have your family on the couch watching TV and being prompted by you streaming live video while hiking when the summit gets closer?
Communications are about sharing experiences, and innovation can be delivered by all actors in the communication space.
It is very easy to integrate the RCS capabilities in softphones provided by fix carriers, or set-top-boxes by cable operators. Also, it you can deliver RCS as web or TV Widget easily. No reason for non mobile telcos to think that they have little choice to bring additional fun and business use cases for their customers.
From CAPEX perspective, if fix or cable telcos are investing in IMS and SBC to provide VoIP or IP media, the same infrastructure can be used to deliver RCS, increasing ROI from already decided and needed investments with the extra cases.
Users will costume to keep several RCS accounts (identities) in the same way that they are right now owning several email accounts or OTT messaging IDs. Value added services as "aggregating" those accounts and let the users set their own messaging policy/rules (IM-Box, auto-responses, filters, messaging divert, videoshare divert etc), we have the IMS AS to allow that, the RCS-e Personal Manager.

- Why not being the fix, cable or broadband carriers being the first ones to deliver those experiences o personal freedom to their users?
- Why not triple play telcos start thinking in "communication as a whole" and not a mere addition different revenue source branches?
- Why not starting to offer fix/TV RCS portable to mobile if the non MNO is also a MVNO?

Solaiemes is a rebel company :-) We like to destroy topics: pioneer technology can be created in a country with no telco equipment companies tradition, small tech start-ups can compete head-to-head with big ones of the telco infrastructure industry (our common challenge these days) and we want to help also non-mobile telcos destroying the industry feeling that fix or cable telcos are not the coolest.

Let's give a try!

Solaiemes to offer 1st commercial implementation of OMA compliant RCS network API

We are glad to announce that our products RCS-e Solution Gateway, RCS-e Thin Client Server and RCS-e LiveServe exposing RCS-e capabilities as REST API are now offering the OMA compliant Rest version.
Our views on the need of standardized telco APIs were explained in the former post and in this interesting debate in the Telecom APIs group in Linkedin.
We believe that the key factor of API success is the early availability and to be offered in the "developer language", in the way they like to work, and today it is REST and SOAP WS. Our platforms were offering two flavours, REST and SOAP WS (as some customers consider it better for back-end integrations as CRM systems).
Now, Solaiemes is adding the support of the Open Mobile Alliance RCS Network API flavour which is also REST based.
The same platforms will be exposing simoutaneusly the 3 API flavours and developers will have the freedom to choose the one which fits better with their needs.
Both, our initial REST implementation and the OMA one are REST but we decided to keep also our own version as it is covering some topics that the OMA spec is missing.

We look forward that this move will help telcos to launch RCS-e/Joyn as a platform. It means API for ubiquity, person to application and application to person cases to be offered at the same time that the RCS-e person to person enhanced messaging launch dates :-)

Telco API Standards? Our view

We are following up a controversial debate about the need of standards for Telco API. You can find a poll and an interesting debate in the Telecom API group in linkedin.
We saw how both GSMA & OMA worked for creating standard API for network telecommunication enablers. GSMA One API is a clear example.
The problem comes when the standard arrives too late and developers either just looked for other APIs to use the telco enablers or worse for the telcos, directly gave up and try to create their own communication capabilities as the global reach telco enablers were not exposed with affordable API in terms of cost and "usability".
RCS-e/RCS need of exposure API was included from the beginning and it will speed the market adoption, Solaiemes already has REST and SOAP WS API exposure of RCS-e independent of the selected IMS and Instant Messaging vendor (as it is UNI exposure).
OMA recently published the RCS-e API standard specification and Solaiemes will offer also this flavour in August.
Our view is that standard is good but should not sacrifice the time to market. It is more important the language (REST) that having exactly the same methods. Developers customed to work with REST API from internet world (Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc) know and accept that periodically some methods are changed to introduce new paremeter, additional call are added, and it took few hours to adapt their solutions and test them. Then, it is not problem for the developers the telcos need to address not having a fully static and pre-standardized API, the problem is not having the API itself.
Developers need REST API (event more methods or some of them changing along the time) and a web portal to sign and start testing with telco enablers. It's all. Voxeo & Twilio had proven that with legacy telco enablers as voice and SMS.

The conclusion that standards are welcomed but it makes no sense to delay the commercial offer of telco enabler exposure until a standard comes. The cost of opportunity (fragmentation and recoding) of not having an standard for APIs is less that not having an API.
Solaiemes has now a full commercial implementation of the RCS-e/Joyn API working today and being implemented in telcos, and will offer the standard API implementation in the same platform, with a one click smooth transition when required.

Solaiemes attended Mobile Asia Expo in Shangai.

Solaiemes attended past week Mobile Asia Expo, hosted in Shanghai. This is the new name and venue for the now traditional Asia-focused GSMA event, taking over from Mobile Asia Congress that we also attended in previous years in Hong Kong and Macao. This year, the event was opened to the "pro-sumers" and as a result, attendance was much higher than in previous editions. Many companies focused on consumer products, a developer area, and a gaming zone attracted many visitors. Solaiemes participated in the Joyn area, inside GSMA Pavillion, together with a number of companies in the Joyn/RCS ecosystem, not only presenting our demos to operators, but also introducing Joyn to a fairly large number of visitors not directly related to the telco market.

The event was a very good opportunity to engage with the rest of the ecosystem, share experiences, strenghten partnerships and get first hand knowledge of the dynamics and trends in the Asia regional markets, very diverse between themselves and quite different from Europe. Just an example: South Korea already offers nationwide LTE coverage, has 14% of the customers using LTE and it is forecasted that 50% customers will use LTE in less than one year.

Already talking with a number of service providers in the region, Solaiemes is looking forward to partnering with operators and vendors exploring monetization strategies for IM services, very popular in many markets in the region. We can say we come back with several new open opportunities in the suitcase. Jose Recio

RCS-e/Joyn VideoShare divert demo.

Just a 1 minute videodemo of a new feature of our RCS-e Personal Manager IMS Application Server. The new feature is the videoshare divert: the user can configure other Joyn identity to receive the videoshare when not answering, rejecting, or by default (could be different ones). In the demo we used the "reject" to divert the videoshare to a third mobile phone.

It proves how flexible the telco communications can be, how the telco can provide freedom to the user, and how the imagination finally gives content to the IMS.
Can you imagine RCS-e over LTE with HD videoshare, and you at home rejecting the stream to just divert to a Smart TV thin client in a huge flat TV? Stop imagining, the future just arrive.

Credits:
Application Server: Solaiemes RCS-e Personal Manager
Also used in this demo for the e2e:
IMS: OpenIMS
RCS-e client: Orange RCS-e SDK (with Solaiemes UI)

Solaiemes RCS-e API technology compatible with Newpace RCS-e core solution

We are glad to announce the compatibility between our RCS-e 3rd party REST API Exposure technology with the Newpace RCS-e Core.

The Solaiemes RCS-e 3rd party REST API Exposure technology was tested with the Newpace RCS as a Service product core. When combined, these two products provide operators’ an RCS-e in the Box solution with an RCS REST API exposure that allows our customers to create third party services and web access clients on top of NewPace’s hosted RCS-e/joyn services seamlessly.

Newpace RCS-e as a Service (hosted) allows telcos to deploy RCS-e/Joyn minimizing the CAPEX investment. Solaiemes platforms can be also offered "as a Service"(link), making feasible for MNOs to deploy in a very short time RCS-e service with additional services as web access and 3rd party services on top of the basic Joyn services created with REST API.

We are putting the each one innovation overcoming the issues (or myths) that stopped RCS-e deployments:

- No need of a full IMS draining CAPEX budget.
- Having from the beginning a platform for innovations by 3rd parties (CRM services, internet mashup, user generated content in social media using Joyn features from your phonebook, etc).
- Affordable alternative for MVNO's and non tier-1 MNOs to launch RCS-e with a minimum investment and no risk.

For us it is important proving that vendors are cooperating to help telcos to deliver the next big thing in messaging and add value to the telco enablers.
(read the post by Newpace).

Is "Solaiemes RCS-e REST API" Cloud based?

We are being asked whether the way we expose RCS-e capabilities as REST API is "cloud". Well, our platforms are instancing RCS-e Virtual Clients, behaving as "clients" and exposed to internet. In previous post we explain how our platforms installed in the MNO premises become an "extra mile" of their infrastructure, following the SBC. But it is not the only one possible way of using our infrastrucute. We may also install it directly in internet and the virtual RCS-e Virtual Clients (services or web clients) will be registering to the telco RCS-e via internet as device client does.

Even the MNOs are preferring to have "all what they consider infrastructure" in their datacenters, this Cloud based RCS-e API exposure is the way that we are currently providing remote demos and engagement/try&buy pilots, and the interoperation is very easy to the telco core, only need to know the IP Address of SBC or P-CSCF. Yes, it works. Also it has additional advantadges as RCS-e Solution Gateway and RCS-e Thin Client Server are multitenant and can instance RCS-e Virtual Clients in different MNOs/cores/domains. Yes, we need to be flexible and it allows to offer the RCS-e REST API exposure as a Service :-)

Right now, there are appearing vendors with a RCS-e Core as a Service solution (or RCS-e in a Box cloud based) as Newpace. Then it is possible partnering to create a bundle of RCS-e as a Service offering plus our Value Added Services and Thin/Web Client access on top of RCS-e enabling platforms. You can see the chart. It becomes a nice way to deliver #telcoOTT RCS-e with no CAPEX investment.
From the point of view of where our platform can run it is possible both, in dedicated servers, or in public cloud virtual machines, all combinations tested and working fine :-) Then, we can say that Solaiemes is a cloud communications infrastructure/service provider. Feedback welcomed.

Our views on CTIA Wireless 2012.

Last week we were in New Orleans exhibiting at CTIA and it was great. Perhaps it is true that CTIA is loosing some big exhibitors once NA & LATAM are opting for UMTS as 3G and LTE as 4G and then the MWC is becoming the main marketing event for big players.
Instead, CTIA had a lot of vibrant companies showcasing pure innovations, small companies delivering high end innovation to help carriers and delight users.
We focus our presence in evangelizing and explain why messaging (RCS, RCS-e, Joyn) must become a platform, not only a person to person messaging alternative to the existing ones.
We had very positive feedback about our Friendly Telco Border concept and how we apply it to RCS case by delivering REST API (easy to use for whatever non-telco aware developer) to create both: services and web/thin clients.
Several telcos agreed that they way to compete is exposing the telco enablers in the way it could be used by third parties and Parlay and face to face interoperations with core infrastructure are not the way. Several MNOs are waiting for first RCS-e live deployments and the availability or out of the box enabled device to start the proccess of launching: RFI, trial, etc but expecting that time to market will be less than 6 months as they will be deploying already interoperated technology and native clients. Crossing fingers then.
Finally we talk with other core vendors to partner in areas where we are clearly not overlapped but complementing and creating a powerful end-to-end.
Hope to tell you news about this point in the next weeks.

The way our RCS-e/Joyn REST API exposure works.

Solaiemes approach to the need of exposing carriers communication capabilities to 3rd parties was radically different to the previous ones. In the past, the attempts to expose capabilities to create services were based in OSA, Parlay, etc, more thought to offer professional services the own infrastructure vendors than a proper exposure to the vast ecosystem of developers. Our approach is simple, expose not directly from the core infrastructure but as "clients". We instance virtual clients (telco protocols of the clients being kept at carrier cloud) and in the case of our web-clients strategy. In this case the RCS-e Virtual Client API is not used to create an alternative UI in a device but to create a service based on messaging interaction (as it was done with SMS to create A2P and P2A cases).
The chart.

(click to enlarge)

We were awarded by this approach. As you can see, the 3rd party API is core vendor independent (no lock-in then), as it behaves as "client", we can say we are interoperated with the main vendors of IMS, Instant Messaging Server and the SBC leader. What we provide is that "extra mile" for telcos to create a new frontier, the one we name FTB (Friendly Telco Border). With our approach "plug & play" whatever RCS-e core can have integrated a 3rd party REST and SOAP WS exposure in less than a week and RCS-e automatically becomes a platform to create value added services (application to person and person to application) complementing the person to person messaging (initial use case). You can see in the chart how device clients interact with "service clients" representing services (i.e: CRM). Those "service identities" (additional contacts in the user phonebook) will be a new revenue stream for carriers, and if they are defined as SIP URI, also a new business model appears: the domaining based on the names of the services to be deployed. If we see how amazing companies as Voxeo, Twilio etc are succeeding "selling" communication capabilities, we see that they approach the developers/customers offering the interface they know how to use and needing none/minimum support: internet style APIs (REST & SOAP). Time for telcos to make their try in the way developers can embrace it :-)

Solaiemes Q&A about our technology for RCS-e/Joyn

We are often asked by potential customers, potential partners and telco analysts which is exactly what we are doing and how it could match with complementary offerings or instead become competitors from other vendors. We had compiled the most relevant questions and use this post to explain in this Q&A format what we do, hope it helps :-)

When did you start your RCS technology development? In mid 2009 but with the base of our previous IMS VideoShare and Push To Talk SIP, MSRP and RTP/RTCP technology and IMS integration experience. At that time RCS appeared as unlikely possibility for future with many telcos still believing that SMS will never decline. Successful OTT alternatives and the need to fill LTE with services made finally telcos to make the move and speed up RCS-e/Joyn.

Are you developing an RCS-e Instant Messaging Server? No, we saw from the beginning that big players, the IMS vendors were also offering the IM Server, and it is difficult to compete with the giants in risk avoiding companies as telcos, our only chance was doing something that nobody else was doing at that moment and this "something" was key to solve "a problem".

Which "problem" did you try to solve with your RCS-e technology? We tried to solve the problem of amazing telco enablers not being used for creating cases on top due the lack of proper interfaces to engage the developers. It was done in the past with SMS, where SMS Gateways with REST APIs brought a lot of value on top of SMS, and lots of use cases could be created by 3rd parties. Unfortunately that model was not applied to next comms enablers as PTT, VideoCall, or IMS VideoShare. Also Parlay APIs are more a tool for professional services of infrastructure vendors than an effective way to attract the ecosystem to create services.

How did you that? We created infrastructure instancing "virtual RCS clients", managed by REST API, "user to network interface", fully IMS and Instant Messaging vendor independent, no lock-in.
Those "virtual clients" could be used with the API to create interactive services (as SMS short numbers in the past) or just to create RCS thin/web clients to put ubiquitously RCS in tablets, pc, TV, without the need of developing all telco protocol stuff. We named it RCS-e Open & Ubiquitous. We were awarded with the GSMA RCS DevChallenge Innovation Category.

This interactive services based on RCS-e interaction using your virtual clients are the alternative to apps? Well, this approach is good for telcos, as they can offer their "service stores" conterpartying the "app stores" where the key role belongs to the platform owner (manufacturers or OS providers). Each model has strengths and weaknesses, telcos may take profit of the mass market if they can put Joyn in every device as SMS is in every device. We would say that we help telcos to add value on top of the "connectivity".

Then, all of your products is UNI ? No, we have also 2 products that can not be considered UNI "user to network" interface. The RCS-e End User Confirmation Request Server is considered core

And do you have an IMS Application Server, core architecture to extend your portfolio?
Yes, RCS-e Personal Manager, our platform to allow users to customize their own messaging completion settings include Options & Invite AS, using standardized ISC interface with IMS.

Is your technology interoperated with different IMS and clients vendors? Yes, current customer projects, GSMA RCS tests fests in the last 2 years and particular interoperation conducted for partnership enablement. We could say that we are interoperated with the IMS, IM Server and client of a live network.

Are telcos already using your technology? Yes. Unfortunately tight NDAs do not allow us to disclose too much but currently the Solaiemes technology is being used to create services and new use cases based on RCS-e/Joyn interaction. Also, we are bidding in other telcos and conducting demos that make us confident in extend our customer in the next months.

What do you think about the "RCS too little too late" sentence? We totally disagree, we create technology to make RCS-e a platform to create cases on top (beyond the person to person messaging case being implemented by OTT) and also to put RCS-e in devices (with thin clients) with no HW/SW capabilities to run the OTT messaging apps. Services created with Solaiemes gateway are not offered by current OTTs.

Are you working with or receiving kinds of interes coming from non-telco companies? Yes, we are receiving info requests from companies developing apps for big brands interested in using our API to provide alternative channels to interact with users for their customers (retailers, transportation, banking). A few companies are also testing the API to create proof of concepts of interaction and CRM , they find it easy, as easy to develope with Twitter of Facebook API. The most important is that this is not a religious topic, the same companies offering Apps development is interested in offering also rich messaging interaction service. Channels are mutually complementary.

The API, is really REST? so easy? Yes, it was our aim, devs can not te engaged with Parlay type APIs. Our API is offered with 2 flavours REST and SOAP WS.

What do you think about OTT messaging companies? We think they are great alternatives and did an incredible work, Whatsapp, BBM, iMessage, Huddle, etc... Their success finally evangelized telcos about users like the enhanced messaging experience and speed up RCS initiative that was walking too slowly :-). Thanks to OTTs Joyn is in the market right now and almost anybody may understand the basics.

What do you think about #TelcoOTT strategies? We think it is a great approach, telcos may have two souls, two business, the "lines and data" and the "services on top" that could even reach their not "line & data" customers. Our technology allows telco to make their TelcoOTT offering, as can provide communications services beyond their data, i.e: put Joyn in a TV connected to a DSL provider.

Are you intending to certify your virtual clients officially?  Yes, we already sent test traces to GSMA following the procedure.

What about RCS release 5? We started with RCS release 2, once the RCS-e spec was released it took only 3 weeks to have our RCS virtual client ported to the new spec and new API calls added to support RCS-e different features. Our aim is to be also compatible with RCS 5, mainly due the interest of american carriers in this release, and we are involved in the UNI API for this release. Our API will support all live in the market RCS-e client specs.

Last but not less, do you think Joyn will succeed? Yes, obviously we are partial in this, but the common brand/logo (Joyn), the kinds of interest received, and that finally telcos should decide pipe or added value on top, time is gold :-)

And Solaiemes future? Well, we are positive, we are extending our customer base and new prospects are coming, also we are negotiating partnerships to resell our technology, we expect to grow. We have the best team on board to achieve it and hopefully the resources to increase our company size to attend all the opportunities we can be involved :-)

Finally, if you have a question, we can complete this post with your question!

Questions from comments

[Alan Quayle, analyst] Where's the money in RCSe/5? We think person to person mobile messaging is commoditized, and the money can come from:
- Using Joyn in basic devices / feature phones, serving the underserved and extending the adoption of entrly level data plans to most of the subscribers.
- Using Joyn/RCS-e as a platform to create services on top, A2P and P2A use cases with revenue share with developers (as SMS in the past, but hopefully at more affordable pricing addressing the long tail)
- Revenue from 3rd parties using Joyn an additional channel to reach their customers and also to secure transaction with special features (EUC), i.e: banks.
- TelcoOTT strategy, charging a bit for communications services (RCS-e) customer that is not a "telco customer", it means, offering the communications services to non "connectivity" customers.

[Dean Bubley, analyst] What is going to change user behaviour & make existing OTT users switch from using WhatsApp, FB, BBM, FaceTime etc to using Joyn? Well, firstly there are a big mass of underserved users of rich messaging, event smartphone penetration is growing fastly, today, more than 70% of users still can not use OTT alternatives.
In the other hand, if properly integrated in the phonebook (as many OTT) to start a Joyn chat or file transfer may be a natural act, as it was SMS or call. We think it is not about one alternative killing others, it is about complementing. Our aim to increase early Joyn adoption is its use as enabler, something that today is not being offered by OTT.

[Dean Bubley, analyst] What developer use cases might the RCS API support that other ecosystems' APIs cannot? Firstly, we can differentiate 2 types of complementary APIs, the device API (pioneered by Jibe Mobile) to allow apps developers to use internally RCS for their comms (saving time avoiding reinvent the wheel and also making arrive in example your score playing a game to a non-game user) and the network UNI API (the one we are pioneering) enabling to create interactive services without specific apps, just rich interaction with a phone contact. CRM boots are being used in the internet space (Voxeo-Imfied) and studies confirmed young people like texting, and the young people is the coming heavy user generation. As in the previous question it is not about one API killing others, is about talented developers combining all APIs (from internet services and from communication enablers) and creating compelling mash-ups bringing lots of use cases to all type of users in whatever device they need to use it.
Carriers and infrastructure vendors may be realistic about that they can not imagine and create all possible services/use cases people would enjoy, then, the proper approach it make easy for those talented 3rd parties to create on top of your communication enablers and find a fair way to share the possible revenue.

Solaiemes to exhibit at CTIA Wireless 2012.

We are happy to exhibit also this year at CTIA Wireless 2012 show to be held in New Orleans, US coming 8-10th May.
Our boot (#4637) is placed in the Spanish Pavilion located in the main corridor, hall E, see floor plan.
We will be showcasing our RCS-e Infrastructure portfolio to help to create new services based on Joyn and also a ubiquitous experience for RCS-e.
 Solaiemes REST APIs will be compliant with coming RCS 5.x spec to be adopted by US & Canada service providers.
We are very interesting in finding partnership with potential US partners to interoperate our infrastructure with their IMS & Instant Messaging to make compelling offers to their customers.
Also we would like to meet not only with incumbent telcos but dynamic MVNOs eager to compete with value added services services and TelcoOTT approach,  becaming pioneers/early adopters of Joyn in America.

Let's meet guys !!!

MWC 2012, Joyn is taking off, our views.

After 4 very hectic days at Mobile World Congress 2012 we are back creating new products to move Joyn to the next stage :-)
We would like to share our views about this MWC 2012 and what the launch of Joyn means.
Firstly, finally RCS-e technology has a common name for the service, Joyn, combining the "join", sense of community and "joy" as fun. Great branding strategy. A lot of pins delivered with the logo, name, and also with the feature icons of the service, people with shirts with the logo walking across the exibition area, a huge paint in the main corridor and a GSMA exhibition zone for Joyn vendors (we exhibited there during the mornings). GSMA did a good work to increase awarenes.

The news regarding the Vodafone Spain launch as beta with an app for Android means that today Joyn is a live service and now is when the playground is open. New telcos joining and devices Joyn enabled will come soon.
Even Apple says it is not interested in supporting Joyn, Joyn apps for iPhone are being tested by client vendors with a very good user experience, then, Joyn will be also present in the "Apple world", and our web client based in RCS-e Thin Client Server can be in Apple devices. Not an issue then.

A huge concern about launching Joyn expressed by carriers in the past, the lack of RCS-e enabled devices will not be a problem anymore. We were asked by several device vendors about using our RCS-e Testing Solution, already in production in a live Joyn network and verified as a way to speed up the Joyn their native clients development and testing. Some device vendors will find an opportunity in Joyn to sell their product through the carrier channel and telcos to offer a powerful service even with medium tier devices. Win Win combination.

The RCS Seminar with keynotes and panels about G5 telcos pushing forward Joyn showed commitment and they talked about more telcos planning to launch, and also US & Canada offering the service, perhaps with the enhanced RCS 5.0 release. We were glad to "listen" from that RCS-e is an start, and it is not mere messaging but a platform, a vision/message we are evangelizing time ago.

We receive a lot of visits in our shift (mornings) at GSMA stand and in our own stand at Spanish Pavilion. We were visited by telcos interested in how our technology makes RCS-e a platform, how thin (web) clients can help to launch the service in different device tiers and types of screen, how our testing solution will help them in the process of verifiying their core and devices and how "messaging" completion platform could help to improve the OTT alternative messaging user experience and give users configuration capabilities to manage their messaging settings.

We have many meetings with IMS and instant messaging vendors and client developers to partner and work together making Joyn happen. As our technology is no overlapping traditional vendors we foresee interesting cooperation ahead. We were also visited by market and business intelligence analyst eager to understand our vision and the availability of our products and we would thank them the time they spent with us.

On the other hand we find a bit frustrating that big vendors has not an open stand, they had "invitation only", while their representatives were visiting us. For us it was shocking that companies with thousands of engineers are so concerned about small companies. We do not have secret products because we think to help Joyn to grow it is needed to show all the possibilities that it will enable as soon as possible and of course we explain what we do to the people of companies who has "invitation only" stands. We prefer openness :-) and cooperation.

We expect to have many positive things to communicate this year, the results of MWC encouraged us to keep up work.

the solaiemes team