Samsung Buys NewNet Canada to Boost Its Rich Communication Services Offerings

Samsung seems to have become serious about Rich Communication Services (RCS) offerings, as it has acquired the RCS arm of Canadian telecom firm NewNet Communication Technologies. The South Korean company has defined the firm as a "leading provider of RCS infrastructure and services."

To recall, RCS or Rich Communication Services is essentially a new standard for carrier-based messaging that would allow high-res photo sharing ability, group chats, and other capabilities that were not offered by the previous communication standard.

"This acquisition is a critical milestone not just for Samsung but also for the communications industry. As an end-to-end GSMA-compliant RCS solution, it will accelerate the deployment of RCS-enabled networks, providing consumers with a ubiquitous standards-based messaging and communications platform. The acquisition will also enable Samsung to offer interoperable server solutions for mobile operators that do not already have their own RCS infrastructure," the company said in its announcement post.

Samsung said that the acquisition shows its commitment towards RCS as mobile networks transition to IP-based networks and services. The company has, however, not disclosed the amount of the acquisition deal. Specifically, the company has acquired NewNet Communication Technologies (Canada) or NewNet Canada, which operated the RCS business within NewNet Communication Technologies. It was previously known as NewPace.

The company pointed out that "unlike other messaging apps in the market, users will be able to communicate on any network, with an RCS-enabled device as well as SMS-only devices."

However, Samsung is not the only major company that has shown its commitment towards RCS, as beyond the Google acquisition of Jibe Mobile earlier this year, the company recently brought RCS to its Messenger app on Sprint Android devices.