SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, the three major carriers, said on the 21st they have shifted Apple iPhone RCS (Rich Communication Services) corporations messaging to full service. RCS is a messaging service that can send long text or transmit high-definition files compared with traditional text messages (SMS) and multimedia messages (MMS). In Korea, RCS had been supported only on the Android operating system (OS), but starting last year, RCS became available on iPhone (Apple iOS) as well.
The three carriers launched the full RCS personal (P2P) service and an open beta for RCS corporations messaging after the iOS 26 update in September last year. After checking and optimizing the stability and compatibility of RCS corporations messaging, they have now shifted it to full service. The service is available to customers using iOS 26 or later on iPhone 11 series and newer models.
With this full version applied, the iPhone RCS corporations messaging environment has improved. For example, previously, long-form messages sent by corporations were truncated, hurting readability, but it has changed so that, for text-only messages without buttons, long content is delivered in full.
In addition, on iPhone, users can check the "brand profile" when receiving messages sent by corporations. When a corporation registers its brand with the RCS Biz Center, the brand logo is automatically displayed when messages are sent. This is also expected to help prevent smishing crimes.
RCS corporations messaging can also confirm customer response statistics, such as whether a message was clicked, allowing for a more accurate analysis of marketing effectiveness. Through image template products that can be operated at a reasonable expense compared with traditional text services, small and midsize businesses and startups can use a variety of images needed for marketing without burden.
RCS corporations messaging can be sent not only by the three major carriers but also to budget phone customers. Customers can receive messages even while roaming. The number of RCS users in Korea currently stands at about 42 million.
The three carriers said, "By shifting iPhone RCS corporations messaging to full service, we have provided a reliable messaging environment for both customers and corporations," adding, "We will continue to improve customer experience with innovative telecommunications technologies and services."