Singtel selected Google to enable Rich Communication Services (RCS) for its business customers, a move it claimed was a first for Singapore.

The operator stated RCS would be integrated into the native SMS application of Android smart devices without requiring customers to take any action.

It intends to launch the Rich Business Messaging service in the current quarter.

Terence Lai Tuck Leong, VP of digitalisation, products and partnerships with Singtel, stated the collaboration with Google will provide “businesses a powerful communication tool that will help them provide richer content and improve the quality of their engagements with their customers”.

Jason Choy, director of Android and business communication product partnerships, international at Google, said the company hoped the RCS service would “support digital transformation in various types of businesses and open new opportunities for future business innovation”.

The GSMA, Google and a number of operators created an initiative covering implementation of RCS on Android devices in 2016.

Compared with SMS or MMS, the GSMA states RCS enables better features across payments, chatbots, location sharing, high-resolution images and videos, and group chats.