The Rural Wireless Association warned the FCC that...

now deploying LTE-only networks, texting can’t be provided until IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) software is integrated into the LTE core, “which is dependent on the release of IMS software by major equipment and software vendors,” RWA said (http://bit.ly/1eeVkAV). “Such software has not been made available for use by small wireless carriers, and realistically it cannot be expected to be made available for national use until the nation’s two largest wireless carriers have demanded the release of IMS” from vendors, said RWA. “Implementation of data roaming on a national basis at commercially reasonable rates is necessary to justify” a carrier’s investment in IMS, it said. T-Mobile said a “primary remaining potential impediment” is that the major text control center (TCC) providers are not yet fully interconnected. “Until that happens, T-Mobile will not be able to reach PSAPs that are not served by T-Mobile’s TCC vendor,” the carrier said (http://bit.ly/1ittfCB). “The absence of full interconnection and interoperability between TCCs has the potential to affect PSAPs who wish to implement the service, as lack of interconnection and interoperability may hinder their access to all carriers. To ensure all PSAPs can benefit from the voluntary commitment, the Commission’s near-term focus should be on solidifying these interconnection arrangements.”