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November 05, 2012

The Mobile World is Ready for WebRTC


Whether you know it or not, you’re using WebRTC-based services. Real-time communication technology is currently being applied to our every day Internet activity and will continue to expand in the near future, but what’s one thing that would truly accelerate WebRTC adoption use? According to Alexey Aylarov, CEO of Zingaya, Inc., that would be its availability on mobile devices – specifically tablets.

The explosive adoption of tablets over the last year alone proves that we are more than ready for this, where 19 percent (or nearly one in five) American adults are now proud tablet-owners. More so, according to a study from Pew Research Center, it was found that tablet ownership nearly doubled over the course of last year’s holiday shopping season. This doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all as we charge full speed ahead toward the gift-grabbing season of 2012, where just the other day I encountered a line of people outside of Best Buy waiting to get their hands on the iPad mini. “Now we see how tablets are being sold and getting into the market,” Aylarov says. “WebRTC support in tablet browsers is something every user needs.”

WebRTC allows real-time communications to be offered directly on the Web without the need for plug-ins or third-party software. Enabling Web browsers with real-time communications (RTC) brings a slew of advantages and benefits to users and developers, such as increased ease-of-use and code simplicity, which work to help share and stream video, audio and data directly in a Web browser with unprecedented power.

So will WebRTC apps hit the market as heavily as these infamous devices did? According to Aylarov, they’re already there, but it depends on how serious companies are about implementing it into their plans. “Some of them are standalone apps that use WebRTC engine,” he explains. “If we are talking about WebRTC Web apps, it will depend on the WebRTC release date in browsers. Many of them are being tested with Chrome Canary/Beta where the first implementation of WebRTC (draft) is available.”

In late 2011 into early 2012, browsers everywhere began competing in the WebRTC race for successful implementation. Earlier this spring, Firefox touted a demo of the technology at a conference, followed by Google, who announced their WebRTC agenda last year and who earlier this year revealed that WebRTC for Chrome was stable.

“The list is endless,” Aylarov says when reflecting on which businesses will be most impacted by this form of technology. In his endless list, he mentions telco, customer service, conferencing, advertisement, education and healthcare, to name a few. Most of these areas are mutually embracing mobile devices as well, particularly the education sector, which is increasingly embracing the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend, and the healthcare industry.

When looking toward the future, Aylarov hopes to see around 30 percent of users using WebRTC sessions by the end of 2013. As improvements continue to be made according to the latest changes in the standard, we’re sure to see a number of exciting new developments. For example, Aylarov recalls that some have already begun implementing SIP softphones based on WebRTC.

For companies, Web application providers, investors and developers to understand the exciting opportunity that WebRTC opens and how it will challenge and change much of today’s communications landscape, the WebRTC Conference and Expo 2012 is a must-attend event. Taking place November 27-29, 2012 at the South San Francisco Conference Center in San Francisco, C.A., WebRTC covers such things as the business impacts of WebRTC, WebRTC areas of focus, tools and integration workshops all dedicated to helping you create new capabilities or enhance existing offers to completely transform your business.

To learn more about the WebRTC Conference and Expo 2012, click here.




Edited by Brooke Neuman
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