With news constantly emerging around Web-based real time communications (WebRTC), it's easy to see that this is set to be one of the biggest new developments of some time in the field of communications, with plenty of opportunities for all to get in. But while businesses all over are considering how to put this new technology to use in their current operations, there's one segment especially that should be taking notice: the start-up business community.
While there are certainly plenty of opportunities for businesses of all sizes to use WebRTC, what's especially noteworthy here is the sheer number of opportunities available for start-up businesses to bring out the new products and services that businesses could be using. It wasn't long ago that the first demos began showing up, illustrating what some may well have thought impossible: a video chat staged between a Nexus tablet and a MacBook Air laptop.
That particular conceptual moon-shot kicked off a wide array of businesses, especially start-ups, that got to work building the APIs and communications products that would run on this new service. The list is already massive and, moreover, is steadily growing, with companies like Vidtel, TenHands and Twelephone making appearances.
So what does this mean for the potential start-up? How about a way to provide new services? Companies like Wello, for example, are bringing fitness training right to the Web itself, without a need for plugins or added software. Since WebRTC runs right from the inside of a Web browser, it's a whole lot easier for most people to use. That opens up a bigger market than some may imagine, and provides new cause for consideration. Now, those who don't have a lot of computer expertise can put WebRTC to work themselves. As long as the user knows the basics of Web surfing, WebRTC becomes potentially available.
That's already getting some to wonder if there may not be a market for experts in the near future. With communications making it so easy to contact an expert about anything, how many services could open up for people to trade a few bucks for a quick question? That's not where it ends, either; only where it begins. Since WebRTC as yet is limited to just a few browsers, it's not nearly as widespread as it likely will be when it goes to full range. But it also behooves businesses of all sizes to have some kind of WebRTC plan waiting in the wings – this is the kind of service that people are going to want to use.
From customers wanting to talk about – and hopefully order – a product online, to information being the product in question, WebRTC is going to open a lot of different doors for a lot of different firms. With WebRTC, the way many people make contact is never really going to be the same, and for start-ups, it's a great time to take advantage of what is likely to prove a major sea change in communications. Communications without plugins, without extra programs, that can run straight from a browser may well be the next big thing, and it's a good time to stake out a chunk of it.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
