These days, it seems like everyone is talking about WebRTC protocols. WebRTC is an innovative format for connecting two users on almost any device to a hassle-free, browser-based videoconferencing client. Because WebRTC functions within the browser as opposed to requiring a specific program or any kind of equipment, it is extremely versatile and can connect two users in almost any situation. As a result, it has become increasingly popular in both business and social settings as a way to have face-to-face interactions through the Internet. As an industry, WebRTC is growing rapidly, and here are some of the top developments in the world of WebRTC protocols from the past week alone.
As mobile Internet becomes more and more ubiquitous and powerful, mobile carriers are facing a unique connundrum in the form of over-the-top (OTT) phone services. OTT phone services allow users to download a third-party voice over IP (VoIP) dialer to use as an alternative to their carrier's phone plan, paying a much smaller fee for voice communication and only paying their service providers for mobile Internet. While this is great for customers, it's a poor deal for mobile service providers.
However, a new study postulates that the proper application of WebRTC could eliminate the threat that OTT services pose to mobile carriers. Of course, carriers will have to act quickly before third-party groups make WebRTC services easily accessible through mobile devices. Carriers will also have to ensure that they can offer their customers lower prices than the inevitable third-party programs will try to offer.
A joint venture between Google, LiveOps and Twilio plans on bringing WebRTC adaptability to contact centers around the nation, utilizing Chromebooks instead of phones. These new WebRTC contact centers would save money by lowering the overall cost of hardware, software, maintenance, data center housing and security costs. As LiveOps President and CEO Marty Beard describes, “With LiveOps and Twilio CX for Chrome, we are once again transforming customer service by eliminating the last hardware barriers that exist in contact centers – namely a telephony infrastructure requiring traditional carrier circuits, phone systems, expensive desktop computers and real estate costs associated with housing on-premise technology and on-site agents. Now contact centers can finally hang up their physical phones for good and improve agent productivity with a single desktop for all communications.”
Finally, Acision announced that they would be launching their own WebRTC software developer's kit (SDK) last week at the WebRTC Conference and Expo IV. This kit will help developers of various programs and apps incorporate WebRTC protocols into their own programming. This will ultimately increase the spread, availability and overall usefulness of WebRTC communications.
