For anyone who has ever faced the frustration of having to download a plug-in to launch a web conferencing program, WebRTC may provide the answer. Providing real-time communications via simple JavaScript APIs within the browser (Chrome, Opera, Mozilla) or mobile app, it is very simple for the average user to view video or contribute their own content without the need for plug-ins.
One example of a relatively new application that uses WebRTC, according to Disruptive Analysis’ Dean Bubley, is Amazon’s Mayday customer support application. With a click of a virtual button, a KindleFire HDX customer can engage a customer service agent in a multimedia call, allowing the agent to see the same screen that the customer sees, while the customer sees annotated, real-time instructions along with a video of the agent.
Bubley, as he describes, is more enthusiastic [about the prospects of WebRTC], than the market is. He explains the reason WebRTC has such a disruptive potential is that there are many uses cases over many market segments, so that even if some of them aren’t successful there will be a number that will find success. Development is relatively simple and fast, allowing one to develop an application with relatively little investment.
He cites an example of how, in a couple of weeks, a small group of interns working for Norwegian telecom company Telenor created the prototype of the web browser-based video/audio conferencing application, appear.in. He suggests that there are at least half-dozen use-cases in the service provider market alone. He cited as Telefonica ) and NTT, as examples of service providers that are ahead of the curve with their WebRTC platforms, TokBOX and SkyWay, respectively, that are making it easy for developers to bring real-time communications to their website or app.
Bubley will be moderating a panel at the WebRTC conference tomorrow, 6/18, in Atlanta. If you can’t catch up with him there, his insight on WebRTC can be found in his report.
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