6 Reasons Why WebRTC is Here to Stay

WebRTC isn't a fad. It is here to stay.

Here are a few indications why this is the case:

1. There is a REAL Need

You can do anything today with your browser. Save for real time video calling. You can use Flash for it, but the experience there is lacking. And then, Flash isn't going to be there for you on mobile devices.

WebRTC closes that gap, allowing video calling from inside a web browser.

2. Open Source

WebRTC has been open sourced under a very lenient open source license, making it easy to integrate into commercial products.

It comes as a plug-in module that is geared towards integration into web browsers, which means the work required by Mozilla et al should be distinctly smaller than implementing this standard from scratch. It also means that interoperability across browsers will be easier, assuming most adopt Google's open source WebRTC package.

3. Backers

Have you checked out who is backing WebRTC?

The main players there are Google, Mozilla, Microsoft and Ericsson. I might have missed a few, but these are the forerunners of this technology.

4. Standardized

We have an ecosystem in place, there are demos already showing up, and there is also standardization efforts around it: IETF and W3C are working on adding WebRTC into HTML5, so that you'll be able to use it everywhere.

5. Lowers Barriers of Entry

Up until WebRTC, it was very hard to build real time video calling solutions – it required a lot of investment in these areas, making it hard for smaller start ups to invest in these areas.

With WebRTC, there will be a lot more innovation and change in the video calling market – a lot more players will enter it, with new WebRTC businesses built around it.

So while this technology might be ignored by traditional video conferencing companies and other OTT players, there will be those that will adopt it wholeheartedly – Voxeo for one is already running a beta with WebRTC.

6. More than Just Video Calling

While WebRTC can go the whole way to a video calling solution, it allows a lot more – it gives voice only capabilities, APIs to access the camera through the browser, etc.

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So you see, WebRTC is here to stay. You should probably start playing with it if you are dealing with video calling initiatives.