Does WebRTC need a change in governance?
Is it time to change the governance of WebRTC in order to keep it growing and flourishing?
Read MoreProgressing nicely - of course.
It's been 5 years since WebRTC came to our lives. Different people count it from different times. I heard in the last month or two the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 stated as the year of birth of WebRTC. While no one should really care, for me, WebRTC started with Google's announcement of WebRTC in May 2011. It was the first time Google publicly stated its plans for its GIPS acquisition, and it came out as an open source package that was planned to get integrated into browsers and be called WebRTC. I was a CTO at a business unit licensing VoIP products to developers. The moment I saw it, I knew everything was going to change. It was one of the main reasons I left that job, and got to where I am today, so it certainly changed everything for me.
As we head towards Mat of 2016, it is time to look a bit at the 5 years that passed - or more accurately the 5th year of WebRTC.
One one hand, it seems that nothing changed. A year ago, Chrome and Firefox supported WebRTC. That's on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Android. Today, we're pretty much in the same position.
On the other hand, adoption of WebRTC is huge and its impact on markets is profound; oh - and both Microsoft and Apple seem to be warming up to the idea of WebRTC - each in his own way.
If you are interested in a good visual, then my WebRTC infographic from December 2015 is what you're looking for. If it is numbers and trends today, then read on.
I've been tracking the vendors and projects of WebRTC since 2013, actively looking for them and handpicking relevant projects that are more than 10 lines of code and any vendor I saw. It turned into one of the services I have on offer.
Earlier this month, the WebRTC dataset had the following interesting numbers:
What is interesting is that these vendors and projects are always evolving. They aren't only limited to startups or large enterprises. They aren't specific to a certain vertical. They cut through whole industries. Just this week a new use cases popped - movers who can give a price quote without being on site. Will it fly? Who knows.
We've been witnessing a surge in communication services. We are not limited today by concepts of Telephony or Unified Communications. These became use cases within a larger market.
What is different now is that the new projects and vendors don't come with VoIP pedigree. They are no longer VoIP people who decided to do something with WebRTC. Most of them are experts in communications - not digital communications, but communications within their own market niche. Check out the interview from last week with Lori Van Deloo of BancSpace - she knows her way in banking.
Communication API platforms using WebRTC are maturing. Many of them have the basics covered and are moving further - either vertically or horizontally. Vertically by deepening their support of a specific capability or horizontally by adding more communication means. You can read my WebRTC API report on it. I am in the process of updaing it.
What is interesting is how this space is being threatened from two different domains:
This is affecting the decision making process of those who need to roll out their own services, making the technology more accessible, but at the same time more complex and confusing when the time comes to pick a vendor to lean on.
What does a communication solution in healthcare looks like?
If you ask a Unified Communications vendor, it will be able having a room system everywhere and enabling doctors/nurses/patients communicate.
I had conversations with these types of health related vendors:
Each of these is a world unto its own, and to think we've looked at them all through the prism of Unified Communications or even the "healthcare vertical".
WebRTC brought with it the ability to hone in on specific market needs.
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WebRTC is already ubiquitous. As with any technology, its has its rough edges and challenges.
I've dealt with developing VoIP products for the better part of the last two decades - I can tell you hands down that never before did we have the alternatives to do what we can today. If you have VoIP on your mind, then WebRTC should be the first thing to try out as a component in your solution.
Is it time to change the governance of WebRTC in order to keep it growing and flourishing?
Read MoreRTC@Scale is Facebook’s virtual WebRTC event, covering current and future topics. Here’s the summary for RTC@Scale 2024 so you can pick and choose the relevant ones for you.
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