WebRTC is a transformative technology that allows real-time voice and video communications to be embedded directly into websites and applications, democratizing access beyond traditional phone systems. It offers advantages such as flexibility, low latency, and ease of integration, leading to a growing ecosystem of use cases across various sectors. With significant early adoption and potential for impact in both enterprise and consumer markets, WebRTC represents a major shift in how communication functions are delivered and utilized.

1. WebRTC: What is it & why is it important?
Dean Bubley, Disruptive Analysis
WebRTC Asia Forums, Hong Kong & Singapore, January 2014
dean.bubley@disruptive-analysis.com
@disruptivedean

2. About Disruptive Analysis
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London-based analyst house & strategic consulting firm
Cross-silo, contrarian, visionary, independent
Advisor to telcos, vendors, regulators & investors
Covering VoIP since 1997 & 3G/4G mVoIP since 2007
Published report on “Telco-OTT Strategies”, Feb 2012
New report on WebRTC, Feb 2013, updated Jun & Oct’13
Workshops on Future of Voice & TelcoOTT
Twitter @disruptivedean
January 2014
Blog: disruptivewireless.blogspot.com
Copyright Disruptive Analysis Ltd 2014

3. Forget about the technical definition….
WebRTC is a way to “democratise” the use of voice & video
communications beyond traditional phone calls.
It enables developers to embed “real time” communications
directly into websites & apps in innovative ways.
It also permits low-latency streaming data between browsers.
This significance of this is huge & underestimated.
January 2014
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4. Remember these?
Creating & distributing standalone applications is hard & limiting
January 2014
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5. Design & software made simpler via the Web
January 2014
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6. In a nutshell: What’s different about WebRTC?
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Flexible
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January 2014
Easy
Now
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7. Benefits of WebRTC
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Democratises voice & video in websites & apps
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Goes far beyond Adobe Flash
Much easier than “traditional VoIP”
Add context to communications & vice-versa
Cheap / easy / open-source components
Advocacy from Google, major vendors, telcos, IETF, W3C etc
Inherent flexibility (signalling, cloud, P2P vs. server etc)
Growing ecosystem & momentum even pre-standardisation
Realtime data even more disruptive
January 2014
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8. Many use-cases & sectors
Enterprise
Network
tools
Devices
WebRTC
Consumer
Web
Telco
TV &
gaming
January 2014
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9. WebRTC implementation: desktop & mobile
Most WebRTC on
PCs will be “inside
the browser”
On mobile, it’s
more
complicated
Native browser
Natively in OS
2nd browser
3rd party SDK
WebRTC also now appearing built-in to other devices
January 2014
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10. Voice ≠ Telephony
Now: PSTN, VoIP, 2G & 3G
Future: WebRTC, APIs, apps/browser
Voice
Voice
Telephony
Telephony
Voicemail
Conferencing
PTT
January 2014
Video
Gaming, CEBP,
surveillance, social
voice, TV voice etc
Video, context, sense
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11. Dirty little secret: Phone calls are an
old, clunky, compromised product
“Hegemony
of the
caller”

12. Better than
“being there”
“There”–
same place
and time
Telephony aspires to be
“like being there”

13. The chart you’ll never see…
Phone calls by purpose
Gossip
Meeting up
Flirting
Spam
Showing off
Work
Wasting time
November 2013
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14. Different contexts
Out walking
Public transport
Living room
Board room
Bar
November 2013
& Multi-tasking
Concentrating
Drunk
Asleep
At work
Airline lounge
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15. 1 OR 2 “UBIQUITOUS”
SERVICES CANNOT
FULFILL ALL THESE
PURPOSES WELL
(MORE LIKE “DUMB SERVICES” THAN
UBIQUITOUS ONES)
November 2013
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16. Voice/video moving from service to function
Service
e.g. SMS, Telephony
Product
e.g. Viber, Uberconference
Feature
e.g. In-game chat
Function

17. Fragmenting voice/video is happening anyway
Standalone
Circuit calls
IP
Embedded
app/web
calls
Non-call
comms
WebRTC has appeared at exactly the right time & right place
January 2014
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18. WebRTC supported on >4bn devices by 2016
Source: Disruptive Analysis WebRTC Strategy Report update October 2013
January 2014
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19. The battle for the soul of WebRTC
Existing
web
services
Adding real-time
comms capabilities
Existing
realtime
comms
services
Extending via the web,
blending web capabilities
?
Apr 2013
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20. View Oct’13: lead WebRTC use-cases
Live &
commercial
Pilots / precommercial
Trials &
demos
January 2014
Early enterprise adoption
• “Call me” buttons
• Contact centre
• First telehealth apps
Initial consumer web apps/devices
• Remote 1-1 education/training/sales
• Free standalone video-calling
• Chromecast
• Developer SDKs & APIs
• Vertical niche solutions (finance, health)
• Corporate conferencing
• Full enterprise UC
• Telco core/IMS extension
• Entertainment & consumer electronics
• M2M, CDN & data-centric apps
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21. Early WebRTC deployments & services
Call centres
Conferencing & chat
Developer platforms/infrastructure
NTT
Expert Market
January 2014
Dating
CDN
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Healthcare
Robots

22. Main WebRTC strategies for SPs?
Extend onnet services
& IMS / SS7
Strengthen
enterprise &
verticals
Enhance
developer
platform
January 2014
Turbocharge
Telco-OTT
apps
Sell
packaged
WebRTC
services to
subscriber
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Also: invest /
incubate
Improve own CRM &
systems
Maybe M2M, devices
etc

23. For telcos WebRTC is really a magnifier/catalyst
Now
With WebRTC
Bigger opportunities
Worse threats
Faster speed
January 2014
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24. Conclusion
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WebRTC is maybe most exciting thing in comms for 10 years
Already here & being used
A “movement” as well as a standard
“Democratisation” of voice & video into web & apps
Goes beyond traditional “call” model of user interaction
Realtime data will be the real surprise
Not just about browsers
A new ecosystem for developers, telcos & cloud players
Billions of devices & users!
January 2014
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25. For WebRTC report & quarterly update
details email information@disruptiveanalysis.com
January 2014
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26. www.disruptive-analysis.com
disruptivewireless.blogspot.com
@disruptivedean
information@disruptive-analysis.com
Skype:disruptiveanalysis
January 2014
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