RTCWeb

Hi,
let's talk about Real Time Communication on the Web (RTCWeb).

What is it?

• Technical answer: it's about enabling to establish and manage a real time RTP stream using native browser functionality controlled by JavaScript.
• In a less encrypted text: You can setup a multimedia (audio/video/chat) connection in Internet (no further cost in addition to your data plan) using a browser, without any further software installation or configuration, just surfing to same site offering this function.
• For further technical details, take a look at:
• IETF RTCWeb Working Group
• W3C Working Group
• RTCWeb Google project (named WebRTC) and WebRTC site - Google launched the idea and is driving it
• WebRTC at MozillaWiki - Mozilla is also quite active
• Tutorial on the html5rocks site

There are many other sources of information on the web, as many players are active:

• Microsoft / Skype
• Telecom equipment manufacturers (mainly Ericsson)
• Telecom Operators like Deutsche Telekom. Telefonica deserves a special mention, as they launched the openwebdevice initiative at MWC2012, which is not exactly RTCWeb but it comes  conceptually and in terms of business impact very close to it. I will cover this in another post.
• VoIP providers like tropo.
• many other players popup everyday: my list is obviously incomplete, but if you start with the links above you should get at least 90% of the whole picture.
• Obviously you should follow the Google project group in Google+

Since you can read everywhere how WebRTC (or its standardization named RTCWeb) works, I won't try to explain it again. I wound rather address another question: why RTCWeb is going to be disruptive?

What's new?

Everybody knows Skype. RTCWeb allows almost the same functionality (e.g. multimedia communication on a computer or a mobile phone), except the fact that Skype is a software to be downloaded, installed and configured. The key point is that now you can do the same in a browser window, just surfing in Internet as you usually do.

Moreover, though not very commonly known, there are ways to have multimedia communication in browser, but, again, they all require some plug-in (e.g. a software to be installed and downloaded).

You may argue that RTCWeb is not very different and that there is little end-user benefit.
In my view, if you think to implement the same Skype functionality using RTCWeb (say, a browser version of Skype, which by the way won't be new), you maybe right. But the disruptive potential of RTCWeb won't be exploited and this is not the purpose of introducing RTCWeb.

RTCWeb has to potential to create a user-centric communication experience.

We know the real time communication as a "vertical" application, e.g. an application designed to work within the domain of the functionality offered by the classic telephone systems and sold to you by your provider (telecom providers or VoIP providers like Skype and others). In clear text:

• the "service" (e.g. make calls) doesn't interact with and doesn't take into account your current "context" outside the service itself. For example: it doesn't know your Google+ circles, it identifies other users using its own "name space" (tel. numbers, Skype names etc.).
• the way it works and how you interact with the "service" is dictated by the hw and sw you use for it. It could be a plain telephone or a low-cost mobile (interaction via headset and numeric pad) or a PC/smartphone/tablet etc. (interaction via the VoIP client, like Skype).
• the service provider is tightly coupled with the hw/sw you use, for example by the SIM card in your mobile or the subscription data in the VoIP client.

RTCWeb has the potential to break all this, as it allows to implement the communication service horizontally and centered on the user.

Technically, it allows the separation between user interface and media management. This means:

• the user interface is defined by the site you are surfing. Therefore:
• it has your context by definition, because the site (the server) exactly knows what you are doing (you are in a Google+ stream, on a e-commerce site etc.).
• knowing your context, the site can freely design the user interface to make it personalized to your context, to the purpose of the site, to your preferences etc..
• your "service provider" is the site you are visiting, therefore you are free to change it as you like at any time, without contract bindings.
• the media are handled as native browser function and it goes over the Internet. Therefore:
• the developer community becomes very large, as any web developer can design the service. Specialized telecom or even VoIP know how (codecs, protocols) is no longer required.
• you can use any device able to run a browser (supporting RTCWeb) and connecting to the Internet (e.g. an IP device). You may communicate not only with PCs, smartphones, tablets but also with Web-TVs, HiFi etc. (Internet of Things is coming!).

All this means:

• User-centric view: instead of making calls to some identifier depending on the "vertical solution" you are using (from telecom operator: tel. number, from Skype: Skype name etc.), you stay centered on your application within your context and use the communication service as one of the tools within them.
• Horizontal architecture: the provider taking care of transferring media is not the one providing the user interface. The first stays the same, the second can be changed as you like at any time and it is simply the one owning the web site you are using.

Now it is time to stop here, the post is getting too long. I will continue elaborating on the implications next time. An interesting question is: does it mean that RTCWeb knocks out the telecom operators and manufacturers? I don't see it as a tragedy, but the operators should act soon (any many are already acting...)

bye

Enzo