Disruptive Analysis WebRTC Overview April 2013

WebRTC: Overview, Status & Forecast An extract of Disruptive Analysis’ groundbreaking new research report on WebRTC

More detail available for report purchasers/subscribers

April 4th 2013

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About Disruptive Analysis

London-based analyst house & strategic consulting firm

Covers mobile, voice, service provider technology

Cross-silo, contrarian, visionary, independent

Advisor to telcos, vendors, regulators & investors

Covering VoIP since 1997 & WebRTC since June 2011

Published report on “Telco-OTT Strategies”, Feb 2012

**New** Report on WebRTC, Published Feb 2013 see http://disruptive-analysis.com/webrtc.htm

Twitter @disruptivedean

Blog: disruptivewireless.blogspot.com

Copyright Disruptive Analysis Ltd 2013 Apr 2013

http://disruptive-analysis.com/webrtc.htm



Remember these? Video & IM move to web


Many previous “standalone” functions are now integrated with web pages

Coming next: voice, video, data in browser


(Yes, you can sort-of do it with plug-ins and

Flash already.... But it’s not very good)

Concept: a simple set of Javascript APIs so web devs can use it without fuss

Complexities of codecs, media engine, firewall traversal etc all “sorted”

What is WebRTC & why does it matter? In-browser comms, “realtime web”

Catalysed by Google & open-sourcing of GIPS engine

W3C WebRTC = API & IETF RTCWeb = protocols

In theory – no separate apps or plug-ins

Aimed at allowing developers to add voice/video etc easily

Part of HTML5 & based on Javascript

Better than Flash for RTC

3 main APIs

1. GetUserMedia (camera and microphone access)

2. PeerConnection (sending and receiving media)

3. DataChannels (sending non-media direct between browsers)

Also ties in with “Websocket” IP connections

W3C Last Call Working Draft expected in Q3 2013. Specification is likely

to be standardized in 2014


For the technically-minded....

WebRTC is a set of 3 W3C JavaScript APIs on top of...

RTCWeb, which is IETF’s on-the-wire protocol standard

Google open-sourced GIPS media engine for WebRTC

Standards debates: codecs (VP8/H264) & API flexibility


GetUserMedia PeerConnection DataChannels

Yes Yes Developer builds

Yes Yes, but not default Yes, but not default

Yes Timing unclear Timing Unclear

Unknown if/when Unknown if/when Unknown if/when

Disruptive Analysis expects IE & Safari to start supporting WebRTC by end-2013.

Neither auto-updates: there will remain a large non-supporting base for some time

WebRTC implementation: fixed & mobile


Most WebRTC on

PCs will be “inside

the browser”

On mobile, it’s

much more

complicated

Native browser Natively in OS 2nd browser 3rd party SDK

WebRTC is one area that is definitely not “mobile-first”. PCs about 18 months ahead

Device base supporting WebRTC


Mil

lio

n

Source: Disruptive Analysis WebRTC Strategy Report, Feb 2013

Definitions & methodology in report - See disruptivewireless.blogspot.com for details

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Tablets

Smartphones

PCs

WebRTC base will grow rapidly, catalysed by auto-updated Chrome & Firefox browsers

Service

e.g. SMS, Telephony Product

e.g. Lync, Uberconference

Feature

e.g. Business social

Function

Voice/video moving from service to function

WebRTC? But we’ve had VoIP apps for years!

Most VoIP apps are standalone “calling” tools

Contextual / in-app opportunity slow & fragmented

Complexity for developers

X-Platform hassles

Rocket-science for SIP, acoustics etc

Immaturity of voice/telephony APIs

“Telephony” model inflexible

WebRTC fit with HTML5/apps should enable “beyond the call” voice &

video with less heavy lifting

Similar to Flash video replacing Real for in-browser streaming

Plus cool new stuff like realtime data

Mashups + comms may shift shape of the curve


Voice ≠ Telephony


Past: 2G / 3G / PSTN / UC Future: WebRTC, apps, APIs, 4G

Voice

Telephony

Voice

Telephony

Video, context, sense Video

Gaming, CEBP,

surveillance, social

voice, TV voice etc

Voicemail

Conferencing

PTT

Expect a shift away from “standalone” to “contexualised” communications

Only a slight exaggeration:

Phone calls are 120 years old

The “call” is reaching obsolescence

Poor fit with real human behaviour

WebRTC & mobile apps enable better, but

fragmented communications


WebRTC key use cases


Browser-to-browser

(or web-app) comms

Browser-to-Telco

VoIP/IMS/3Telco-

OTT

IMS

Browser-to-Telco CS

/ PSTN

Browser-to-

webserver

Web

Browser-to-contact

centre

Browser/app

conferencing

Plus: M2M, gaming, TV-based, data-centric & various others

Browser-to-UC

or IP-PBX

Verticals

Healthcare

What use-cases lead?


Existing

web

services

Adding real-time

comms capabilities

Existing

realtime

comms

services

Extending via the web,

blending web capabilities

?

Developer world is fragmented


VoIP &

Video

devs

Mobile

App

devs

Corp

IT

devs

Web

devs

WebRTC is trying

to please all the

people, all the time

WebRTC is a 3-legged (& therefore stable) stool


WebRTC

Enterprise Telco Consumer

Enterprise Telco Consumer

Can survive even if one of the “legs”

takes too long: especially as each

area has 3-5 major subsets

Enterprise benefits of WebRTC as platform

Many use-cases & “angles”

Your website becomes your call centre

New models for customer interaction (eg contextual support via video)

Browser becomes flexible/updateable softphone

Easier federation / interconnect between companies

Slick web-based conferencing, inc. easier integration with web tools

like LinkedIn & DropBox

Easier 2-way comms within mobile apps

Various new possibilities with realtime data sharing

Don’t just think about WebRTC in terms of today’s telephony

Think more adding comms to any company website or app


Enterprises? Never mind BYO Device.....

How about BYO voice?

Or BYO messaging & UC?

Or BYO conferencing?

Or BYO contact centre?

Voice & video comms about to be democratised

Traditional enterprise teams needs to understand/exploit

Or else the web & users will do it independently


For telcos, it’s all looking pretty grim anyway Downsides

Voice & SMS saturation & cannibalisation

Regulation & competitive impacts

Weak content & VAS propositions

Economic pressures

Ecosystem competition

Upsides

Connecting the last unconnected

Smartphones & data growth

Better segmentation, pricing & promotion

Innovative services & enablers

Embracing & exploiting fragmentation


For telcos WebRTC is really a magnifier/catalyst

Now

With WebRTC

Bigger opportunities

Worse threats

Faster speed Copyright Disruptive Analysis Ltd 2013 Feb 2013

Voice & messaging go in-context

Telephony and messaging is increasingly done “in-

context” or “in-app”. But in many cases, telco APIs don’t

offer the right “raw ingredients” or business model.


Fragmentation is valuable

Convergence & standards

Fragmentation & innovation

… new standardised services are neither necessary, nor sufficient.

They are irrelevant at best, and actively damaging at worst.

It will fragment “because it

can”. Consumer need for

ubiquity is over-rated


Ubiquity is dead.

Telcos developing “digital services” arms

Copyright Disruptive Analysis Ltd 2013 March 2013 23

Many operators have business units developing their own “Telco-OTT” services.

WebRTC can help time-to-market, functionality & ease of development

Key success factors for Telco-OTT/WebRTC

Copyright Disruptive Analysis Ltd 2013 March 2013

Organisation & governance Managing cannibalisation

Design Software mindset

Network awareness

Synergies

24

Multiple telco angles/oppo’s for using WebRTC


Telco WebRTC interest

Extension of IMS / RCS / VoLTE over WebRTC

Telco-OTT reach improved

by WebRTC

Enterprise VoIP / UC /

conferencing moving to WebRTC Ground-up

interest in WebRTC (in

labs etc)

Apps, developer & HTML5 initiatives

adding WebRTC

+ Policy / broadband teams: Can we detect / block / bill for it?

Regulatory: What does this mean, how do we do 911 etc?

IMS extension currently “loudest” Telco/WebRTC domain, but not necessarily

most important. Execs should ensure it is exploited across the organisation

Key question: New ecosystem battleground?

+ growing vendor

support

Microsoft CU-RTC-WEB WebRTC or not?

Traditional comms tools &

services in the crossfire?


Apple & Microsoft not yet aligned – will they use WebRTC as a way to fight Google?

If so, will telcos and classical voice networks be collateral damage?

Use-case summary: WebRTC exploitation factors


Calling

Contact

centres UC Conferencing IMS extension Social Telco-OTT

WebRTC-Only

Control over users

Risk Appetite

End-to-end control

PSTN integration

Device diversity expected

Direction of comms

Novelty value

Organisational issues

Business model clarity

Geek factor

Wealthy users only?

Broadband requirements

Target platform diversity

Behaviour change needed

Legacy integration problems

Importance of UI/UX

Person-to-person, or A2P?

Litigation/regulatory risks

Competitive threats

Incumbency obstacles

Favourable Moderate Challenging Difficult

Source: Disruptive Analysis, Feb 2013

Factor descriptions/detail in full report:

See disruptive-analysis.com

Conclusion

WebRTC is real and here now

Still very new but evolving at super-speed Standards issues, mobile & even MS/Apple worked around

Supported by almost all “big names” from comms & Web “Buzz” from incumbents, startups, investors; few dissenters

Browser support on PCs fairly fast, mobile more patchy

Multiple use-cases Enterprise

Telco

Consumer web

Niche / vertical / disruptive plays

Use-cases with many “moving parts” will take longer So start now!


www.disruptive-analysis.com WebRTC report details

disruptivewireless.blogspot.com

@disruptivedean

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7941 100016

Skype: disruptiveanalysis


http://www.disruptive-analysis.com/






Disruptive Analysis WebRTC Overview April 2013

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