WebRTC is a browser-based technology that makes it possible to create secure network-based peer-to-peer applications which can share media content such as audio, video, documents and messages. It is currently available only for some browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox and Opera, but is expected to become much more widely available as developers look to create new kinds of mobile apps.
In the article, Dan Winfield, Managing Director of Served Up Ltd, founder of the Voxhub telephony service and an ITSPA council member, says that WebRTC could mean resellers that are not already involved in delivering VoIP and collaboration solutions could miss the boat altogether, as hosted software developers build WebRTC into their products. “Some of the big CRM service providers that already have the applications will definitely embrace telephony more in the future. They have control of the browser and can easily bring in WebRTC as an extension to their offerings.”
In response, resellers will need to beef-up on their investment in technology and services to ensure they can integrate and compete with such apps, says Winfield. On the other hand, WebRTC could be a great opportunity for resellers that want to develop their own services, he continues. “Why wait until someone else develops a service that you can resell? Create something. It will help differentiate you in the market, will increase the value of your business and will make revenues that you have more control over. At the moment this is an opportunity for innovation. It’s up to the reseller to decide when to move.”
Entanet’s position on WebRTC is, at this stage, cautiously positive. Darren Farnden, Head of Marketing says: “For our reseller partners and ourselves, WebRTC has the potential to bring an array of new opportunities to the VoIP market. With that, we must expect an influx of competition which Dan warns is likely to come from existing cloud providers, but quite rightly states this doesn’t necessarily need to be viewed as a threat and could actually bring new working relationships and opportunities for resellers willing to embrace this emerging market. It’s an interesting industry development and one we will be watching closely.”