Even though Apple and Microsoft haven’t commented on the new open source technology which delivers high quality audio and video capabilities to desktop and mobile browsers, major carriers such as AT&T and Telefónica, leading infrastructure providers like Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson and new WebRTC application providers in likes of Teledini and NetDev are driving the technology forward.
Research analyst, Sabir Rafiq comments, “WebRTC brings many opportunities; ABI Research believes major trends will start to form within the enterprise market with WebRTC. Companies will be willing to implement the new technology to aid productivity and reduce communication barriers within the workplace.”
ABI Research recognizes that there are significant barriers in the way of WebRTC technology becoming widely adopted. Firstly, Apple is not showing any interest in WebRTC, similar to its approach to Adobe Flash. As it is a brand leader in the mobile space, this could impact short term opportunity. Microsoft’s alternative to WebRTC, the CU-RTC, could deter users away from WebRTC and should essentially be considered a competitor. In the end, we believe Apple and Microsoft will not ignore the market opportunity for WebRTC.