There is a lot of excitement and conversation about WebRTC–for good reason. For the past decade, UC solutions have extended rich real-time communications to desktops and mobile devices via required applications and browser plugins. WebRTC offers the promise of a free standardized and ubiquitous endpoint–pre-installed within every desktop and mobile browser. It is potentially the single biggest initiative to make any-to-any real time communications (voice, presence, video, and desktop sharing) a reality.
The questions are when, and as with all futures, how likely will it deliver as expected?
WebRTC is still an idea, or at best a draft. It is available for Chrome and Firefox, but far from being a ubiquitous and reliable solution for real time communications. The awareness and momentum of WebRTC is rapidly building, but it is not by any means a done deal. Many UC vendors are evaluating WebRTC, and testing it within their labs. Some solutions are already being billed as WebRTC compliant.
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Unfortunately, many “cures all ills” solutions fail to deliver. The reality is WebRTC faces an uncertain future. Here is a look at some of the bigger threats that could derail it.