How the Internet of Things can create new opportunities for Real Time
Communications
The embedding of web-based Real-Time
Communications into the Internet of Things will open up new opportunities for
businesses and new roles for telcos
Posted by Chloe
Green www.information-age.com
on 12 June 2015
Short
of time?
With the rise of WebRTC and the
Internet of Things (IoT), the way the world communicates is changing
dramatically. This ‘webification’ of communications gives rise to the question
of what this means for the future of the traditional telco – is the demise of
operators now inevitable or can they find an opportunity to claim their slice
of what is set to be a very lucrative pie?
WebRTC and IoT today
Heralded by some operators as the
most powerful communications tool to date, enthusiasm for WebRTC has grown quickly.
Allowing real-time voice and video communications directly through a web
browser and eliminating the need for software downloads or plug-ins, WebRTC is
most commonly associated with web browsers, and OTT players have been quick to
jump on the trend.
As a result, communications has
transformed from a telecoms service into an application component within a
service, opening up the possibility of embedding WebRTC into verticals such as
gaming, eHealth, or even IoT, another trend which is taking the telecoms
industry by storm.
IoT refers to all devices – from
washing machines and fridges to cars and medical devices – that are connected
to the Internet. Like WebRTC, IoT has already begun creating opportunities for
developers to change the way people interact with each other and the technology
they use, both in the home and business environments.
New assault or golden
opportunity?
In terms of how these new
technologies will impact on telcos, much debate still exists around the
subject. Traditionally, WebRTC was seen by many as a new threat to revenue,
just as they were getting over the assault inflicted by the rise of OTT
services.
The initial caution from operators
is understandable to a point. WebRTC was developed by people who are not a part
of the telco environment so exploitation by the OTTs is inevitable.
Furthermore, WebRTC enables the
decoupling of communications from operators due to a number of use cases where
communications can take place over the top or within silos or closed
environments.
This, however, does not necessarily
mean that telcos are destined to be a redundant piece of the jigsaw. The
reality of the situation is the exact opposite – if operators can act quickly
and smartly, they are actually ideally positioned to take advantage of this
opportunity thanks to their huge assets in terms of customer base and ability
to enable interoperability between the legacy and OTT environment.
How can telcos lead the way?
The question, then, is how do telcos
ensure they have a primary role to play in this new ‘webified’ world?
In order to fully answer this
question, there are two strands which operators must consider. The first is
what is the most valuable, and therefore most lucrative, service they can
offer? While some might be tempted to launch their own WebRTC services,
providing access to the network to enable the gateway between OTT applications
and the legacy network would be a far more worthwhile service – and one that
only operators can provide.
In the pure WebRTC environment, for
example, if TripAdvisor were to launch an application which enabled visitors to
communicate with restaurants or hotels, operators could provide the key to
expanding this application so that when consumers make their enquiries through
the web, it can be received by restaurants/hotels even when they are not
online, for example via phone, thanks to the operator’s bridging of the
networks.
Meanwhile, in the IoT or
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) scenarios there are opportunities around data
processing, assisting people that operate machines and even Smart Glasses
where, for example, employees in a stock environment could use the glasses to
interact with a guide, making operations more efficient and streamlined.
The second thing which operators
need to embrace in order to succeed in this area is software. For the vision of
IoT and an entirely connected world to be realised, legacy hardware must be
done away with and replaced with software.
This will make networks more agile
and enable services to be controlled and adapted without changing the physical
layer. This software must be future-proof and lower the cost of future change,
with the ability to adapt now being a crucial key performance indicator for
telcos.
Providing the gateway between
applications and legacy networks is a role that only telcos can fill, creating
a clear map of the path they should take as the journey to a completely
connected, interoperable world continues. The convergence of WebRTC and IoT
certainly holds interesting opportunities for telcos – as long as they can act
quick and think smart.
Moving from exploitation to
exploration requires a dramatic cultural change, with the ability to develop
communication ecosystems and the identification of the reusable assets
constituting an appealing accelerator in the transformation towards the
digitalised world.
Sourced from Federico
Descalzo, VP and Chief Marketing Technology Officer, Italtel
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In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” will be published soon follow by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
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If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio Additionally, I provide content for an online newsletter via paper.li. I have also established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. Further, I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and have been a contributor to numerous blogs and publications.
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