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WebRTC and VoLTE? New Value Streams on the Horizon

By Michelle Amodio
TMCnet Contributor

We all know that VoLTE offers significant advantages over the traditional voice infrastructure. Being able to offer high-definition voice and seamless call handoff among various LTE (News - Alert) networks is just a start. VoLTE has the capacity to allow users to use multimedia applications involving voice, video and data simultaneously on their smart devices. Operators win by offering higher value added applications, in turn increasing the average revenue per user and maintaining a common core, thus reducing capital expenditures.

Now, what if you take VoLTE and put it together with the power of WebRTC and even IoT?

Consider first what WebRTC is capable of; WebRTC, a free, open-source project, enables compliant web browsers to communicate in real-time using simple JavaScript APIs. Basically, it’s taking a bunch of great features and “baking” them right into a browser.

Since RCS is the natural extension of VoLTE, what we’re seeing is WebRTC being expanded thanks to RCS/VoLTE, making the mobile industry more prevailing than it already is.

What if WebRTC and RCS/VoLTE can connect consumers to devices that already harness the Web via IoT? Consumers can control, collaborate not only with people but actual devices, and engage in messaging in ways that weren’t possible before. What if you were able to set up and activate a home security camera through a WebRTC chat session? WebRTC would eliminate the need for third-party or extraneous apps; everything would be done right from a browser, mobile or not.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences found that in the majority of cases, VoLTE voice quality is superior to that of existing equipment. With WebRTC making real-time voice and video connections to other WebRTC devices, or traditional VoIP and video devices through mediation elements that can interface WebRTC with the existing infrastructure means business opportunities that did not exist yesterday are suddenly available.

This is all part of the larger picture of the next generation of digital services; telcos across the globe are focusing on creating new services and business models that support customers' digital transformation. How are WebRTC, APIs, and VoLTE helping telcos in generating new revenue, driving innovation and increasing competitiveness in the field? Time will tell.