You might have heard of WebRTC, or it might mean as much to you as a Martian gossip mag.

Either way, you've probably used it.

WebRTC is a very clever piece of technology that underpins many popular software products.

Ever chatted to a mate on Facebook Messenger? Yep, that's WebRTC. Ever made a phone call using WhatsApp? You guessed it… WebRTC.

See, WebRTC stands for "Web Real-Time Communications". It allows users to communicate easily online via text, voice or video.

How can WebRTC help me?

Now, we're not all in the business of developing popular chat apps, so you might be wondering how it can help the rest of us.

Well, here's the thing. You don't need an app like Messenger or WhatsApp to make WebRTC work. The magic of WebRTC is that it requires no special plugins or software. You're good to go as long as you're using a compatible browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari… the list goes on).

To harness the power of WebRTC, all you need to do is install a widget on your website. It can take as little as five minutes. Feels like we're living in the future, eh?

It should come as no surprise, then, that many businesses are already using WebRTC technologies to boost their customer service offering. After all, it makes things easier than ever for website visitors to seek help. All they have to do is press a button, and – et voila! – they're texting, talking or video chatting with a representative.

This is awesome. But it's not the only thing WebRTC can do. Far from it.

In this post, we're going to look at some of the other use cases for this remarkable technology. Bet you hadn't thought of these…

1. Remote medical consultations

OK, this isn't the most glamorous use case to start with. But it might just be the most impactful.

Say you're a GP (that's the British equivalent to an FP, American readers). You've been conducting more and more online consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. And broadly, they're going well. They save time and resources. You want to do more.

But there are snags. Some patients don't have the technological skills to use video-conferencing software. Others have financial problems, so (understandably) don't want to use their valuable phone credit to call in.

Install a WebRTC button on your surgery's website, and the problem's solved. It costs service users nothing, and they don't need any complicated software to connect by video or audio.

2. Old-school auctions

Big websites like eBay have the online auction market sewn up. Every listing has the potential to reach millions of users. Traditional auction houses, though, can only reach the (relative) handful of people who make the trip to their location. How can they possibly keep pace?

You guessed it… WebRTC.

Just set up a video stream, stick a button on your website, and you're ready to go. Suddenly, potential buyers can join in on the fun, no matter where they live or whether there's a 50-mile-per-hour gale blowing outside.

This is especially useful for niche auctions, where interested parties are likely located many miles apart. You know, like ceramic hippo enthusiasts… or collectors of Kajagoogoo memorabilia.

3. Online education

The market for online education was growing even before the pandemic made us a nation of hesitant homebodies. The share of people who said they'd taken an e-learning course grew from 4% to 17% between 2007 and 2019.

Now, you don't need WebRTC to teach and learn online. Pre-recorded lectures and course materials can be downloaded, for instance, just like any file you might access online.

But nothing beats the excitement and interaction of face-to-face lessons. WebRTC can't magically transport students to a shared classroom. However, it can do the next best thing – enable easy online video conferencing.

And best of all, you don't need a high-spec computer or phone to join in. As long as students can access a modern web browser, they can get learnin'!

4. Video games

Gaming is big business. REALLY big business. Like, bigger than the movie and music industry combined.

And. of course, tech companies are paying attention. Already, Google and Amazon have launched on-demand streaming services for games. They're called Stadia and Luna, respectively.

We'll give you four microseconds to guess the technology they use. Hint: it begins with a "W" and ends in "RTC".

Here's the issue. If you're being attacked by a goblin, you need to see it coming as soon as possible. And you need to bonk that goblin on the bonce before he steals your gold.

In other words, the computer that's streaming the game needs to show players <i>exactly</i> what's happening in real time, and as the player pokes their controller, these inputs need to be sent upstream with equal urgency.

If either side lags, it's game over.

That's why WebRTC is such a good fit for this new medium. Unlike older technologies, WebRTC links computers directly to one another, allowing for low latency in both directions.

Goblins, beware. WebRTC is here, and it's ready to play.

What's next for WebRTC?

Frankly, we don't know.

There are much cleverer people than us doing very clever things with this technology. We'll leave it to them to come up with the paradigm-shifting ideas, thank you very much.

For instance, the World Wide Web Consortium lists "decentralised internet", "virtual reality gaming" and "machine learning" on its list of potential new use cases.

Oh, and "funny hats" too. We're not sure about that one.

What we do know is this… WebRTC is here, it's great, and it already has tonnes of potential for web-savvy businesses.

Want to know more? Check out our VoIP phone systems, which all use WebRTC to facilitate voice and video calls.

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