Introduction

Since the early 2000s, technological progress in the field of digital data transmission has laid the foundation for further development of the industry. The means and methods of transmitting digital data has changed as new technologies have developed. This report presents trends in telecommunication protocols over the past 20 years, thanks to which we now:

• have high-speed Internet anywhere in the world;
• establish instant audio and video communication from any corner of the planet;
• can track supply chains from raw materials to the final product.

And this is just the start!

More about the Report

This report presents the main achievements in technological development. Modernity rests on the technological achievements of the last 20 years, with the proliferation of high-speed internet, artificial intelligence, and connected IoT devices undergoing continuous and rapid digital transformation.

The report highlights the key milestones in the development of fundamental technologies that are associated with progress in the areas of healthcare, telecommunications, instantaneous data transmission, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence. The next decade promises to be primarily digital, so it is necessary to keep abreast of emerging and promising technologies.

In this report, you will explore:

• Analysis of the development of advanced technologies, which bring technical progress both on a global scale and within the framework of everyday life;
• Future development trends related to advanced technologies;
• Estimated increase in industry investments over the next 3-5 years;
• Leading companies and opinion leaders in each individual industry.

WebRTC

Over the past two years, due to the pandemic, the popularity of voice and video conferencing services has increased. According to Google, during the first months of the pandemic, Google Meet’s peak daily usage grew by 30 times.

The secret to the mass distribution of such platforms lies in WebRTC technology. Its open-source and customization flexibility allows you to quickly turn any web platform into an online conferencing terminal.

Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) is a real-time internet communication standard introduced by Google in 2010. This technology allows you to stream audio, video, and graphic data online. Thanks to WebRTC, any browser available to the user becomes a terminal for conferencing — just open a page with software integrated into it — there is no need to connect additional plugins and modules or install third-party programs.

The image below shows how the technology works on the example of a call between two subscribers through a browser:

“WebRTC gives you the ability to communicate live, and makes you feel like you're right there. WebRTC enables real-time communication just by loading a web page,” - Justin Uberti, Tech Lead at WebRTC, Google.

Advantages of WebRTC technology:

• Speed. WebRTC allows you to easily embed it into web pages and establish a user connection over the Internet without additional software and plugins. In addition, direct communication increases the speed of data transfer and file sharing.
• Compatibility. WebRTC technology is supported by popular browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Opera. In addition, this technology is also supported by Android, Chrome OS, Firefox OS, BlackBerry 10, iOS, and Tizen.
• Fast implementation. WebRTC allows you to reduce effort and development time in implementing a peer-to-peer P2P connection. Developers simply need to use a WebRTC compatible browser.
• Secure connection. Encryption is a mandatory function of all WebRTC components. Since WebRTC is not a plugin but a technology integrated into the browser, no malware can penetrate the system created by the developers.

Interesting fact:

WebRTC and HTML5 were the death blow to the Flash technology that preceded it. Since 2017, the leading browsers have officially stopped supporting Flash, and the technology has finally disappeared from the market.

Examples of popular applications on WebRTC:

1. Google Meet is a platform for instant messaging, video and audio calls.
2. BigBlueButton is free software often used for distance learning through interactive whiteboards, quizzes, content sharing, and more.
3. Jitsi Meet is an open-source application that works only in browsers and does not allow more than 75 participants to join.

Standardization of various APIs for WebRTC can reduce communication costs and allow WebRTC to be used in many industries — telecommunications, gaming, news, and so on. In addition, WebRTC will have a strong impact on the Internet in general — the development of open source web applications, the growth of compatibility between browsers, and more.