WebRTC in Telecom A Workshop

March 2014

Tsahi

Levent-Levi

About Me

• Too many years in the telecom industry. Mainly VoIP

• Developer, Product Manager, CTO

• Had my share of standardization and patents

• Write about WebRTC and other topics

• Published the WebRTC for Business People report

• Consulting

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Tsahi Levent-Levi

tsahil@bloggeek.me

@tsahil

From Basics to Telco with WebRTC

1. What is (and isn’t) WebRTC History, specification, browsers and mobile

2. WebRTC vs VoIP How does WebRTC compare to other VoIP protocols?

3. The WebRTC Ecosystem Vendor types, trends and use cases

4. Telecom and WebRTC IMS, RCS and the real opportunities

5. Open Discussion and Q&A

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What is (and isn’t WebRTC)

1. What is WebRTC?

2. History of WebRTC

3. The WebRTC Specification

4. Browser support

5. Mobile and WebRTC

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What is WebRTC? What is (and isn’t) WebRTC?

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WebRTC offers real time communication natively from a web browser WebRTC is a media engine with JavaScript APIs

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WebRTC is a Technology

not a Solution TheBusyBrain

How are Calls Made with WebRTC?

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1 2

3 4

5

WebRTC Architectures: Triangle

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Media

Signaling

WebRTC Architectures: Trapezoid

10

Media

Federation

Signaling

Key Features

• MediaStreams – access to the user’s camera and mic

• PeerConnection – easy audio/video calls

• DataChannels – p2p application data transfer

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What does it provide?

• Real-time

• Voice, video and data

• Browser based

• No plugins

• Secured

• Interoperable (between browsers)

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So What?

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No Plugins No Downloads No Installations No App Store

No Signaling Free (as in BSD) No Patents No Media Eng.

Why all the fuss?

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History of WebRTC What is (and isn’t) WebRTC?

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On2 & GIPS Acquisitions

Assets Customers Google’s Target

On2 Feb 2010 VPx video codecs Adobe WebM

GIPS May 2010 iLBC, iSAC voice codecs Voice Engine Video Engine

Skype, Google, Yahoo, Avaya, …

WebRTC

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The (short) History of WebRTC

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The Future?

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The WebRTC Specification What is (and isn’t) WebRTC?

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Standardization

• IETF – “network”

• W3C – “api”

• Based on existing standards

• Large vendors involved: Google, Cisco, Mozilla, Microsoft, AT&T, Ericsson, etc.

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Main IETF Documents

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Document Title Reference

Overview Overview: Real Time Protocols for Brower-based Applications

draft-ietf-rtcweb-overview

Use cases and requirements

Web Real-Time Communication Use-cases and Requirements

draft-ietf-rtcweb-use-cases-and-requirements

RTP usage Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC): Media Transport and Use of RTP

draft-ietf-rtcweb-rtp-usage

Security architecture

WebRTC Security Architecture draft-ietf-rtcweb-security-arch

Threat model Security Considerations for WebRTC draft-ietf-rtcweb-security

Data channel RTCWeb Data Channels draft-ietf-rtcweb-data-channel

JSEP Javascript Session Establishment Protocol draft-ietf-rtcweb-jsep

Audio WebRTC Audio Codec and Processing Requirements

draft-ietf-rtcweb-audio

Quality of service DSCP and other packet markings for RTCWeb QoS

draft-dhesikan-tsvwg-rtcweb-qos-02

WebRTC Protocol Stack

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Transport

• Media transport based on SRTP

• No RTP at all – only encrypted media

• “Latest and greatest” of RTP got mandated • AVPF

• Multiplexing

• Etc.

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Media

• No Mandatory To Implement (MTI) video codec yet

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Codec Use Specification

G.711 Narrow band, selected for PSTN and VoIP interworking

RFC 3551

Opus New flexible audio codec. Narrow to wideband support; Support for Speech & Music

RFC 6716

DTMF Telephone events RFC 4733

VP8 Google’s open source codec RFC 6386

H.264 Video codec (MPEG-LA licensing)

RFC 6184

NAT traversal

• “Almost” like SIP • STUN – Enables announcing your public IP addresses

during the negotiation phase of a session

• TURN – Relays all media via a TURN server that is visible to all parties in the session

• ICE – Decide on the best solution to send media (direct, STUN or TURN)

• Trickle ICE – Speed up the process of the ICE protocol by parallelizing its handling of candidates

• New specification, implemented in WebRTC

• Slowly trickling into SIP and XMPP

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Browser support What is (and isn’t) WebRTC?

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Where?

1.2 Billion

Enabled devices

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Solving Browser Support

1. Ignore • Offer the service on supporting browsers only • Either don’t show WebRTC capabilities or block un supporting browsers • Videodesk.com isn’t showing the capabilities • popexperts blocks such browsers from access to the actual service

2. Plugin • Build a plugin for non-supporting browsers • AddLive and Weemo do that

3. Downgrade to “Flash” • Use Flash where WebRTC doesn’t work (and have interoperability

headaches) • Requestec and Apidaze took this route

4. Don’t use WebRTC at all

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Mobile and WebRTC What is (and isn’t) WebRTC?

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Mobile is Tricky

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Mobile is Tricky

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• People don’t install a browser on their phones

• People use apps to access communications features

• WebRTC isn’t really available on mobile

Progress in Mobile

• Android KitKat • Migration towards Chrome-based WebView

• In 2014 • WebRTC in WebView (Android)

• Opus 1.1

• Echo cancellation optimizations (Android)

• Better bandwidth estimation

• Video for iOS devices

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4 Routes to Mobile

1. Ignore mobile

2. Only on supported browsers

3. Port and pack in an app

4. Wait

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WebRTC vs VoIP

1. Anatomy of a VoIP solution

2. SIP versus WebRTC

3. XMPP or SIP signaling for WebRTC?

4. Interoperability with legacy VoIP deployments

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Anatomy of a VoIP solution WebRTC vs VoIP

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The Anatomy of a VoIP Solution

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Infrastructure

Signaling

Media Processing

Codecs

Source:

Boundaries of WebRTC

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Infrastructure

Signaling

Media Processing

Codecs

Source:

SIP versus WebRTC WebRTC vs VoIP

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But What about SIP (and IMS)?

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Protocol WebRTC SIP

Market Websites and web apps Voice and IMS

deployments

Media SRTP RTP or SRTP

NAT traversal STUN, TURN, ICE STUN, TURN, ICE

Media negotiation SDP SDP

Voice codecs G.711, Opus G.711, G.7xx, AMR-xx,

Speex, SILK, Opus, …

Video codecs VP8 H.263, H.264

API Java Script Unspecified

APIs or Interoperability?

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Software Professionals

Academia

Hobbyists & Enthusiasts

Mobile Developers

Device Manufacturers

Infrastructure Vendors

WebRTC Traditional VoIP

A Change in Mindset

Brain: How are going to get the Earth to lose weight?

Pinky: I know! We can get everyone to go on a diet!

Brain: Diets don't work.

Pinky: Not even if you call them 'A Whole New Way of Eating?‘

Brain: No.

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Interoperability

• All products use the same network interface

• Targeted at 100’s of vendors

• Requires much IOT testing

API

• All developers use the same programming interface

• Targeted at building a developer ecosystem

• Built on a small set of base implementations

• Each vendor has his own island of a service

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API versus Interoperability

XMPP or SIP signaling for WebRTC? WebRTC vs VoIP

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Signaling Options in WebRTC

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Technique Advantages Server Side Requirements

WebSocket No signaling infrastructure required

WebSocket server with proprietary protocol implementation

XHR No signaling infrastructure required

Web server with proprietary protocol implementation

SIP over WebSocket Easy path to SIP interoperability (and PSTN connectivity)

SIP Registrar/Proxy server with support of SIP over WebSocket

XMPP/Jingle Easy interoperability with XMPP clients

XMPP server with support of XMPP WebSocket transport

Data Channel Low latency signaling and improved privacy

WebSocket or web server with proprietary implementation to establish the Data Channel

SIP over WebSockets

• RFC 7118 – Fresh from the oven

• Nothing to write home about. Think TCP (or UDP) and now replace with WebSocket

• Already existing implementations: • Server side

• Asterisk • FreeSWITCH

• Client side • jsSIP • sipML • …

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WebSockets + Fallback

• WebSockets don’t always work • Not supported by all browsers

• Not all web proxies can handle them

• Web servers not always implement them

• Fallback to XHR/SSE/Flash/Whatever

• Best options in town: • Socket.IO (http://socket.io/)

• SockJS (http://sockjs.org)

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Interoperability with legacy VoIP deployments

WebRTC vs VoIP

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3 Points of Entry to Our Networks

1. Put WebRTC in the MCU • Any video call from WebRTC into the enterprise goes

through the MCU

• Takes up ports, and doesn’t realize the power of WebRTC

2. Put WebRTC in the SBC • A gateway of sorts, but with “improved” security

• Still not using the power of WebRTC

• Also – WebRTC doesn’t have any real use for an SBC

3. Use a Gateway for WebRTC • Works, but still – not using the power of WebRTC

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…

Gatewaying: Client Included

Gateway/SBC vendor offers the client side (SDK/Widget/Other)

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HTML5 Client

WebRTC

JS SIP / Other

SRTP

WebSocket

SIP / IMS

PSTN

GW

Gatewaying: Programmable

• Gateway vendor offers control API

• Customer build the client as he sees fit, interfacing with the gateway’s APIs from his own web server

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My-service

HTML5 Client

WebRTC

?

SIP / IMS

PSTN

SRTP

GW

IMS and WebRTC

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Back to WebRTC Architectures…

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Media

Signaling

Federation

Media

WebRTC Architectures

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Triangle or Trapezoid?

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Trapezoid = Federation

• Agreement on communications protocol

• Business agreement

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SIP, XMPP

Traditional Means of Communications

I use my service to call your service

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Carrier

A Carrier

B

Triangle

• Single service takes care of its own

• Federate via PSTN for monetization

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OTT

The “WebRTC Way” of Communicating

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I reach out to you at your URL

Carrier

A Carrier

B

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The Ecosystem

thewritingzone

Vendor Types in the Ecosystem

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

Core: The Browser Vendors

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

• Google & Mozilla

• But also Vidyo • Contributed SVC to the

WebRTC ecosystem

• & Cisco… • OpenH264 for WebRTC

• Microsoft & Apple missing • How does it affect WebRTC’s

future?

• How does it affect IE & Safari market share?

Tooling Vendors

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

• Providing infrastructure and “shortcuts” for developers

• WebRTC API vendors: Tropo, AddLive, TokBox, OpenClove, …

• Services vendors: XirSys, PubNub, …

• Infrastructure vendors: GENBAND, Dialogic, …

• SDK vendors: Digium, Eyeball Networks, …

The “Vendors”

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

• Providing services based on WebRTC

• Develop either directly on top of WebRTC or via tooling vendors

• Target the end users via a multitude of use cases

2nd Market

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

• Vendors adopting other vendor’s end user solutions

• TNW Academy’s story

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2 nd Market

Vendors

Tooling

WebRTC Core

Repurpose

Repurposing WebRTC

• Reusing WebRTC’s components to fit in other places, treating it as a pure media engine

• Vonage – going mobile with an OTT app

• M5T – Client SDK for developers

Where are we Now?

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Shifts in the Ecosystem

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Customer-facingServices

ToolingVendors

Use Cases

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& Business

Models

Top Use Cases

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Mar ‘14

Business Models in “Search Mode”

Subscription Unknown Deviceselling

Projectbased

Pay as yougo

None Freemium Licensing Revenuesharing

Support

Mar ‘14

Telecom and WebRTC

1. Possible routes Telcos can take

2. What vendors “sell” to carriers?

3. What are carriers doing?

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Possible routes Telcos can take Telecom and WebRTC

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…

Possible Routes for Carriers with WebRTC

• Infrastructure Play

• APIs

• Enterprise Focus

• Internal Consumption

• CDN & Streaming

• IMS/RCS Extension

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Infrastructure Play

• STUN/TURN Hosting

• Multipoint Bridge

• Recording/Archiving Service

• Gateway

• Low Latency Network

• QoS

Work via partnerships

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uwehermann

APIs

• Many vendors on the market

• Different angles: languages, voice/video, API set, coverage, etc.

Partner a vendor

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Enterprise/SMB Focus

• Provide enterprise specific solutions

• WebEx-like • Drum

• …

Partner commercially

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• UC offering • TenHands

• vLine

• BlueJeans

• Vidtel

• …

Internal Consumption

• Remodel the contact center

• Enabling web dialing with context

• Enable app dialing with context

• Add video – a la Kindle Mayday button

Find a vendor/technology stack that fits

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CDN & Streaming

• Augment “broadcasting” requirements with a P2P technology

• Make use of WebRTC’s data channel

• Suitable for VOD, IPTV, CDN, Caching

• Multiple vendors in this domain

All early stage. Follow this domain to build a strategy

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IMS/RCS Extension

• Web-front to RCS

• Technology of an OTT play of a Telco

• Boring, but required – most NEPs here

Offer regardless of IMS/RCS deployment

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We are here IMS

Service Provider

WebRTC

Shameless copy from Victor Pascual Avila

This is more

interesting

3GPP “Adopting” WebRTC

Just another access into the IMS network

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What vendors “sell” to carriers? Telecom and WebRTC

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Ericsson

• Focus on IMS Gateway domain • AT&T Foundry deployment • Supports both voice and video (video not via AT&T

Foundry)

• Launched Bowser • The first WebRTC supporting mobile browser • Proof of concept of the possibility to run WebRTC

on mobile • Failure in adoption terms

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Alcatel Lucent

• Focus on IMS domain

• Push Telcos to offer web-based RCS clients by using WebRTC

• Showed a startup use case @WebRTC Conference (Atlanta)

• Vobi - Connecting the web to a telco IMS

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Huawei

• Two routes for WebRTC: • An announced IMS Gateway to WebRTC ALU

strategy

• Ongoing partnership with Tropo (Voxeo Labs) Telefonica strategy

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Oracle

• Acquired ACME Packet

• Has WebRTC SBC capabilities

• Launched an SBC @ Oracle OpenWorld • Working on integrating WebRTC into their core

offerings

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GENBAND

• Launched their own WebRTC Gateway (SPiDR)

• Pouring marketing/sales $$ into it & pushing towards Tier-1 SPs

• Acquired Fring – Israeli VoIP OTT • Plans on offering Telco OTT solutions

• In such a case, WebRTC becomes the desktop browser client

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What are carriers doing? Telecom and WebRTC

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Telcos & WebRTC

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“ Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.

Mark Twain

Telefonica

• Acquired an API platform: TokBox

• Focus is on external innovation with no relation to Telefonica’s existing assets (yet)

About TokBox

• 33 developers on acquisition

• Below $50M acquisition

• $26M funding raised

• Focused on Video APIs (Flash & WebRTC)

• Left “independent” – for now

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AT&T

• Plays with WebRTC in the San Jose Foundry (jointly with Ericsson)

• Platform based on Ericsson, Phono and lately &yet

• Makes the link between AT&T phone numbers to WebRTC calling capabilities

• See https://js.att.io/

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CenturyLink

• Third largest telecom company in the US

• Started using WebRTC to deliver services directly to its customers

• Using it to reduce the reliance on Telecom vendors

• Viewing it as a way to “write once run anywhere”

• First commercial service to launch during H1 2014

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Vonage

• Wanted to penetrate mobile & offer video

• Ported WebRTC to iOS & Android • Added SIP signaling

• Replaced voice codecs to meet their deployment

• Used VP8 as the video codec

• 1-5M downloads on Google Play

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• US Vendor

• Provides phone

service via broadband

connection

• 2.3M subscribers

• Unlimited calling to

over 60 countries

The Rest of the Pack

• Initiating hackathons around RCS… and WebRTC

• Thinking of what to do with it

• Playing in their CTO labs

• There are more opportunities in the carrier space than just IMS access

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The Triangle of Tensions

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IMS

Wrap up

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1. What is (and isn’t) WebRTC History, specification, browsers and mobile

2. WebRTC vs VoIP How does WebRTC compare to other VoIP protocols?

3. The WebRTC Ecosystem Vendor types, trends and use cases

4. Telecom and WebRTC IMS, RCS and the real opportunities

5. Open Discussion and Q&A

Need More?

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Thank You!

Tsahi Levent-Levi

http://bloggeek.me

tsahil@bloggeek.me

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