Telecom Lead @ Mobile World Congress 2013: Ericsson, Mozilla and AT&T will showcase a Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) proof of concept.
WebRTC, an open framework, enables the Mozilla Firefox browser to connect to mobile voice calls, video calls and file sharing without the need for a plugin.
WebRTC utilizes Ericsson’s Web Communication Gateway, the Mozilla Social API and WebRTC support in Firefox, and the AT&T API Platform.
The demonstration — at the Mobile World Congress 2013 — shows how the Web browser can perform functions usually confined to a mobile device such as voice and video calls and SMS and MMS texting.
READ Mobile World Congress 2013 HERE
AT&T opens its network to developers through our API platform, allowing them to create applications with AT&T services like SMS, MMS and call management seamlessly and easily integrated.
Meanwhile, the first commercial build of Mozilla’s HTML5-centric Firefox OS was given a spectacular debut in Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress 2013, with the announcement of 18 mobile operator partners, nine launch markets, and initial device commitments from Alcatel One Touch, LG, and ZTE, with Huawei to follow. All will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset.
Tony Cripps, principal device analyst at Ovum, said: “Firefox OS has achieved something that no device software platform has previously managed – translating an industry talking shop into a huge commitment from both carriers and hardware vendors at its commercial launch. Neither Android nor Symbian – the closest benchmarks in terms of broad industry sponsorship that we’ve previously seen – have rallied the level of support that Firefox OS has achieved so early in its development.”
Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, and Tizen all look like better bets on the surface. As such, the Mozilla Foundation and its early sponsors, especially Telefonica, deserve considerable credit.
The real acid test for Firefox OS and its long-term prospects is the quality of the software itself and the user and developer experiences that it fosters. However, it will be difficult to say whether it meets those needs sufficiently until the reach of retail devices.
“These issues must be overcome before Firefox OS devices find their way into consumers’ hands. Even low-cost smartphones – the primary target market for Firefox OS – can’t afford to hide behind price as a justification for poor performance. This is especially true at a time when upgraded feature phones, such as Nokia’s Asha Touch and Samsung’s Rex ranges, are gradually eating into the low-end Android market,” Cripps added.
