Explain Real Time Communications?
Real-time communications (RTC) is any mode of telecommunications in which all users can exchange information instantly or with negligible latency. In this context, the term real-time is synonymous with live.
RTC can take place in half-duplex or full duplex modes. In half-duplex RTC, data can be transmitted in both directions on a single carrier or circuit but not at the same time.
In full-duplex RTC, data can be transmitted in both directions simultaneously on a single carrier or circuit. RTC generally refers to peer-to-peer communications, not broadcast or multicast.
Examples of Real-Time Communications
There’s a difference between emailing and chatting with someone. Email is more of a time shifting form of communication – we send emails and expect to hear back from people later, and data is stored between the source and destination.
Communicating through methods like email place more emphasis on delivering information reliably, not how quickly the information gets there. When chatting with someone, however, we expect responses just as if we were communicating face-to- face: in real-time.
Other examples beyond instant messaging of real-time communications include:
- Video conferencing
- Presence (usually found in UC applications)
- Gaming
- File sharing
- Screen sharing
- Collaboration tools
- Machine to machine technology
- Location tracking
- Online education
- Social networking
Real-time communications applications and solutions can be used in virtually every industry: contact centers, financial services, legal firms, healthcare, education and retail can all benefit and improve processes with real-time communications applications.
There are a few trends in play that are helping drive the growth of real-time communications applications.
Real-time communications can include
- Telephony in the conventional sense
- Mobile and cellular telephone.
- IM (instant messaging)
- VoIP (Voice over IP, also called Internet telephone).
- Live videoconference communications