Google to add Skype-style VoIP software to Chrome

 By Stephen Shankland

 

 

Google is beginning to build its open-source audio and video chat project WebRTC into its Chrome browser.

The real-time chat software originated from Google's acquisition in 2010 of Global IP Solutions (GIPS), a company specialising in internet telephony and videoconferencing.

The obvious beneficiary for the project is Gmail, the audio and video communications features of which currently require use of a proprietary plug-in. Gmail chat is getting more important as Google's VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) efforts mature and integrate with the Google Voice service.
But Google has high hopes that WebRTC will be used well beyond Gmail. Rather, it hopes WebRTC will become an incarnation of a nascent web standard for videoconferencing and peer-to-peer communications and for the necessary underlying network communication protocols.