Jitsi The new face of the CPaaS market?

What if there was a cheap and easy way to add video interaction to your CPaaS system? Meet Jitsi which is planning to do just that – and it has the potential to shake up the CPaaS market, warns Paul Skeldon

There’s a new messaging force on the block and it has the potential to shake up the CPaaS market that has become entrenched in recent years. Welcome to Jitsi, an open source, real-time comms and video conferencing and IM platform that offers businesses a cheap and effective way to offer the kinds of interaction and messaging services usually out of reach of all but those with deep pockets.

So, what is Jitsi and what will its likely impact be on telemedia messaging?

UNDERSTANDING JITSI

Jitsi is a suite of software applications that enables users to communicate in real-time using various methods, including voice calls, video conferencing, and instant messaging.

The project is built on top of the WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) standard, which allows for peer-to-peer communication directly through web browsers without the need for plugins or additional software.

One of the key strengths of Jitsi is its open-source nature. This means that the software’s code is freely available for

anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. This openness has fostered a vibrant community of developers who contribute to Jitsi’s ongoing development and innovation.

IMPACT ON THE CPAAS MARKET

Jitsi, an open-source project offering real-time communication, video conferencing, and instant messaging, has emerged as a significant disruptor in the Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) and messaging platform market. Its impact is particularly pronounced in 2024 and beyond, as businesses and individuals increasingly seek flexible,affordable, and secure communication solutions.

One of the primary ways Jitsi is disrupting the market is through its cost-effectiveness.

Unlike many proprietary CPaaS and messaging platforms, Jitsi is free and open-source. This means that businesses can leverage its capabilities without incurring significant licensing fees or recurring costs. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited budgets, Jitsi offers a compelling alternative to traditional solutions.

Moreover, Jitsi’s flexibility and customization are driving disruption. As an open-source project, Jitsi can be tailored to meet specific business needs. This allows for integration with existing systems and workflows, providing businesses with greater control over their communication infrastructure. In contrast, proprietary platforms often impose limitations on customization, forcing businesses to adapt to their pre-defined features.

Jitsi’s emphasis on security and privacy is another key factor disrupting the market. The project employs robust encryption protocols to protect user communications, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential. In an era where data breaches and privacy concerns are paramount, Jitsi’s commitment to security is a significant advantage.

Furthermore, Jitsi’s community-driven development model is fostering innovation and disruption. The project’s open-source nature encourages contributions from developers around the world, leading to a constant stream of new features,bug fixes, and improvements. This community-driven approach ensures that Jitsi remains relevant and competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

For established CPaaS providers this could be a challenge. While a powerful and disruptive force in the CPaaS market, Jitsi is unlikely to completely eliminate established CPaaS providers. However, it does pose a significant challenge that these providers must address to remain competitive.

Jitsi’s free and open-source nature can lead to increased competition within the CPaaS market. Businesses may be drawn to Jitsi’s cost-effectiveness and flexibility, putting pressure on established providers to offer more competitive pricing and features.

As a result, many established

CPaaS providers may choose to adopt or integrate Jitsi into their own platforms. This can strengthen their offerings by providing additional features, flexibility, and potentially reducing costs. By leveraging Jitsi’s technology, these providers can stay relevant in a rapidly evolving market.

Some established CPaaS providers may focus on niche markets or specialised features that Jitsi may not fully address. For example, providers that cater to specific industries with unique communication requirements might be less affected by Jitsi’s competition.

Jitsi’s strong focus on security and privacy could force established providers to improve their own security measures. This could benefit users overall as it raises the bar for data protection in the CPaaS industry.

So, rather than decimate the established CPaaS market, it’s more likely to drive competition, force providers to adapt and potentially lead to improved offerings for users. The ability of established providers to embrace Jitsi’s technology and leverage its benefits will be crucial to their long-term success.

EXAMPLES OF JITSI’S IMPACT

So, how has Jitsi been used to create innovative solutions? Some examples include:

• Remote Education – Jitsi has been widely adopted by educational institutions for online classes and virtual classrooms. Its open-source nature and flexibility make it ideal for creating custom learning environments.

• Telemedicine – Healthcare providers have used Jitsi to conduct remote consultations and telemedicine appointments, improving access to care for patients in rural or remote areas.

• Enterprise collaboration –Businesses have leveraged

Jitsi to facilitate remote team collaboration, video conferencing, and online meetings.

• Open-source communication platforms – Jitsi has been used as the foundation for numerous open-source communication platforms, such as Riot.im and Nextcloud Talk.

THE FUTURE OF JITSI IN THE CPAAS MARKET

Jitsi’s impact on the CPaaS market is likely to continue to grow in the coming years. As businesses increasingly adopt remote work and digital communication, the demand for flexible and cost-effective solutions like Jitsi will only increase.

Additionally, Jitsi’s open-source nature and active community will continue to drive innovation and development. New features and integrations will be added, further enhancing the software’s

capabilities and appeal.

Jitsi has emerged as a disruptive force in the CPaaS market, offering a compelling alternative to traditional proprietary

solutions. Its cost-effectiveness, flexibility, security and community-driven development make it a valuable tool for businesses and individuals alike. As the demand for real-time communication continues to grow, Jitsi is wellpositioned to play a significant role in shaping the future of the CPaaS industry.

CPaaS set to be a $10bn industry by 2029

While Jitsi is set to shake up the CPaaS market, it is already a massive space with room for more tech and more players. CPaaS rich media traffic, including RCS, video and social media, is set to grow by 190% in the next five years, rising from $3.4bn in 2023 to more than $10bn in 2028, according to the latest research from Juniper Research.

In its latest Global CPaaS Market 2024-2028, researchers identified rising SMS business messaging termination fees and Apple’s support of RCS later this year as the two key drivers of this growth.

As the price of SMS business messaging continues to rise, the study predicts that more enterprises will be forced to explore alternative channels for marketing campaigns and customer interactions in order to reduce costs.

Conversely, Apple will begin support for RCS business messaging this year, creating a highly valuable alternative to SMS for enterprises. By

2028, RCS business messages delivered by CPaaS platforms globally are expected to reach 86 billion; rising from just 2.5 billion in 2024.

To capitalise on the growth of rich media messaging, the study urges CPaaS platforms to invest in campaign management tools that enable their clients to maximise its true potential. Notably, it identified conversational AI as a highly desired service by enterprises; owing to its ease of deployment into existing business systems.

Research author Sam Barker says: “Conversational AI will provide an immediate benefit to enterprise CPaaS users. Third-party developers will enable enterprises to launch chatbot services over channels like RCS that leverage large language models. However, to maximise adoption, CPaaS platforms must offer front-end solutions allowing enterprises to directly manage their AI implementations.”