Glossary · Phone system (PBX)
Webphone
In one sentence
A webphone is a business phone that runs in a browser tab with nothing to install. It uses WebRTC to make and receive calls through the company phone system on the business number.
Also known as : webphones · web phone · browser phone
What is a webphone?
A webphone is an extension that lives in your web browser. You log in to your phone system’s web portal, allow the microphone, and you can make and take calls on the company number. There is nothing to install or patch, which is the main difference from a softphone, a separate application on the computer or phone.
That makes it practical when IT has locked down laptops, for temporary or seasonal staff, on shared computers, or for people who only make a handful of calls a week and don’t want another app.
How it works
Webphones are built on WebRTC, an open standard built into modern browsers that gives web pages access to the microphone and speaker and carries real-time audio.
- The page opens an encrypted WebSocket to the phone system and registers as an extension.
- Incoming calls ring in the tab and pop up a notification.
- Once answered, audio flows as an encrypted SRTP stream between browser and phone system, using a codec such as Opus or G.711.
- Transfers, conferencing and recording are handled by the phone system, as for any other extension.
The catch is that a webphone is only reachable while its tab is open. Most teams pair it with the mobile app or call forwarding so nothing is missed out of hours.
Example
A UK online retailer hires four temporary agents every November to cope with Christmas orders. Rather than imaging laptops with extra software, the operations manager adds four users to the cloud PBX and emails each a login link. On day one the temps open the webphone in Chrome, plug in a headset and join the “Orders” call queue. In January the accounts are simply switched off, with no software left behind on any machine.
Webphones at Universal Telecom
A webphone comes with every user on our virtual PBX, alongside the desktop softphone and mobile app, and it opens from the same portal as call history and personal settings. Software vendors who want calling inside their own product can find the building blocks on our developer APIs page.
Frequently asked questions
Which browsers support a webphone?
Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all support WebRTC, the technology webphones are built on. The browser asks for microphone permission the first time you use it.
What happens to calls when the browser is closed?
The webphone stops ringing as soon as the tab closes or the laptop sleeps. The phone system then follows your forwarding rules, for example to the mobile app, a colleague or voicemail.
Is a webphone call encrypted?
Yes. WebRTC requires encryption: signalling runs over a secure WebSocket and the audio over SRTP, so calls are protected in transit by default.
Related terms
- Softphone
A softphone is a phone application that runs on a computer or smartphone. It replaces the desk phone and connects to the company phone system over VoIP, using the business number.
- WebRTC
WebRTC is an open standard built into web browsers that lets people make voice and video calls from a web page with no plug-in or app to install, with encryption always switched on.
- Cloud PBX
A cloud PBX is a business phone system run by a provider in its data centres. Extensions, IVR menus, queues and call routing are managed from a web portal, with no PBX hardware on site.
- VoIP
VoIP (voice over internet protocol) carries phone calls as packets of data over an IP network, such as the internet or an office LAN, instead of over the copper lines of the traditional phone network.
- CTI (computer telephony integration)
CTI (computer telephony integration) connects the phone system to business software, so the caller's record appears when the phone rings and you can dial a number with one click.
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