Tuesday, 22 April 2008

AT&T First Service Provider to Deliver Intercompany Cisco Telepresence

AT&T Monday announced global plans to deliver the industry’s first, fully managed Cisco TelePresence solution that allows companies to connect to their customers, suppliers and partners worldwide.

The AT&T Telepresence Solution enables businesses to interact and collaborate with others, delivering life-size images via full-high-definition video (1080p) and spatial audio within a specially designed environment. This creates the experience of being in the same room with remote participants, whether they are down the street or around the world. The solution also features concierge service, which complements common enterprise calendaring applications for scheduling and an easy-to-use telephone interface to launch calls with just the push of a button.

According to AT&T, a capability that can be found in this solution that distinguishes it from its competitors is its “meet-me” feature which enables intercompany connectivity.

“The AT&T Telepresence Solution is the latest example of how we’re helping enterprises to improve ‘business velocity’ by enabling them to move quicker and make better business decisions,” said Ronald E. Spears, AT&T group president of Global Business Services.

“Customers can take advantage of the power of the AT&T network and our expertise in providing world-class services to enjoy the multitude of benefits of this fully immersive collaboration technology.”

The AT&T Telepresence Solution is expected to be available in the second half of 2008 in 23 countries, with additional countries planned for 2009.

AT&T and Cisco have started early trials with key customers. Sales teams from AT&T and Cisco will target U.S.-based multinational companies and selected companies headquartered outside of the U.S. in their initial efforts.