Telstra launches TelePresence service

Stuart Corner
Friday, 06 June 2008 02:30

Your IT - Home IT

Telstra is installing Cisco's TelePresence 'virtual reality' videoconferencing  rooms in the office of large customers as a fully managed service. In future, it will enable inter-company video conferences to be set up on the fly.

Telstra described the service as enabling 'one-click' virtual meetings. A Telstra spokesman told iTWire: "Telstra will take care of everything from initial room audit, consulting, fit out, design, build, implementation, training. Then when it's up and running, we manage the maintenance, network and services end to end."

Telstra is following in the footsteps of global carriers like Tata, AT&T and BT all of which have recently launched similar services.

BT and AT&T say they will be the first to provide a 'meet-me' feature that will support inter-company conferencing. AT&T's is expected to be available in the second half of 2008 in 23 countries and more in 2009.  Telstra said this feature would not be available in its service initially but "is part of our future rollout.

This additional functionality was announced by Cisco in December 2007 with the company claiming that "this groundbreaking technological advancement will provide businesses with the flexibility and security to have 'in person' meetings with customers, partners and suppliers with the ease of a simple phone call."