Telstra Enterprise and Government Contact Centre and Collaboration Solutions Director, Agnes Sheehan, said the new IP Video Collaboration solution would create significant productivity improvement opportunities and save thousands of dollars in set-up and / or travel costs, particularly for businesses with staff working on-the-road or at home.

"Traditionally, video conferencing has been limited to large corporations, who could afford the customer premises equipment (CPE), IT support, line installation and call costs which characterise expensive in-room video conferencing systems," Ms Sheehan said.

"Telstra's IP Video Collaboration solution will reduce staff travel costs and cut time wasted by staff caught in traffic on the way to meetings.

"It also has the added benefit of helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and  allow staff to enjoy a better work/life balance," Ms Sheehan said.

Ms Sheehan said in-room meeting conferencing systems can be costly to set up, but Telstra IP Video Collaboration only required a PC or laptop with a headset and webcam, or a Next GTM mobile phone, an internet connection and an annual subscription from as little as $171. "Telstra IP Video Collaboration is another example of Telstra leading the way with convergent solutions across any device, anywhere, anytime," she said.

Unlike existing webcam chat platforms, Telstra IP Video Collaboration can connect a host computer with Next GTM phones anywhere in Australia and traditional in-room systems. Participants can also dial in from non- Next GTM mobile phones or landlines as voice callers only.

This solution was developed in partnership with Broadreach Services and Radvision, and provides significantly enhanced video conferencing and collaboration capabilities backed by Telstra's $1.5  billion to date investment in its Next IPâ„¢ network. Telstra's world leading Next IPâ„¢ network is 77 times more scalable than Telstra's old network and services 95 percent of Australian businesses.

Eitan Livne, General Manager of RADVISION's Asia Pacific offices said the provision of high quality video collaboration tools to this market was changing the way people do business across the globe.

"RADVISION is the premier supplier of the technology behind 3G multimedia connectivity and extending the video conference room to reach employees everywhere - over any device or network," Mr Livne said.

Broadreach Services Managing Director, Shaun Wormald believes the service will be a major  catalyst in driving video adoption in Australia. He was quoted as saying" Broadreach are thrilled to be working in partnership to lead the way with both Telstra and RADVISION."

Telstra IP Video Collaboration integrates fully with other online tools already in use, such as Telstra Live Meeting, which allows participants to chat in text, work on a shared document, or view a  presentation or virtual whiteboard at the same time.

Invitations to video conference meetings can also be sent through Microsoft Outlook, which allows participants to get straight into a meeting by clicking on the web link in their diary.

Media contact:

Telstra Media Contacts:
Brent Hooley
(03) 9634 4990
Brent.S.Hooley@team.telstra.com

Peter Taylor
02 8293 8446
Mob: 0439 031 996
Peter.Taylor@team.telstra.com

RADVISION Media Contact
Kristin Conforti
Dukas Public Relations
Tel: +1 516-320-6839
kristin@dukaspr.com