Verizon and BT team up for collaboration; Vonage launches new mobile app

VoIP, unified messaging, products and services

Two unrelated news items in today's spotlight: Verizon and BT have teamed to enable more locations globally for virtual face-to-face collaboration in more locations around the world, while Vonage has launched a new mobile app that can be used for voice calls and text messages.

Under a new agreement Verizon and BT customers can now communicate with each other via Cisco TelePresence, experiencing the same interface and service quality they currently do with the two partners' separate services today with similar scheduling, support, security and encryption. Customers will have access to a directory that lists which organizations are registered and where the sites are located. Customers will continue to rely on their respective service providers as a single point of contact for telepresence support, assistance and billing.

The When, Where and How of Cisco versus Microsoft for Unified Communications

Commenting in a statement, Sandra O'Boyle, service director for business network and IT services at Current Analysis, said, "This initiative between BT and Verizon opens up new opportunities for enterprises to collaborate across their premium video platforms and will help multinational customers make the most of their Cisco TelePresence System investments."

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Two unrelated news items in today's spotlight: Verizon and BT have teamed to enable more locations globally for virtual face-to-face collaboration in more locations around the world, while Vonage has launched a new mobile app that can be used for voice calls and text messages.

Under a new agreement Verizon and BT customers can now communicate with each other via Cisco TelePresence, experiencing the same interface and service quality they currently do with the two partners' separate services today with similar scheduling, support, security and encryption. Customers will have access to a directory that lists which organizations are registered and where the sites are located. Customers will continue to rely on their respective service providers as a single point of contact for telepresence support, assistance and billing.

The When, Where and How of Cisco versus Microsoft for Unified Communications

Commenting in a statement, Sandra O'Boyle, service director for business network and IT services at Current Analysis, said, "This initiative between BT and Verizon opens up new opportunities for enterprises to collaborate across their premium video platforms and will help multinational customers make the most of their Cisco TelePresence System investments."

In other news, Vonage has launched a new Vonage Mobile app available for iPhone and Android phones that provides users with the ability to call and text for free to other users who have downloaded the app in over 90 countries using Wi-Fi/3G and 4G networks worldwide. With the latest Vonage app, calls and texts are sent directly from a user's existing address book, showing who is available to call or text for free.

Calls are free to Vonage Home customers although data channel charges may apply when using a 3G or 4G network. If applicable, billing is charged directly to an existing iTunes or Android Marketplace account if there is a charge for calls to other numbers outside the Vonage customer base. Mobile app users do not need to be a Vonage customer to use the app or associated calling service.

According to a statement from Vonage, "for users making international calls to people who have not downloaded the app, the rates are amongst the industry's lowest -- 30 percent cheaper than Skype and 70-80 percent cheaper than mobile carriers."

Read more about voip & convergence in Network World's VoIP & Convergence section.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.