AT&T has expanded its video features and on-demand meeting capabilities to provide broader video collaboration through the AT&T Telepresence Solution. AT&T Telepresence Solution customers no longer need to reserve video resources in advance, so users can connect face-to-face through video with partners and colleagues regardless of whether or not they are registered on the AT&T Business Exchange.
The newly announced features include guest access enhancements, so users with can now join scheduled meetings from a corporate VPN or over the Internet by dialing into the AT&T Business Exchange. Virtual meeting rooms are also offered without advance reservations over a variety of networks through an expanded universe of endpoints including tablets, desktops and conference rooms.
With these features, customers can join meetings from desktop, laptop and select mobile devices via video applications like the Cisco Jabber Video for TelePresence; Polycom RealPresence Mobile; LifeSize ClearSea from Logitech, and other standards-based video clients.
BACKGROUND: Cisco takes its lumps, keeps developing video meeting tools
AT&T also announced a fully managed service bundle with a broader range of endpoints, including the Cisco Telepresence TX9000 Series, becoming one of the first Cisco-certified managed services provider to support this new immersive endpoint globally.
In addition, AT&T is the first service provider to support Polycom HDX desktop and conference room solutions, and Polycom OTX and RPX immersive theater systems implementing Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP), thus enabling native single and multi-screen interoperability with one or three screens between telepresence endpoints from Cisco and Polycom. This interoperability supports direct dial as well as both scheduled and reservation-less multipoint calls (virtual meeting rooms) on the AT&T Business Exchange along with presentation and data sharing.
Brian Washburn, research director of network services at Current Analysis, commented in a statement, “These new AT&T Telepresence Solution enhancements help make video conferencing more useful. [The] features cut across different video devices, vendors, and calls types to bring ease and simplicity to the end user experience.”
AT&T can now provide its telepresence service in 80 countries including fully managed service bundles in 40 of those countries.
