Videoconferencing in general may have a ways to go before it can be "as seamless as a phone call," but AT&T says it's taken the next step toward that with the debut of its new Telepresence Solution.
The carrier says it has expanded video features and on-demand meeting capabilities that can help facilitate broader video collaboration. By eliminating the need to reserve video resources in advance, AT&T says Telepresence Solution customers can easily conduct meetings and instantly connect face-to-face through video with partners and colleagues regardless of whether or not they are registered on the AT&T Business Exchange.
New features include guest access enhancements and virtual meeting rooms. Using these features, AT&T says customers can join meetings over the Internet from desktop/laptop and select mobile devices using video applications like the Cisco Jabber Video for TelePresence; Polycom RealPresence Mobile; LifeSize ClearSea from Logitech, and other standards-based video clients using Wi-Fi hot spots, 3G, 4G and 4G/LTE wireless connections (where available).
"These new AT&T Telepresence Solution enhancements help make video conferencing more useful," said Brian Washburn, research director, network services, Current Analysis. "These features cut across different video devices, vendors, and calls types to bring ease and simplicity to the end-user experience."
"AT&T is invested in providing enhanced video services without borders," said Alan Benway, executive director of AT&T Telepresence Solution, AT&T Business and Home Solutions. "AT&T customers have the freedom to choose from the broadest set of endpoints and the freedom to meet at the time that best suits them while leveraging their immersive rooms, group systems, mobile devices, laptops, or desktops."
