BT offers full interoperability with cloud-based videoconferencing

More news this week on interoperability for videoconferencing as BT (NYSE: BT) Conferencing today expanded its cloud-based service to allow full global interoperability among a wide choice of manufacturer solutions.

BT, which in 2010 originally debuted its offering as a manged service, said the latest enhancement increases the range of devices that can be used in meetings and includes standard or high definition endpoints ranging from telepresence suites to mobile devices, enterprise desktop units and web cameras.

The service supports SIP, H.323 and H.320 and enables users to launch and control video meetings using a mix of legacy and new devices on the same session.

BT is one of the original members of the Open Visual Communications Consortium (OVCC), a newly formed standards body for the industry.

BT said its move toward interoperability means its services can be used in more business meetings, business-to-business calls, overflow capacity for internal meetings and large-scale multimedia events.

"As part of our Global Video Exchange family of services, organizations can now connect to different video endpoint technology both within and outside of their enterprise, giving them the advantage of meeting with whomever they wish, regardless of where they are," said Richard Lowe, CEO of BT Conferencing. "By extending the reach, quality and effectiveness of communications, we are offering a real alternative to how organizations collaborate with colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners."

BT joins a near-flood of vendors offering videoconferencing solutions that are more open than those previously available. Increasingly, the industry believes that the market has the potential for huge growth, if interoperability issues are addressed.

Ovum, earlier this month, forecast the market topotentialy be worth $1.1 billion in 2016, and Infonetics Research said the first six months of 2011 set revenue records for the industry, with Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) owning 50 percent of the market share.

The OVCC launched in June and had its coming out party at CTIA last month. Current members include many of the industry's largest players--AT&T (NYSE: T), BCS Global, Bharti Airtel, BT Conferencing, Dialogic, Orange Business Services, Polycom (Nasdaq: PLCM), Teliris, Telstra and Verizon (NYSE: VZ)--and says it iss looking for more partners to come on board.

For more:
- see this release

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