UK: Ovum today announced its preliminary quarterly results for global 2Q09 DSL and CMTS port shipments.
“Continuing demand for downstream capacity contributed to strong growth in downstream CMTS port shipments in North America. We estimate that for the first time ever, more than half of ports shipped were downstream ports,” said Ovum Analyst Kamalini Ganguly. “Arris topped the CMTS market in volume for the first time.
2Q09 highlights
* DSLAM shipments’ increase versus 1Q09 = 10 percent
* DSLAM shipments’ decline versus 2Q08 = 19 percent
* CMTS shipments’ decline versus 1Q09 = 6 percent
* CMTS shipments’ decline versus 2Q08 = 39 percent
Alcatel-Lucent, which shipped 5.8 million DSL ports in 2Q09, remained in first place in the DSL market on a rolling 4Q volume basis with 32 percent share, followed by Huawei (28 percent), ZTE (16 percent), Nokia Siemens Networks (5 percent), Ericsson (5 percent), and UTStarcom (3 percent).
All the regions saw double-digit sequential growth in DSL shipments, with the exception of South and Central America. In the CMTS market, Cisco dropped to 50 percent rolling 4Q market share in terms of ports shipped, followed by Arris whose share jumped to 35 percent and Motorola whose share grew to 13 percent. Downstream ports contributed to more than 50 percent of CMTS ports shipped for the first time.
Showing posts with label Cisco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cisco. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Hopes of upturn in 2Q09 telecom financial deal flow despite unfriendly public markets
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: According to a new study from Ovum, the global analyst and consulting company, telecom sector financial deal activity in 2Q09 reflects a modest, but tangible, increase in confidence among the major players: carriers, vendors, their financial and legal advisors, and the investment institutions looking for reasons to pull their money off the sidelines.
Based on Ovum’s report, titled Financial Deals Industry Insight -– Telecommunications (2Q09 edition), public stock offerings remain nearly nonexistent even as market volatility lowers, and venture capital (VC) investments in telecom continue in similar volumes but at a much lower average deal size: from $13.0M per deal in 2Q08, the 2Q08 average was $9.8M.
However, the private placement market -– issuance of debt securities for fundraising –- has actually picked up nicely as public markets have fallen: 19 deals in 2Q09, in line with the quarterly average since 4Q07 –- but the total deal value increased again, nearly double 1Q09 to $18.0B, up from $3.6B in 2Q08.
One significant deal as of yet unclosed –- South Africa-based MTN’s pending merger with Indian carrier Bharti Airtel (partly funded by a separate private placement deal) –- does sway the average upwards, but there were three other closed deals above $1B in 2Q09: Qtel, Crown Castle, and Cricket/Leap.
Matt Walker, Ovum principal analyst and author of the report, noted that there is also promising news from the world of mergers and acquisitions: “We are starting to see more big, complex deals; these often entail long negotiation cycles and carry regulatory uncertainties. In late 2008 the financial market’s volatility killed interest in such transactions.”
For 1H09 overall, M&A deal count in telecom was 315, down significantly from the 391 deals announced or closed in 1H08. But total deal value for 2Q09 was roughly $35B, or twice the average seen in the previous three quarters.
Watching the announced but not yet closed deals will also help gauge market stability, especially MTN-Bharti, but also Verizon’s sales of select assets to (in separate deals) Frontier and AT&T; Greece’s sale of a 5 percent stake in OTE to DT; and Russia-based Rostelecom’s sale of a 40 percent stake in itself to two separate investment entities.
In addition, Walker noted that governments and deep-pocketed vendors are helping to close the gap as public markets remain tough. Governments are doing this by directly funding broadband infrastructure buildouts, licensing new wireless spectrum at favourable terms, subsidizing private sector R&D (e.g. at the European Investment Bank), and lending money in special cases, as when Export Development Canada offered NSN $300M for its initial bid on Nortel’s CDMA and LTE assets.
As for vendors, Cisco is one example: it is using its Cisco Capital unit to leverage its notoriously rich cash horde -- over $33B of cash and short-term investments on the balance sheet -- to offer financing to customers and channel partners. In 1H-FY09, it was responsible for $2.1B in lease and long-term loan arrangements.
In addition, Chinese vendors ZTE and Huawei both have billions of dollars in either explicit or implicit credit lines with various Chinese banks: the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank, and the Bank of China.
Walker said: “This subsidized financing helps these Chinese vendors’ carrier customers expand more easily and quickly, which also facilitates deal activity (e.g. cross-border M&As to grow wireless footprint).”
On net, Walker concluded that, while the outlook remains cloudy, steps taken in 2Q09 by vendors, governments, and private financiers to compensate for weakness in the macroeconomy and public equity markets bode well for the remainder of the year in telecom.
Based on Ovum’s report, titled Financial Deals Industry Insight -– Telecommunications (2Q09 edition), public stock offerings remain nearly nonexistent even as market volatility lowers, and venture capital (VC) investments in telecom continue in similar volumes but at a much lower average deal size: from $13.0M per deal in 2Q08, the 2Q08 average was $9.8M.
However, the private placement market -– issuance of debt securities for fundraising –- has actually picked up nicely as public markets have fallen: 19 deals in 2Q09, in line with the quarterly average since 4Q07 –- but the total deal value increased again, nearly double 1Q09 to $18.0B, up from $3.6B in 2Q08.
One significant deal as of yet unclosed –- South Africa-based MTN’s pending merger with Indian carrier Bharti Airtel (partly funded by a separate private placement deal) –- does sway the average upwards, but there were three other closed deals above $1B in 2Q09: Qtel, Crown Castle, and Cricket/Leap.
Matt Walker, Ovum principal analyst and author of the report, noted that there is also promising news from the world of mergers and acquisitions: “We are starting to see more big, complex deals; these often entail long negotiation cycles and carry regulatory uncertainties. In late 2008 the financial market’s volatility killed interest in such transactions.”
For 1H09 overall, M&A deal count in telecom was 315, down significantly from the 391 deals announced or closed in 1H08. But total deal value for 2Q09 was roughly $35B, or twice the average seen in the previous three quarters.
Watching the announced but not yet closed deals will also help gauge market stability, especially MTN-Bharti, but also Verizon’s sales of select assets to (in separate deals) Frontier and AT&T; Greece’s sale of a 5 percent stake in OTE to DT; and Russia-based Rostelecom’s sale of a 40 percent stake in itself to two separate investment entities.
In addition, Walker noted that governments and deep-pocketed vendors are helping to close the gap as public markets remain tough. Governments are doing this by directly funding broadband infrastructure buildouts, licensing new wireless spectrum at favourable terms, subsidizing private sector R&D (e.g. at the European Investment Bank), and lending money in special cases, as when Export Development Canada offered NSN $300M for its initial bid on Nortel’s CDMA and LTE assets.
As for vendors, Cisco is one example: it is using its Cisco Capital unit to leverage its notoriously rich cash horde -- over $33B of cash and short-term investments on the balance sheet -- to offer financing to customers and channel partners. In 1H-FY09, it was responsible for $2.1B in lease and long-term loan arrangements.
In addition, Chinese vendors ZTE and Huawei both have billions of dollars in either explicit or implicit credit lines with various Chinese banks: the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank, and the Bank of China.
Walker said: “This subsidized financing helps these Chinese vendors’ carrier customers expand more easily and quickly, which also facilitates deal activity (e.g. cross-border M&As to grow wireless footprint).”
On net, Walker concluded that, while the outlook remains cloudy, steps taken in 2Q09 by vendors, governments, and private financiers to compensate for weakness in the macroeconomy and public equity markets bode well for the remainder of the year in telecom.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cisco, Tata Comms to take wireless road in Gurgaon
GURGAON & BANGALORE, INDIA: Cisco and Tata Communications today announced that the companies have teamed to promote the Digital Lifestyle for consumers at home and on the go.
The two companies have collaborated to showcase the fusion between Cisco products and the Broadband services offered by Tata Communications, a leading global provider of a new world of communications.
Cisco and Tata have decided that as a first step they will work together on a series of joint promotions to show the benefits of going wireless to consumers in the Gurgaon district.
A specially-built mobile van, equipped with Linksys by Cisco home networking solutions and enabled by Tata Communications’ wireless broadband services will travel to residential areas in the Gurgaon locale, and highlight the ease and freedom offered by going wireless and the benefits of a connected lifestyle.
Between July 13 and August 9, 2009, the experiential van plans to travel through Gurgaon residential regions to demonstrate Cisco’s next generation wireless home networking solutions including entertainment routers, wireless adaptor, internet home monitoring camera and network attached storage.
These technologies, which use the network as the platform, will highlight experiential demonstrations of wireless home solutions such as internet sharing, wireless printing, home monitoring and video streaming.
Consumers will also have the opportunity to win a wireless router on each day of the demonstration by participating in ‘lucky draw’ contests. Customers can benefit from a discount of Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 on various products during the period.
Suresh Balasubramanian, National Sales Director, India, Cisco Consumer Business said: “Cisco and Tata Communications have a shared vision of the wireless home and connected lifestyle. Cisco enables the connected life by delivering communication and entertainment experiences that are more visual, more social and more personal.
"In this regard, working with Tata Communications helps us to extend the possibilities of a connected life through wireless solutions. This initiative is our way of demonstrating to consumers here how they can harness the full potential of connected life experiences through our wireless offerings.”
Mehul Kapadia, head marketing, Tata Indicom Broadband said: “We are pleased to launch this initiative with Cisco. Cisco’s easy to use home networking products paired with our broadband services make a compelling proposition for consumers to make the transition from wired to wireless home environments. And this experience becomes richer on Tata Indicom broadband, India’s premium internet service provider.”
The two companies have collaborated to showcase the fusion between Cisco products and the Broadband services offered by Tata Communications, a leading global provider of a new world of communications.
Cisco and Tata have decided that as a first step they will work together on a series of joint promotions to show the benefits of going wireless to consumers in the Gurgaon district.
A specially-built mobile van, equipped with Linksys by Cisco home networking solutions and enabled by Tata Communications’ wireless broadband services will travel to residential areas in the Gurgaon locale, and highlight the ease and freedom offered by going wireless and the benefits of a connected lifestyle.
Between July 13 and August 9, 2009, the experiential van plans to travel through Gurgaon residential regions to demonstrate Cisco’s next generation wireless home networking solutions including entertainment routers, wireless adaptor, internet home monitoring camera and network attached storage.
These technologies, which use the network as the platform, will highlight experiential demonstrations of wireless home solutions such as internet sharing, wireless printing, home monitoring and video streaming.
Consumers will also have the opportunity to win a wireless router on each day of the demonstration by participating in ‘lucky draw’ contests. Customers can benefit from a discount of Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 on various products during the period.
Suresh Balasubramanian, National Sales Director, India, Cisco Consumer Business said: “Cisco and Tata Communications have a shared vision of the wireless home and connected lifestyle. Cisco enables the connected life by delivering communication and entertainment experiences that are more visual, more social and more personal.
"In this regard, working with Tata Communications helps us to extend the possibilities of a connected life through wireless solutions. This initiative is our way of demonstrating to consumers here how they can harness the full potential of connected life experiences through our wireless offerings.”
Mehul Kapadia, head marketing, Tata Indicom Broadband said: “We are pleased to launch this initiative with Cisco. Cisco’s easy to use home networking products paired with our broadband services make a compelling proposition for consumers to make the transition from wired to wireless home environments. And this experience becomes richer on Tata Indicom broadband, India’s premium internet service provider.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Dependent APs weather stormy WLAN equipment market in 1Q09
BOSTON, USA: Communications market research firm Infonetics Research released the first quarter (1Q09) edition of its Wireless LAN and WiFi Mesh Equipment and Phones.
Matthias Machowinski, Directing Analyst, Enterprise Voice and Data, Infonetics Research, said: "Dependent wireless LAN access points were relatively immune to the wireless LAN equipment market plunge in the first quarter of 2009, driven by the move to centralized wireless LAN architectures.
"Another development is the growing proportion of 802.11n-based access points, which have a much higher average selling price and are keeping overall revenue per unit from eroding. Continued uptake of this next-generation technology should have a positive impact on the market during what is likely to be a difficult year in the wireless LAN space."
WLAN and WIFI mesh market highlights
* The worldwide wireless LAN equipment market, including access points, mesh network nodes, WLAN switches and controllers, and WiFi phones, continues to be impacted by the economic climate, sequentially dropping 18 percent to $438 million in 1Q09.
* On the wireless LAN equipment leaderboard (excluding WiFi phones), Cisco is unassailable with nearly half the worldwide market share, and Aruba and Motorola locked in a battle for second position (Aruba leads in 1Q09).
* Alcatel-Lucent and Trapeze were the only vendors with positive revenue growth in 1Q09.
Matthias Machowinski, Directing Analyst, Enterprise Voice and Data, Infonetics Research, said: "Dependent wireless LAN access points were relatively immune to the wireless LAN equipment market plunge in the first quarter of 2009, driven by the move to centralized wireless LAN architectures.
"Another development is the growing proportion of 802.11n-based access points, which have a much higher average selling price and are keeping overall revenue per unit from eroding. Continued uptake of this next-generation technology should have a positive impact on the market during what is likely to be a difficult year in the wireless LAN space."
WLAN and WIFI mesh market highlights
* The worldwide wireless LAN equipment market, including access points, mesh network nodes, WLAN switches and controllers, and WiFi phones, continues to be impacted by the economic climate, sequentially dropping 18 percent to $438 million in 1Q09.
* On the wireless LAN equipment leaderboard (excluding WiFi phones), Cisco is unassailable with nearly half the worldwide market share, and Aruba and Motorola locked in a battle for second position (Aruba leads in 1Q09).
* Alcatel-Lucent and Trapeze were the only vendors with positive revenue growth in 1Q09.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Mobile UC: high on vendor agenda
UK: Comment from Claudio Castelli, Senior Analyst, Ovum.
There are many different types of player involved in providing end-to-end UC solutions to mobile users. Carriers, IP telephony vendors, handset manufacturers, application developers and system integrators all have a role to play in mobile UC. Vendors are currently taking the lead. Several have recently launched mobile UC products and are now promoting the ecosystem required to drive their solutions into the market.
Cisco has announced Collaboration in Motion, which expands its enterprise mobility strategy introduced last year with Cisco Motion. The approach combines its own products with a new programme for third-party vendors and partners. Significantly, it also includes Cisco’s own professional services, which we think is especially important at the beginning of a solution cycle.
Cisco relies primarily on its traditional SI partners as channels to market. The unified wireless network approach to mobility on-premises and off-premises currently focuses on delivering solutions to enterprises rather than hosting by service providers.
Another new offering comes from Research in Motion (RIM). Unlike Cisco, it favours its carrier channels. As an important player in enterprise mobility, RIM is also working to solve the puzzle behind mobile UC. It has repositioned its Mobile Voice Solutions (MVS), acquired from Ascendent in 2006, and recently announced deeper integration with Cisco Unified Communication Manager.
Current economic climate to frustrate expectations
Despite the excitement among vendors, there might be one dark cloud on the horizon, at least in the short term. Our recent research with MNCs found that some large enterprises are likely to delay significant UC integration and fixed–mobile convergence (FMC) implementation projects while they look to cut costs during the financial downturn.
Unique enterprise requirements must be understood
We believe that vendors are doing a good job in developing solutions to help the ‘standard’ enterprise to be more efficient but they are not putting enough effort into understanding the detailed business requirements of each company.
UC strategies need to be more than just technical solutions that provide fancy functionality. It is important to develop a better understanding of the factors that motivate people to connect, share and collaborate with each other. The increased collaboration supported by UC will translate into business benefits according to the profile, culture and social character of each enterprise.
Mobile UC will bring substantial benefits to enterprises but not every company will value it in the same way.
There are many different types of player involved in providing end-to-end UC solutions to mobile users. Carriers, IP telephony vendors, handset manufacturers, application developers and system integrators all have a role to play in mobile UC. Vendors are currently taking the lead. Several have recently launched mobile UC products and are now promoting the ecosystem required to drive their solutions into the market.
Cisco has announced Collaboration in Motion, which expands its enterprise mobility strategy introduced last year with Cisco Motion. The approach combines its own products with a new programme for third-party vendors and partners. Significantly, it also includes Cisco’s own professional services, which we think is especially important at the beginning of a solution cycle.
Cisco relies primarily on its traditional SI partners as channels to market. The unified wireless network approach to mobility on-premises and off-premises currently focuses on delivering solutions to enterprises rather than hosting by service providers.
Another new offering comes from Research in Motion (RIM). Unlike Cisco, it favours its carrier channels. As an important player in enterprise mobility, RIM is also working to solve the puzzle behind mobile UC. It has repositioned its Mobile Voice Solutions (MVS), acquired from Ascendent in 2006, and recently announced deeper integration with Cisco Unified Communication Manager.
Current economic climate to frustrate expectations
Despite the excitement among vendors, there might be one dark cloud on the horizon, at least in the short term. Our recent research with MNCs found that some large enterprises are likely to delay significant UC integration and fixed–mobile convergence (FMC) implementation projects while they look to cut costs during the financial downturn.
Unique enterprise requirements must be understood
We believe that vendors are doing a good job in developing solutions to help the ‘standard’ enterprise to be more efficient but they are not putting enough effort into understanding the detailed business requirements of each company.
UC strategies need to be more than just technical solutions that provide fancy functionality. It is important to develop a better understanding of the factors that motivate people to connect, share and collaborate with each other. The increased collaboration supported by UC will translate into business benefits according to the profile, culture and social character of each enterprise.
Mobile UC will bring substantial benefits to enterprises but not every company will value it in the same way.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Telepresence grows in Asia-Pacific: Ovum
UK: Telepresence was a global vendor (Cisco/Tandberg/Polycom), global service provider (AT&T/BT/Verizon Business) story. That changed recently when Hong Kong-based CPCNet launched a managed high-definition (HD) video conferencing solution, VC2, and China’s Huawei Technologies launched its own line of telepresence equipment.
Separately, SingTel has been giving visibility to its Managed HD Video Conferencing Service, which launched at the end of 2008 and which now includes telepresence.
Global managed telepresence offers from AT&T and BT have had limited reach into the Asia-Pacific region as the operators build up network operations centre capacity to support inter-carrier and inter-company video networking. Now regional enterprise users will have potentially even more choice than counterparts in Europe and the Americas, with the emergence of these regional players.
CPCNet’s VC2 solution is provided through a range of CPE devices and allows laptop access to the conference room. CPCNet provides the managed network connectivity to maximise the efficient use of the network for video traffic at the same time as integrating different bandwidths to provide HD quality video to all participants in the conference.
The new solution provides a web portal for end users to manage video conferences and a 24×7 helpdesk to ensure quality of service can be given at all times.
CPCNet has focused its managed services model around video conferencing being accessible to all users, something that Ovum believed was essential for the development of video conferencing when telepresence made its entrance to the market in 2007. Telepresence has definitely spurred on the video conferencing market and CPCNet’s managed network connectivity is essential for the quality of video conferences using different devices.
Huawei also quietly announced its latest telepresence offering. It already offers a selection of end points for HD video conferencing, but this is the first move in the telepresence market.
The solution, ViewPoint Telepresence 3006, is based on open standards so that it can be interoperable over different networks and can provide HD and standard-definition conferencing to users with existing video conferencing solutions. The solution uses a wireless control to manage the call setup, which it says is simpler and more convenient to use than a telephone call.
Interoperability is key for telepresence, and Huawei has made the right choice to make sure that its solution is interoperable.
The potential for HD video conferencing in China is huge. It is an extremely useful tool to help manufacturers demonstrate their products without the need for travel. So far, telepresence deployments in China have been made by the major players in the HD video conferencing market: Tandberg, Polycom and Cisco.
The release of Huawei’s Telepresence solution will help the market grow within China. Huawei is renowned for its low-cost solutions so we may expect pricing to become more competitive for video conferencing units in the future if the Huawei solution can compete with its western competitors.
Western operators catch up in Asia-Pacific
It is not only the local players that are making moves in China. In March, AT&T announced that it would also extend its telepresence services into China during 2009 by working with local partners to provide the service. This month, Orange Business Services announced that it is upgrading its IP network in Asia-Pacific, citing video conferencing support as one of the reasons for the upgrade.
All this activity in the Chinese market shows that telcos are trying to maximise their efforts to make the most of the potential of these markets. Time will tell whether the economic downturn will restrict this growth or if the emergence of HD video conferencing will enable enterprises to make much-needed cost savings to help them through this difficult period.
-- Lucy Arole, Analyst at Ovum.
Separately, SingTel has been giving visibility to its Managed HD Video Conferencing Service, which launched at the end of 2008 and which now includes telepresence.
Global managed telepresence offers from AT&T and BT have had limited reach into the Asia-Pacific region as the operators build up network operations centre capacity to support inter-carrier and inter-company video networking. Now regional enterprise users will have potentially even more choice than counterparts in Europe and the Americas, with the emergence of these regional players.
CPCNet’s VC2 solution is provided through a range of CPE devices and allows laptop access to the conference room. CPCNet provides the managed network connectivity to maximise the efficient use of the network for video traffic at the same time as integrating different bandwidths to provide HD quality video to all participants in the conference.
The new solution provides a web portal for end users to manage video conferences and a 24×7 helpdesk to ensure quality of service can be given at all times.
CPCNet has focused its managed services model around video conferencing being accessible to all users, something that Ovum believed was essential for the development of video conferencing when telepresence made its entrance to the market in 2007. Telepresence has definitely spurred on the video conferencing market and CPCNet’s managed network connectivity is essential for the quality of video conferences using different devices.
Huawei also quietly announced its latest telepresence offering. It already offers a selection of end points for HD video conferencing, but this is the first move in the telepresence market.
The solution, ViewPoint Telepresence 3006, is based on open standards so that it can be interoperable over different networks and can provide HD and standard-definition conferencing to users with existing video conferencing solutions. The solution uses a wireless control to manage the call setup, which it says is simpler and more convenient to use than a telephone call.
Interoperability is key for telepresence, and Huawei has made the right choice to make sure that its solution is interoperable.
The potential for HD video conferencing in China is huge. It is an extremely useful tool to help manufacturers demonstrate their products without the need for travel. So far, telepresence deployments in China have been made by the major players in the HD video conferencing market: Tandberg, Polycom and Cisco.
The release of Huawei’s Telepresence solution will help the market grow within China. Huawei is renowned for its low-cost solutions so we may expect pricing to become more competitive for video conferencing units in the future if the Huawei solution can compete with its western competitors.
Western operators catch up in Asia-Pacific
It is not only the local players that are making moves in China. In March, AT&T announced that it would also extend its telepresence services into China during 2009 by working with local partners to provide the service. This month, Orange Business Services announced that it is upgrading its IP network in Asia-Pacific, citing video conferencing support as one of the reasons for the upgrade.
All this activity in the Chinese market shows that telcos are trying to maximise their efforts to make the most of the potential of these markets. Time will tell whether the economic downturn will restrict this growth or if the emergence of HD video conferencing will enable enterprises to make much-needed cost savings to help them through this difficult period.
-- Lucy Arole, Analyst at Ovum.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Managed telepresence services to exceed $360mn in 2011
NEW YORK, USA: Telepresence, a kind of video conference providing the realistic sensation that all participants are actually in the same room, is a rapidly growing industry. The technology, however, is very expensive -- prohibitively so, for the majority of its potential users. Hence there is a growing trend toward offering telepresence as a managed service.
According to ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, “The growth of managed telepresence services raises the prospect that soon virtually anybody, from multinational corporations to private individuals, may be able to benefit from this remarkable audiovisual experience.”
What makes telepresence more useful than phones, email, or ordinary videoconferencing? The key is the realism: in complex business negotiations body language, eye contact, and vocal realism are still critical. And for individuals communicating with distant loved-ones, there’s no substitute.
Today, telepresence managed services are still primarily used by large enterprises. But it won’t be long before small-medium businesses and eventually ordinary citizens can use the service. Schatt believes that “The price for telepresence managed services will eventually come down to where any mid-level manager can do it.”
There will also be public facilities, often in hotels or conference centers, where one can use telepresence for a fee. “That’s going to be very attractive to small businesses,” says Schatt. “Take a small business that has a supply chain relationship with an Asian company. The fee for an hour in a telepresence room is always going to be less than the cost of sending a key executive all the way to China. And fewer air miles are better for the environment.”
Many telepresence systems today are still not easily interoperable: another reason to let a service provider handle the technicalities. “We’re already seeing AT&T, BT, and Nortel being very active in this area,” says Schatt, “and India’s Tata Communications has started offering telepresence facilities in partnership with Cisco.”
According to ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, “The growth of managed telepresence services raises the prospect that soon virtually anybody, from multinational corporations to private individuals, may be able to benefit from this remarkable audiovisual experience.”
What makes telepresence more useful than phones, email, or ordinary videoconferencing? The key is the realism: in complex business negotiations body language, eye contact, and vocal realism are still critical. And for individuals communicating with distant loved-ones, there’s no substitute.
Today, telepresence managed services are still primarily used by large enterprises. But it won’t be long before small-medium businesses and eventually ordinary citizens can use the service. Schatt believes that “The price for telepresence managed services will eventually come down to where any mid-level manager can do it.”
There will also be public facilities, often in hotels or conference centers, where one can use telepresence for a fee. “That’s going to be very attractive to small businesses,” says Schatt. “Take a small business that has a supply chain relationship with an Asian company. The fee for an hour in a telepresence room is always going to be less than the cost of sending a key executive all the way to China. And fewer air miles are better for the environment.”
Many telepresence systems today are still not easily interoperable: another reason to let a service provider handle the technicalities. “We’re already seeing AT&T, BT, and Nortel being very active in this area,” says Schatt, “and India’s Tata Communications has started offering telepresence facilities in partnership with Cisco.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
