Telepresence and video conferencing are poised to grow into a US$4,7-bn industry worldwide by 2014, out of which Asia Pacific is expected to contribute US$1,7-bn according to Frost & Sullivan.
Speaking at the launch of the Tandberg Telepresence T3 room in Hong Kong, executives from Tandberg and Frost & Sullivan reiterated the need to ensure interoperability based on an open standards platform if the technology is to create long-term value for organisations.
“The growth in telepresence has largely been driven by the introduction of higher quality products, falling broadband prices and the need for senior executives to cut costs associated with business travel,” said Bryan Thompson Tandberg area manager, Sub-Sahara South Africa.
“For an increasing number of companies in Asia Pacific with existing video conferencing capabilities, telepresence is fast becoming the next must-have technology in the enterprise armoury, and Tandberg is prepared to meet their needs. The Tandberg T3 provides an unparalleled immersive telepresence experience. Designed with special premium lighting and features, the T3 creates the effect that participants are actually sitting across the table, even if they are half way around the globe.”
He said, “People tend to forget that telepresence is not a product, it is an experience and an extension of video conferencing. Increasingly, we’re seeing telepresence become a critical part of the total visual communication offering and in the last six months in particular, we’ve had some very notable customer wins in Asia with financial houses leading the way in adoption.”
Organisations interested in telepresence should consider the technology as a part of a larger visual communications strategy and deploy telepresence solutions like the T3 that will work with most existing business applications, services and infrastructure without requiring upgrades in hardware.
