Financial Chronicle
BSNL is in the final stage of discussions with Polycom and could launch the telepresence solutions in a month's period, a source said.
The telecom operator has already deployed the required infrastructure at its New Delhi headquarter and is likely to launch the services anytime in September this year, source said.
With tariffs falling to a low level, businesses like telepresence can contribute additional revenue to players like BSNL, the source said, adding the PSU already has video- conferencing facilities.
Telepresence offers customers a chance to communicate with each other across the country and borders, where both parties can interact real-time.
With corporate houses looking at telepresence as the option to cut travel cost and cope up with the current slowdown, the business of such solutions is booming for both the telecom companies and the network firms by renting them out to enterprises and generating additional revenues.
Telepresence solutions from Polycom, called 'RealPresence' has a seating capacity of 6 to 30. Although varies, the usual cost is Rs 20,000-25,000 per hour for renting.
Networking major Cisco has launched telepresence service in tie-up with Tata Communications. In fact Cisco sees its telepresence effort being a USD 1 billion business in five years.
Companies so far are used to video-conferencing. But the older videoconference systems have technical limitations of poor sound, poor picture quality, reliability, ease of use and cost have inhibited adoption.
Additionally, the lack of eye-to-eye contact reduced the connection -- standard video conference systems were much more like watching each other on television very much unlike a face-to-face meeting, said industry experts.
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