ATamp;;T To Offer Businesses An Expanded Global Video amp;; Telepresence Community

DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- To help simplify how businesses benefit from video collaboration technology, [ AT&T ]* announced today two new interconnection agreements with T-Systems and Tata Communications for global telepresence services. AT&T also announced that [ AT&T Telepresence Solution ]® is one of the first Open Visual Communications Consortium (OVCC) compliant services, offering customers multi-vendor video collaboration across a range of service providers.

Through the inter-provider agreements with Tata Communications and T-Systems, AT&T Telepresence Solution customers can now extend collaboration across a broader set of global telecommunication provider networks, creating a smooth and more consistent experience through thousands of video endpoints.

"As a leader in pervasive video collaboration, we are committed to providing global interoperability across service providers and endpoints," said Alan Benway , Executive Director of [ AT&T Business Solutions ]. "These agreements demonstrate our progress in providing customers with increased opportunities to improve how they work with suppliers and business partners through global video collaboration."

"Ongoing cooperation from AT&T, T-Systems, Tata Communications and others continues to enable expanded opportunities for global video collaboration," said Brian Washburn , Research Director, Network Services, Current Analysis. "These agreements continue to create a web of access points for customers to seamlessly connect to video solutions and services from many providers."

As a founding member of the Open Visual Communications Consortium (OVCC), a group of leading service and solution providers creating the blueprint to deliver high-quality video collaboration that connects vendors, networks and devices, virtually anywhere, AT&T is further building on a longstanding commitment to extend video collaboration capabilities across a broad range of devices. AT&T has expanded its offering with BT and Orange Business Services through the OVCC's first wave of compliant video services, creating a larger ecosystem for users to collaborate through video. The OVCC is also providing connectivity using the industry leading [ AT&T Virtual Private Network ] to establish the core infrastructure used between OVCC-compliant video services.

Highlights and benefits

Broader access and facilitation of near real-time, immersive telepresence meetings around the world between companies that are connected to the AT&T Business Exchange, Tata Communications or the T-System Telepresence Community;
Telepresence and video interoperability between endpoints across the AT&T Business Exchange, BT and Orange Business Services consistent with the OVCC blueprint;
Works with both scheduled and reservation-less Virtual Meeting Rooms on the AT&T Business Exchange
Potential decrease in travel costs, with the opportunity to reduce an organization's travel related carbon footprint;
More efficient use of limited resources - people are meeting instead of traveling;
Easy remote collaboration, promoting quicker decision-making and issue resolution.

"We are delighted to be entering into this inter-provider agreement with AT&T to expand the global telepresence ecosystem," said Peter Quinlan , Vice President, Integrated Business Video Services, Tata Communications. "Inter-carrier agreements, through Tata Communications' Global Meeting Exchange™ network are part of our long term strategy to enable an open, global telepresence ecosystem for business video collaboration, connecting customers regardless of network or service provider."

"We are dedicated to providing customers with our video solutions, 'Cross Company Exchange Service' that enhance the way their businesses work and collaborate with partners and constituents," said Hagen Rickmann , Director Service and Board Member of T-Systems. "The Interoperability agreement with AT&T allows us to truly increase our reach providing customers with innovative and intuitive video collaboration capabilities."

For more information on AT&T Telepresence Solution visit [ http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2820 ]

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: [ T ]) is a premier communications holding company and [ one of the most honored companies in the world ]. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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ATamp;;T To Offer Businesses An Expanded Global Video amp;; Telepresence Community