Next generation fibre broadband reveals true power of video conferencing

Video conferencing. Say it to most business people and they probably still conjure up jerky pictures, lips and sound out of sync and irritating breaks in transmission. Plus a price tag that’s beyond the budget of all but the biggest corporates.

But that image belongs to yesterday. The launch of BT Wholesale’s fibre-based next generation broadband services in January 2010 means that companies of every size can now clearly see – and embrace – the true power and potential of the video conference for the first time.

Fibre’s faster connections, greater bandwidth and the cost efficiencies inherent in all 21^st Century Network solutions are primed to make this tool a practical, everyday proposition for all – and the timing is perfect.

That’s because video conferencing is a communications channel that also sits very well with the economic climate and business mood. Organisations battered by the recession are keen to save money. They can cut travel and time costs at a stroke when a fibre broadband link and an average laptop or desktop can make virtual meetings with colleagues and customers feel as immediate and natural as being in the same room.

Home-working too at once becomes less isolating and more feasible even for small- and medium-size companies. Bad weather and transport strikes no longer pose such a threat to daily commutes and business continuity when people find it second nature to liaise and work together on screen. And with less shuttling about by plane, train and car, the environment stands to be a winner too.

The essential connectivity comes from the latest addition to our Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC) family: FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet) access. Available both as a DIY-managed option and a fully managed option – Wholesale Broadband Managed Connect (WBMC) – these new fibre services can deliver downstream speeds of up to 40Mbit/s and upstream rates of up to 10Mbit/s*.

And as well as helping you to capture the UK market’s growing interest in video conferencing, WBC and WBMC can be your ideal solution for customers that want to run multiple, high-speed, bandwidth-hungry applications simultaneously, ranging from VoIP lines and SaaS (Software as a Service) to High Definition TV. For those too, their time has come.

* The maximum speed a WBC/WBMC line can support subject to the distance from the exchange and other external factors such as interference on the line.

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Experience the difference when fibre broadband is delivering the image – and all the other apps your business and consumer customers are keen to use. Book a session at our new Showcase Demo at BT Centre, London, by contacting your account management team.