Verizon Expands Global Telepresence Reach through Agreement with Tata Communications

Verizon (News - Alert) has expanded its global telepresence reach through agreement with Tata Communications, a global provider of a new world of communications.

Telepresence (News - Alert) replicates face-to-face interactions so realistically that it feels as though everyone is in the same room, even though they may be hundreds or thousands of miles apart.  

Thanks to the pact, Virtual face-to-face meeting facilities would now be available in more locations worldwide across both companies' networks.

Officials with Verizon said that the agreement with Tata Communications enables meetings to take place between the company’s telepresence customers and any public or private telepresence room on the Tata Communications (News - Alert) Global Meeting Exchange.

Tata Communications Global Meeting Exchange is one of the broadest telepresence networks accessible today and a gateway to the company's public room network spanning 31 cities on five continents.  

According to company officials, this will supplement Verizon's telepresence offering powered by its expansive global Private Internet Protocol Network service. Similarly, Tata Communications telepresence customers can use Verizon's facilities to communicate with Verizon customers.      

“Video is the new voice for business, and it's becoming more and more available to meet the changing nature of work,” said Farooq Muzaffar, vice president of Enterprise Network and Communications Solutions at Verizon, in a statement.

“As businesses expand beyond the traditional four walls of an office building, we're seeing more of our customers turning to advanced collaboration tools like telepresence for a bigger impact on their overall productivity and performance,” said Muzaffar.

Verizon, with more than 30 years of experience, is a provider of collaboration and unified communications services, enabling organizations to effectively collaborate for increased productivity while reducing costs and carbon emissions associated with business travel.  

Peter Quinlan, vice president of Integrated Business Video Services at Tata Communications, said that his company is delighted to welcome Verizon to its global telepresence partner ecosystem.

Quinlan said that intercarrier connections such as this one will benefit customers by offering a broader telepresence business ecosystem that connects regardless of network or service provider. It's agreements like this that fundamentally make telepresence a truly global collaboration tool, he said.

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Anil Sharma is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell